mongols

i just read jack weatherfords book genghis khan and the making of the real world.if anyone has had an opportunity to read this book please tell me if this book historically precise on the mongols.

I haven't read that book - but I highly recommend The March of the Barbarians and Genghis Khan. I realize the connotations you conjur up from the first title - but it's one of my favourite books of all time. They are both by Harold Lamb. I had never heard of him a couple years ago. Now I couldn't imagine not having read almost his whole catalogue (which is extensive). I read Genghis Khan first, which gave a depiction of simply his life and what he did and that was about where it stopped minus a few scant references to the future and the implications of what he did. The best all around version to understand the full picture would be the March of the Barbarians - as it goes through the rise of the Khan and the Horde and all the way through until it's disintigration. They aren't books where you have a bland description of rather meagre events which seem dull and illustrous. THese are books which conjur up images of miraculous deeds and feats of arms and statemenship that boggle the mind and spark the imagination of any reader who is blessed with reading his words.

Take a read at least of one of those books if you enjoy the Mongol timeframe - if you want further reading on that area he also has a book on Tamerlane (delicious) as well as a number of Western heros (Charlemagne/Alexander/Hannibal etc)

I have read none of the titles mentioned but the Mongol world and the state of the empire is certainly spelled out in Michal Biran's Qaidu and the Rise of the Independent Mongol State in Central Asia. This book is tremendously informative, I highly recommend it. I know it does not cover Chingis Khan but the content is vital to the true understanding of what was called the Mongol Empire

......Orda