Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

At its peak in the thirteenth century, the Mongol Empire was the greatest land-based empire in history, controlling most of the Eurasian land mass. The founder of that empire, Temuchin (Genghis Khan) rose from degradation and captivity to unite the long-quarreling Mongolian tribes and to harness their warlike energy as they burst onto the outside world. Ratchnevsky, a professor of Chinese history at Humboldt University in Berlin, has written a superb and definitive chronicle of the life of Temuchin and of his contribution to world history. Ratchnevsky's portrait of Mongolia on the eve of Temuchin's ascension to power is particularly fascinating. Under Ratchnevsky's discriminating eye, Temuchin emerges as a brilliant, ruthless, sometimes sensitive, and even compassionate leader. While the sheer volume of detail provided may occasionally overwhelm the general reader, this is an outstanding piece of historical writing that will enthrall both specialists and those with a more casual interest in the field. ~--Jay Freeman