The History of Mar Yahballaha and Rabban Sawma

"For anyone interested in the extraordinary journey of Rabban Sauma from 13th-century China to Latin Christian Europe, Thomas A. Carlson's The History of Mar Yabhallaha & Rabban Sawma is a godsend. Based on Pier Giorgio Borbone's and Laura E. Parodi's magisterial edition and translation, Carlson’s new text is excellent for courses in world literature, travel literature, medieval biography, church history, comparative Christianities, global pilgrimage studies, religious studies, and even hagiographic writing. The book's lively, engaging introduction supplies important background on the history of the Mongols, Eurasia, Central Asia, the Church of the East, the peoples of the steppe, the Ilkhanate of West Asia, and key historical events of the 13th and early 14th centuries, making what might seem esoteric and strange crystal clear and easy to understand. This book is indispensable for teaching, as well as a delight and pleasure for the general reader." — Geraldine Heng, author of The Global Middle Ages: An Introduction, and The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages