Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule

A specialist in Islamic history, Lane (history, U. of London) spent 20 years working and traveling in the Middle East and Far East. In this text, he identifies the rise to power of Genghis Khan and his unification of the Mongol tribes in the 13th century as a kind of globalization with political, cultural, economic, mercantile, and spiritual effects. Typically presented as "barbarian destruction," these 13th-century developments are examined here as positive events that initiated two centuries of regeneration and creativity. The text includes a chronological timeline; maps; biographies of 16 important political figures, including Marco Polo; translations of 21 primary documents; a glossary of key terms; and an annotated bibliography. Academic but accessible to the general reader. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

GEORGE LANE, Department of History, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Dr. Lane spent twenty years seeking work, wisdom, and adventure in the Middle East and Far East, and returned to London and serious academic study in 1991, where he has been ever since. His focus is Islamic history, particularly the Iran - Afghanistan - Central Asia regions, though more recently he has focused on relations between Iran and China during the 13th and 14th centuries. He is a contributor to The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life Through History (Greenwood, 2004), and author of Early Mongol Rule in 13th Century Iran (2003).