The Cambridge Guide to Global Medieval Travel Writing

The first global guide to the vast and complex world of medieval travel writing, from Iceland to Indonesia.

Sebastian Sobecki (Edited by)

9781108493680, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 October 2025

870 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 4.6 cm, 1.495 kg

'This rich, expansive volume encompasses wide-ranging critical approaches and methodologies related to medieval travel literature, whether literary history, theoretical frameworks, or area-based studies. It affords salient points of comparison across cultures and traditions in a renewed and widened view of the medieval world-essential for scholarly research and crucial for teaching.' Ruen-chuan Ma, Associate Professor of English and Literature, Utah Valley University

The Middle Ages laid the foundations for the long European and Middle Eastern history of voyaging, colonialism, and expansion: the Papal embassies that took over a year of overland travel to reach Mongolia, Ibn Battuta's thirty years of voyaging to Africa and East Asia, or the arrival of European colonialism in the Americas. With a focus on medieval Europe, this is the first book to cover global medieval travel writing from Iceland to Indonesia, providing unrivalled insight into the experiences of early travellers. Paying special attention to race, gender and manuscript culture, the volume's vast geographical and linguistic range provides expert coverage of Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese literature. An essential resource for teaching and research, the collection challenges established views of the Middle Ages and Western ideas of history.

Introduction: towards a global history of medieval travel writing Sebastian Sobecki
Part I. Contexts: 1. Travel writing in late antiquity Scott Fitzgerald Johnson
2. The crusades Andrew Jotischky
3. Women travellers Kim M. Phillips
4. Rape and violence in medieval travel narratives Carissa M. Harris
5. Making race: from travel writing to discourse Sierra Lomuto
6. Globalising whiteness: transmission, idolatry, and fetishism Wan-Chuan Kao
7. Travel accounts in manuscript and print Aditi Nafde
8. Disabilities in transit Jonathan Hsy
9. Ibn Battuta Christine Chism
10. Jewish travellers Martin Jacobs
Part II. Traditions: I. The Nordic World and the British Isles: 11. Iceland Sverrir Jakobsson
12. Scandinavia Jonas Wellendorf
13. England Sebastian Sobecki
14. Scotland Daniel Davies
15. Ireland Joseph Falaky Nagy
16. Wales Helen Fulton
II. France, Italy, and Iberia: 17. France Elizaveta Strakhov
18. Iberia Geraldine Hazbun
19. Santiago de Compostela George D. Greenia
20. Italy Theodore J. Cachey, Jr
21. Rome Chiara Sbordoni
III. The Empire and Central Europe: 22. The holy Roman empire Albrecht Classen
23. The Teutonic state, Prussia, and the Baltic Ralf G. Päsler
24. Bohemia Michael Van Dussen
25. Hungary Balázs Nagy
IV. Poland-Lithuania, Rus', and Byzantium: 26. Poland and Lithuania Paul Srodecki
27. Russia Ralph Cleminson
28. Byzantium Marina Toumpouri
V. Africa and the Middle East: 29. West Africa Iona McCleery
30. Jerusalem Anthony Bale
31. Arabia Shazia Jagot
32. Mecca Karen C. Pinto
VI. Asia and the Americas: 33. Persia Ladan Niayesh
34. The Mongol empire Irene Malfatto
35. China and India Sharon Kinoshita
36. Chinese travel writing James M. Hargett
37. South-East Asia Marianne O'Doherty
38. The Atlantic and the Americas Sebastian Sobecki
Thinking about a world in motion: An afterword Geraldine Heng.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]