"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...