Marco Polo Travels in the land of serpents and pearls

'You will hear it for yourselves, and it will surely fill you with wonder.

' In this selection from Marco Polo's famous travel book, the intrepid Venetian describes the customs of India, recounts the story of the king who died eighty-four times and explains how to retrieve diamonds from snake-infested caves.

Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday.

Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries.

They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe.

Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.

Marco Polo (1254-1324).

Polo's Travels are available in Penguin Classics.