Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World

From Library Journal
Genghis Khan was the first in history to unite the various Central Asian tribes into a single Mongol nation and then set in motion the creation of the largest single empire the world has ever known. As such, he deserves better treatment than is usually accorded him by Hollywood and popular writers who inevitably dwell on Mongol savagery. De Hartog has written a scholarly study, impressively grounded in a rich variety of sources drawn from many countries. Unfortunately, however, the author's style (at least in translation) does not match his erudition. The reader is drowned in detail and proper names which will be unfamiliar to all but the most dedicated Mongol historian. This book does not replace Rene Grousset's classic Conqueror of the World: The Life of Chingis-Khan (LJ 11/15/66).- John Boyle, California State Univ., ChicoCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.



Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch


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So terrible was Genghis Khan's reputation that when Peking surrendered to him in 1215, sixty thousand girls avoided capture by throwing themselves from the walls to their death. Yet in Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World, Leo de Hartog shows that Genghis was not crueler than other rulers of the time--only more successful. Half the known world--from China to the Crimea--fell before him, and his successors carried Mongol arms into Korea and Hungary. De Hartog tells how these feats were accomplished, gives a balanced view of Genghis and his empire, and explains why that empire proved ephemeral.


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