Sir John Mandeville is the pen name used by the unidentified 14th-century English author of one of the most famous and widely read travel romances of Europe--The Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville, Knight.

Originally written in Norman French about 1360 and translated into 10 major European languages, including English and Latin, by the end of the century, the Travels enjoyed undiminished popularity for over 400 years. Purporting to be a travel guide emphasizing the exotic wonders of the Near and Far East, it is generally considered one of the finest works of imaginative literature of the medieval period.

The question of authorship has met with much controversy in recent years. In the Travels the author claims that his name is Sir John Mandeville, born and educated at St. Albans, England, and that he began his travels in 1322, returning home in 1356 to write the account of his experiences. This...