Introduction: Page 2
By plotting the proposed locations of John’s kingdom in line with the experiences of the authors responsible for these speculations, one begins to see the degree to which medieval and early modern writers used the idea of Prester John legend to create a global vision generated at the interstices of fact and fiction. As the maps shift over time— and with them, John’s kingdom— the degree to which Prester John’s kingdom helped determine the shape of the world begins to materialize.