Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy Paperback – September 6, 2016

I have been reading about the Mongols via books and academic articles for two decades and primarily in English, Chinese, and Korean. Frank McLynn's book is hands down the best book for newbies of Mongol history. What separates McLynn's book from other books is he included an index of the who is who of the Mongol Empire at the beginning of the book. I can't explain how rare a phenomenon that is. When I was first learning about the Sengoku Jidai, I had to take notes because none of the books I read had a fancy index. Not only did McLynn include an index, but significant figures earned an expanded biography within the book when he introduced the person. The expanded biography was more well written and better research than the information you find on Wikipedia and other none peer-review sources. Most books regarding the Mongols empire over-focus on Chinggis, but this book does not have that problem. All major figures get their due.The next point that impressed me about this book was McLynn has a substantial bibliography. It is very diverse, and the only complaint I have is not enough Chinese sources specifically Jin's firsthand account of the Mongol invasion. Therefore, the section that lacks the most information, in my opinion, was where the Mongols fought Jin. For example, the Jin military buildup and reorganization at the time of Chinggis's death was not mentioned. There was no shout out to Jin commanders like Won-Gian Hada, the mastermind behind the Mongol defeat at Dachangyuan, Weizhou, and Daohuigu. Also, those three battles could have been explained better. Despite not having access to those primary sources, McLynn did a fantastic job narrating the Jin campaign. The Jin campaign is the worst research and least understood campaign in Mongol historiography, especially in the West. McLynn had the correct troop movement, placements, and commanders for the later Jin campaign.To make up for not utilizing Jin sources, McLynn used Yuan sources. The best example of this is the accurate portrayal of Tolui, Chinggis's youngest son. Academic research into Tolui is problematic, and it's not historians' fault either. It's due to the documentation of that period. The Mongol government banned Tolui's name after his death. People weren't allowed to say, write, or read his name. I believe they even spread an ominous story about bad ghostly things happening for saying his name. The banning caused the Mongols to change the word for mirror from the ancient Tolui to the modern Toli. Due to the banning, Tolui's name is never mentioned in any ancient documentation. He is alluded to or referred to by one of his many titles. Due to the above, most of Tolui's accomplishments get transferred by accident to Ogodei and Chinggis due to misinterpretation. It takes a thorough researcher to research Tolui properly. I was impressed with McLynn for doing the necessary research instead of being lazy and following the same old, outdated narrative that is currently prescribed to Tolui in the west.If you're new to the Mongols and know nothing about them besides "Genghis," this book is a great starting point for learning about the Mongols. The research is impeccable, as the examples above show, and the interpretation is reasonably modern. The books focus on three time periods: unification of the nomadic tribe under Chinggis, conquest, and consolidation of the empire under Ogodei. The first two chapters are tedious and the most challenging sections to read in the entire book. Feel free to skip Chapter 1 if it becomes too much. If this book is too broad a subject, then maybe a biography would be a better choice. Paul Ratchnevsky's biography of Chinggis, Morris Rossabi's biography on Khublai, and Michal Biran's biography on Qaidu are reliable places to start. McLynn's book will give a strong foundation on the Mongols. Sadly, there are a lot of hobbyists with no skills in researching publishing works on the Mongols. This book will help you spot them, avoid them, and save your money. Happy readings :D.

Beautiful Hard Bound book arrived on time in immaculate shape!

This is a good book. A very looooong good book. At one point the author opines that a lot of people think the reign of Genghis and his heirs is just a tale of one massacre after another which is exactly what I was thinking at that stage but, no, it is in fact something more. There is a lot of massacre, pillage, looting and rapine in the story but also a focus on how an obscure, nomadic, steppe people devised a means to conquer pretty much the entire civilized(and semi-civilized) world. Also interesting tidbits, e.g. a meditation on just how many people the Mongols actually did kill. Well-written and interesting but, as before, it is a very lengthy treatment of the subject. In fact, I haven't completely finished it yet(getting close, though) so if "short histories" are your metier you might want to give this one a pass. Otherwise, worthwhile.

I essentially agree with David Preslicka's review of this book so I feel no need to make the same points again. Following my listening to Dan Carlin's excellent podcast series called "Wrath of the Khans", I searched for a book on the subject and found this one. It was the perfect compliment, because like Carlin, Frank McLynn doesn't claim that the Mongol rampage across Eurasia brought great benefits to humanity as do many other historians. The mass murder committed by the Mongols in countless cities is put into the balance and the scale is heavy on the side of nihilistic destruction over civilizing benefits.The Mongols were military geniuses in all senses of this term and were able to rampage from Korea to Hungary and Ghengis along with his generals were genius personified. The organization of Mongol society, discipline, skills with weapons, tactics, brilliant intelligence operations, and mastery of a battlefield were all combined to be able to defeat the armies of all contemporary medieval societies they attacked. All these aspects of the Mongols were their accomplishments and this book emphasizes this point. Human civilization would have done fine without Genghis Khan and the Mongol rampage, just ask the millions of city dwellers who died horribly at their hands. Without the Mongols, they would have kept living and producing human civilization. This is a great book.

Kahns Corner Books really keeps its professional commitment to satisfy customers. Not only was the book in a great(er) condition than the seller’s description, but it arrived way earlier than anticipated. I appreciate companies/businesses (and people) that keep their promises. Thank you.

The book is amazing and packed with specific information with thoughtful and insightful explanations

I enjoyed the detail, not sure if it was all accurate though. I was a bit flabbergasted at how the author constantly praised Ghengis through out the book. Probably no person in history was responsible for more human deaths than G. Khan with the exception of Adolph Hitler.

If you are looking for a straightforward biography of the Khan of Khans, you may need to look no further than this monument. I took it to Uzbekistan to help imagine the siege and reduction of Bukhara and Samarkand. Genghis Khan spent the greater part of his career in​ Central Asia, leaving his foremost general Muqali to flail away at China, and to conquer the future territories of his grandson Kublai Khan.It's all here, and it is more than a biography. It's a history really, and a jumping off point for further exploration. In addition to 500 pages of text, you get two appendices and a big bibliography. I've never read a McLynn book before, being put off by his mixed reviews, and wide range of titles. How can anyone write so much on such disparate topics? Apart from grandiloquent words, the writing is clear and strong.