Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy

Reconstructs early Mongol society, recounts how Genghis Khan organized the Mongol tribes into one powerful empire, and examines the reasons for his success

The 13th century was the Mongol century in world history, when pastoral horsemen from the deserts of Central Asia established an empire that extended from the Danube to the Yellow Sea. Ratchnevsky, one of the foremost living Mongol historians, draws upon Mongol, Chinese, Persian, and English sources to produce what may well be the definitive biography of Genghis Khan, the man responsible for unifying the scattered Mongol tribes into an empire-building nation. Originally published in German as Cinggis-Khan: Sein Leben und Wirken in 1983, the book was longer and weighed down with documentation of interest to the most specialized readers only. The present English version is still heavy reading, but Haining, former U.K. Ambassador to Mongolia, has done much to extend its appeal with skillful translation, reorganization, and abridging. While this book is quite similar in scope and style to Leo Hartog's Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World ( LJ 1/90), I would give a nod to the Ratchnevsky volume for its readability.
- John H. Boyle, California State Univ., Chico
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.