The Mongols

Of several books on the Mongols I have read ( Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World , The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410 ), Morgan's history is my first choice. From the outset, he begins with a discussion of the challenges scholars of these nomad-conquorers face in terms of access to primary documents: given the breadth of their empire, sources are written in Persian, Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese, Arabic and Latin and the impact and influence they had varies tremendoulsy by region and by time period. In spite of these herculean obstacles, Morgan does an admirable job of giving background, providing context and explaining the influence the Mongols had on the civilizations they encountered. As a part of the "People's of Europe" series, one would expect the book to have a strong European focus - I found this not to be the case, as relative equal attention is given the Il Khans and Yuan dynasty.Morgan begins with a primer on steppe society and Mongolian political organization, both of which naturally had a strong influence on the way in which the Mongols governed and their attitude towards the people they conquored. From this, he is able to demonstrate why, for example, the Mogols were so religiously tolerant (particularly notable for a time when religious tolerance was rare) and how the Mongol army was able to extend its power - and maintain it - over such a huge expanse. His explanation of Mongol society also provided insight behind the crises of succession as power moved from one Khan to another, not always in a clear dynastic line. The concluding chapters on the decline of the Mongols and "where are they now?" was the weakest part of the book.Previous reviewers have noted the writing is a bit pedantic; this is true, but Morgan isn't writing for a popular audience. I found him to be detailed, well organized and insightful. His chapter on the Yuan dynasty in China in particular was fascinating. Strongly recommended for those interested in an introduction to the Mongols.

I picked this book up to increase my knowledge on Asian history. I am very curious about Mongolia's History because I want to learn more about the customs and culture of the rulers and people, I have just became interested in this. I have read Chinese, Korean, and Japanese history. I wasn't specifying on a certain focus, it was only interest. The first chapter on the Qin Dynasty was informative and Emperor Gao Zu was inspiring. I picked up a lot of information on Korea, and loved the elaboration of Japanese writers. I can't wait to fit all of this into a paper work with a topic. Though the book doesn't extend towards the 1300 - 1700s where they invaded the middle east. I reading a middle eastern book for that information. This book though is another good look into Mongolian history prior to the first one I read. I do like it.

This book is considered one of the definitive works on the Mongol Empire. And for good reason. David Morgan is a scholar that specializes in Iranian and Central Asian studies. His knowledge is second to none and he writes in a clear yet entertaining prose. This book covers the sources and methodology for studying Mongol history in the introduction and first chapter. This chapter is valuable for students and scholars. The other chapters cover the history of Asia before the rise of Chingiz khan, Chingiz Khan and his life and times, the organization of the Mongol Empire, the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate, the Mongol legacy, and the relationship between the Mongols and the West. Other indispensable features the book has is a dynastic table of Mongol rulers, maps, illustrations, a concise chronology, notes, and a bibliography for further study. This gem of a book was one of the earliest recent but best scholarly introductions to the Mongols and their empire. One of the few books on the Mongols I can recommend to students, scholars, and casual readers alike on the basis of it being comprehensive, scholarly, and readable.Here's a tip for broke students or general readers. Buy the hardcover (a used copy). It tends to be much cheaper. It's a older edition but the content is the same except the bibliography but it doesn't really matter because you'll save a lot of money and you don't really need a revised bibliography anyway.

A few years ago, I read three books on the Mongol history, and found them interesting, but somewhat incomplete. I ordered Morgan's book to augment those earlier reads, but so far I have had only time to browse through this current book. I like what I see in a quick browse, but a more definitive opinion will have to wait its turn until I have the time to do it justice!In other words, a quick perusal looks like it will be worth my time to read it carefully … but a more definitive opinion will have to wait until I can do it justice...

This is a well written general history of the Mongols. It explains the rise of the Mongol Empire and its disintegration into several successor empires. It is organized more on topics than strictly chronological. It is NOT a detailed military history nor a detailed biography of the various Mongol leaders. I think it does an especially good job of putting the Mongols in the context of the larger historical "picture." The first chapter is a pretty dry academic discussion of source data for historians which can probably be safely skipped. The rest of the book flows pretty well. I very much enjoyed the book and it scratched the itch of "who were the Mongols?"

An extremely informative and interesting summary characterization and history of the Mongols and their multifarious invasions, relationships, and contacts with the wider world. As informativeness is inversely related to what's often called "riveting" prose, those seeking a "fun read" may well experience "dryness" or "boredom" -- that's the way it goes with learning, or not. I value this book greatly.

Excellent book and excellent service from Amazon

Muy buen libro. Queda ya algo obsoleto en lo que a última historiografía se refiere, pero el epílogo añade un up-to-date muy completo con los últimos estudios publicados desde que el autor escribió el libro. Imprescindible para historiadores y aficionados interesados en conocer esta cultura.

This is a good book to read when one wants an easily accessible, very readable, and well organized book that will provide background on who the Mongols were, how they rose to become rulers of the largest Empire in the world, and about the family that led this precipitous rise from almost threadbare nomads to kings of kings.

comprehsensive and useful book for approaching mongol empire history, well written and documented. is highly focus on Persian and china area rather than European area