SOURCE: A review of The Realm of Prester John, in AB Bookman's Weekly, Vol. 99, June 2, 1997, pp. 1780-82.

In the following review, the anonymous critic details the historical intricacies of the medieval title figure of The Realm of Prester John, praising the scope and accessibility of Silverberg's scholarship.

The first written appearance of Prester John dates to 1145, when Bishop Hugh of Jabala, in the Levant, told Bishop Otto of Freising, in Germany, about a Christian ruler in Asia unable to assist the Crusaders, at a time when Hugh was seeking European support against the Saracens.

Later in the 12th century, copies of a letter from Prester John to the Emperor of Byzantium were circulating throughout Europe, supposedly written by an enormously powerful Christian king deep in Asia. These rumors and reports of a mysterious king in the East, which included descriptions of his fabulous wealth and dominions, came at...