Genghis Khan [Paperback]

" 'Absorbing and beautifully written...he [Man] conjures up an ancient people in an allen landscape in such a way as to make them live...a thrilling account' - GUARDIAN 'First-rate...lively and argued with elan...a fine introduction to the subject, as well as a rattling good read' - INDEPENDENT 'A fine, well-written and well-researched book' - MAIL ON SUNDAY 'An eloquent account, not only of a fascinating historical figure and his people, but of the resonance of history itself' - WBQ magazine 'Enthralling and colourful' - INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY"

A great story. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Mas has schlarly gifts, acute intelligence and a winning way with words. A fine introduction, and a rattling good read. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Enthralling and colourful. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The first popular biography of the legendary Mongol emperor and warlord.

Genghis Khan - creator of the greatest empire the world has ever seen - is one of history's immortals. In Central Asia, they still use his name to frighten children. In China, he is honoured as the founder of a dynasty. In Mongolia he is the father of the nation. In the USA, Time magazine, voted Genghis Khan 'the most important person of the last millennium'. But how much do we really know about this man? How is it that an unlettered, unsophisticated warrior-nomad came to have such a profound effect on world politics that his influence can still be felt some 800 years later?

How he united the deeply divided Mongol peoples and went on to rule an empire that stretched from China in the east to Poland in the west (one substantially larger than Rome's at its zenith) is an epic tale of martial genius and breathtaking cruelty. John Man's towering achievement in this book, enriched by his experiences in China and Mongolia today, is to bring this little-known story vividly and viscerally to life.

Genghis Khan is one of history's immortals: a leader of genius and the founder of the world's greatest land empire - twice the size of Rome's. His mysterious death in 1227 placed all at risk, so it was kept a secret until his heirs had secured his conquests. Secrecy has surrounded him ever since. His undiscovered grave, with its imagined treasures, remains the subject of intrigue and speculation.

Today, Genghis is by turns scourge, hero and demi-god. To Muslims, Russians and Europeans, he is a mass-murderer. Yet in his homeland, Mongols revere him as the nation's father; Chinese honour him as dynastic founder; and in both countries, worshippers seek his blessing.   

This book is more than just a gripping account of Genghis' rise and conquests. John Man uses first-hand experiences to reveal the khan's enduring influence. He is the first writer to explore the hidden valley where Genghis may have died, and one of the few westerners to climb the sacred mountain where he was probably buried.

The result is an enthralling account of the man himself and of the passions that surround him today. For in legend, ritual and controversy, Genghis lives on...

'A fine introduction to the subject, as well as a rattling good read' Independent

 

'A fine, well-written and well-researched book' Mail on Sunday

 

'Fascinating...history doesn't come much more enthralling than this' Yorkshire Evening Post

John Man is a historian and traveller with special interests in Mongolia and the history of written communication. His GOBI: TRACKING THE DESERT was the first book on the subject since the 1920s. He is also the author of THE ATLAS OF THE YEAR 1000, a portrait of the world at the turn of the millennium, ALPHA BETA, on the roots of the alphabet, and THE GUTENBERG REVOLUTION, an examination of the origins and impact of printing. His most recent book is GENGHIS KHAN.  He lives in London.