The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by John Mandeville (1984, Paperback, Reprint)

A 14th century traveller, Mandeville has been accused of travelling no further than his local library! This book is an interesting read, and is a sketchy travelouge. The travels through the Holy Land and Central Asia seems realistic and believeable, but then the south Asian part gets totally out of control: descriptions of men with heads of dogs, and trees that fruit birds, and such fantastical observations test your faith. Mandeville also claims to have worked for the Sultan of Egypt and the Mongol Emperor, but these seem suspicious too. However, the book is interesting in the sense that it shares the common view that the west had of the eastern world, full of their prejudices and inaccracies.