About the book: 2014 / The new book by the famous writer and historian Valentin Pronin includes two historical adventure stories about famous European travelers. The story “The Testament of Messer Marco” tells about the extraordinary adventures of the famous Venetian merchant, diplomat and writer Marco Polo (1254–1324), who made a many-year journey through the countries of Central and Central Asia to China and for more than fifteen years served in the service of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, conqueror and ruler of China, - as his official trade and diplomatic representative in India, Iran and Persia. The story “The Commander's Long March” is dedicated to the famous Portuguese navigator, merchant and pirate Vasco da Gama, Count of Vidigueira (1469–1524), who, on four small caravels, in company with his brother Paulo, made the expedition in 1497–1498. an unprecedented voyage from Lisbon to Calicut, located on the Malabar coast of Hindustan, paving the sea route to the fabulous land of spices and gold.