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Secondary sourceBook1553

Title Page of the First French Edition of Marco Polo's Book

Estienne Groulleau · 1553

The cover of the first printed French translation of Marco Polo's travel account, published in 1553.

This is the first French printed edition of Marco Polo's travel account.

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Title page in French of the first printed French edition of Marco Polo's travel book.
Estienne Groulleau (printer), title page, first French edition of Marco Polo's book, 1553.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of the first French edition of Marco Polo's travel book, printed by Estienne Groulleau in 1553.

Why it matters

This printing shows how Polo's account, originally written centuries earlier, continued to circulate across Europe as printing technology spread new editions to French readers. It is evidence of the long afterlife of his writing.

Look closer

  • What does the design of this title page suggest about who could read it?
  • Why might a printer in 1553 choose to publish a text written so much earlier?
  • What does the survival of many editions tell you about Polo's lasting influence?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Marco Polo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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