Quick Summary
Sir John Mandeville, the pseudonymous author of The Travels (c. 1356-66), is a central figure in Middle English prose. His work, a blend of pilgrimage guide and fantastical 'Book of Marvels', popularized travel literature, promoted surprising religious tolerance, and argued for a round, circumnavigable earth. Though a compilation from other sources, it significantly influenced the development of English prose and the European imagination of the East.