--- product_id: 13547957 title: "In Xanadu: A Quest" price: "€ 28.84" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/13547957-in-xanadu-a-quest store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # In Xanadu: A Quest **Price:** € 28.84 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** In Xanadu: A Quest - **How much does it cost?** € 28.84 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/13547957-in-xanadu-a-quest) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In Xanadu: A Quest [Dalrymple, William] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In Xanadu: A Quest Review: A Thousand and One Tales from the Silk Road - This is quite simply an enchanting book and for two interconnected reasons. The first and most striking reason is that Dalrymple manages to capture and convey the shear sense of wonder and excitement that comes from traveling across the world when young. So young, in fact, that I kept having to remind myself that he was only 22 when he wrote it. If that were its only noteworthy aspect the book would be just one of many other worthy works of travel and exploration. What makes Dalrymple's book so compelling is his extensive grasp of the history and culture of the lands through which he traveled. I like to think that I have read a little of the literature relevant to the countries he passed through but time and again I was brought up short by some tale of a character, event or place of which I had never heard but that had caught Dalrymple's imagination and whose story he wished to share. He proved to be a teller of tales every bit as adept and entrancing as Scheherazade. The premise of the book is that after graduating Dalrymple wanted to re-trace the footsteps of Marco Polo from Jerusalem across Asia Minor and deep into the heart of Asia in search of the legendary Xanadu. To do this he had to pass through Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, visiting some of the most important and memorable sites of antiquity on the way. He made his journey in the late 80s meaning that his journey, although maybe not as perilous or difficult, was a worthy successor to Marco Polo's epic voyage. Since reading In Xanadu I have gone on to read several other books by Dalrymple and while his mature style is a little more settled and refined I look back on this first journey I shared with him with a special fondness for its marvelous exuberance and sense of the infinite possibility of youth. Review: Excellent writing style - The writer is a Scotsman, a student at Cambridge, who undertakes to follow Marco Polo's route to Xanadu. Polo did it in the year 1271, Dalrymple does it in 1989. Observant, detailed, interesting---customs, and oh the people and the noise! Excellent writing style, essentially a travel book BUT a travel book par excellence! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #608,669 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #761 in Chinese History (Books) #899 in Travel Writing Reference #1,546 in Travelogues & Travel Essays | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (404) | | Dimensions | 5.19 x 0.8 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0307948889 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0307948885 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 352 pages | | Publication date | September 18, 2012 | | Publisher | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | ## Images ![In Xanadu: A Quest - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91cZbDhANhL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Thousand and One Tales from the Silk Road *by C***R on October 31, 2014* This is quite simply an enchanting book and for two interconnected reasons. The first and most striking reason is that Dalrymple manages to capture and convey the shear sense of wonder and excitement that comes from traveling across the world when young. So young, in fact, that I kept having to remind myself that he was only 22 when he wrote it. If that were its only noteworthy aspect the book would be just one of many other worthy works of travel and exploration. What makes Dalrymple's book so compelling is his extensive grasp of the history and culture of the lands through which he traveled. I like to think that I have read a little of the literature relevant to the countries he passed through but time and again I was brought up short by some tale of a character, event or place of which I had never heard but that had caught Dalrymple's imagination and whose story he wished to share. He proved to be a teller of tales every bit as adept and entrancing as Scheherazade. The premise of the book is that after graduating Dalrymple wanted to re-trace the footsteps of Marco Polo from Jerusalem across Asia Minor and deep into the heart of Asia in search of the legendary Xanadu. To do this he had to pass through Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, visiting some of the most important and memorable sites of antiquity on the way. He made his journey in the late 80s meaning that his journey, although maybe not as perilous or difficult, was a worthy successor to Marco Polo's epic voyage. Since reading In Xanadu I have gone on to read several other books by Dalrymple and while his mature style is a little more settled and refined I look back on this first journey I shared with him with a special fondness for its marvelous exuberance and sense of the infinite possibility of youth. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent writing style *by M***R on September 7, 2015* The writer is a Scotsman, a student at Cambridge, who undertakes to follow Marco Polo's route to Xanadu. Polo did it in the year 1271, Dalrymple does it in 1989. Observant, detailed, interesting---customs, and oh the people and the noise! Excellent writing style, essentially a travel book BUT a travel book par excellence! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Long Journey *by B***N on October 25, 2018* I quite enjoyed this, the second of Dalymple's books I've read. It suffered a bit from comparison with From the Holy Mountain, the work of a more mature, observant, but no less intrepid writer. I also found myself shocked by a passage that seemed to embody the attitude of a 19th century British missionary: "The village was poorer than any we had seen in Persia, but to European eyes it was infintely preferable. The faces of the men were craggy and rugged, and had none of the effeminacy of the Persians. There was a restrained dignity in their bearing. They regarded us with only casual curiosity and with none of the self-demeaning humility of most Indians." Ugh... ## Frequently Bought Together - In Xanadu: A Quest - From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East - City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/13547957-in-xanadu-a-quest](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/13547957-in-xanadu-a-quest) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-10-17*