Kublai Khan [Import] [Paperback]

John Man (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

The authoritative biography of the great Mongol ruler, by the author of Genghis Khan and Attila.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree

Kublai Khan lives on in the popular imagination thanks to these two lines of poetry by Coleridge. But the true story behind this legend is even more fantastic than the poem would have us believe.

Kublai Khan inherited the second largest land empire in history from his grandfather, Genghis Khan, and which he extended further, creating the biggest empire the world has ever seen; from China to Iraq, from Siberia to Afghanistan. His personal domain covered sixty-percent of all Asia, and one-fifth of the world’s land area.

The West first learnt of this great Khan through the reports of Marco Polo. Kublai had not been born to rule, but had clawed his way to leadership, achieving power only in his 40s. He inherited Genghis Khan’s great dream of world domination but unlike his grandfather he saw China and not Mongolia as the key to controlling power, and turned Genghis’s unwieldy empire into a federation. Using China’s great wealth, coupled with his shrewd and subtle governance, he created an empire that was the greatest since the fall of Rome, and shaped the modern world as we know it today. He gave China its modern-day borders and his legacy is that country’s resurgence, and the superpower China of tomorrow.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Man does for the reader that most difficult of tasks: he conjures up an ancient people in an alien landscape in such a way as to make them live . . . a gripping present day quest.”
–Guardian on Attilla

About the Author

John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. His Gobi, Tracking the Desert (1997) was the first book on the subject in English since the 1920s.

Product Details

• Paperback: 389 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553817183
• ISBN-13: 978-0553817188
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JOHN MAN

I usually write non-fiction, mainly exploring interests in Asia and the history of written communication. So 'The Lion's Share', available only on Kindle, is something different - a new edition of a thriller written some 25 years ago when I wasn't sure what I wanted to focus on. It's about the 'real' - in quotes, i.e. fictional - fate of Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.

Most of the time, I like to mix history, narrative and personal experience, exploring the places I write about. It brings things to life, and it's a reaction against an enclosed, secure, rural childhood in Kent. I did German and French at Oxford, and two postgraduate courses, History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (to join an expedition that never happened).

After working in journalism and publishing, I turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio. A planned trilogy on three major revolutions in writing has resulted in two books, 'Alpha Beta' (on the alphabet) and 'The Gutenberg Revolution', both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on researching in Iraq. (On the fourth revolution, the Internet, many others can write far better than me).

My interest in Mongolia revived in 1996 when I spent a couple of months in the Gobi. 'Gobi: Tracking the Desert' was the first book on the region since the 1920's (those by the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews). In Mongolia, everything leads back to Genghis. I followed. The result was 'Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection', now appearing in 20 languages. Luckily, there's more to Mongol studies than Genghis. 'Attila the Hun' and 'Kublai Khan' came next.

Another main theme in Asian history is the ancient and modern relationship between Mongolia and China. 'The Terracotta Army', published to in 2007, was followed by 'The Great Wall', which took me from Xinjiang to the Pacific. 'The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan' (combining history, character analysis and modern leadership theory) and 'Xanadu: Marco Polo and Europe's Discovery of the East' pretty much exhausted Inner Asian themes for me.

So recently I have become interested in Japan. For 'Samurai: The Last Warrior', I followed in the footsteps of Saigo Takamori, the real 'Last Samurai', published in February 2011. After that, more fiction, perhaps.

I live in north London, inspired by a strong and beautiful family - wife, children and grand-children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book, April 9, 2009

By 

Estersazzy (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kublai Khan (Paperback)

I'm almost finished this book in less than a week and I have enjoyed every page. It is a fascinating story and brilliantly written. Not knowing a thing about Kublai Khan it was very satisfying to learn about the completion of the Mongol conquests of Central Asia, the Middle East and China, with the final debacle in Japan. The book reads like an adventure novel with mind bogglingly vast distances and numbers of people involved. Learning about the history of many countries there is often reference to the Mongols, so to read about it from their perspective really fills out the picture. There are many vignettes which give a personal insight into the characters involved in these exploits and Man sometimes describes sites, such as the ruins of Xanadu, as they are today. I thoroughly recommend this wonderful book to any reader

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average book on a great topic, September 3, 2010

By 

sidiqi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kublai Khan (Paperback)

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, as the topic is fascinating.

However, there were times where I lost interest mostly do to the approach and writing style of the author. His scholarship is average, and he tries to create storylines that suit him for each chapter that make the book feel disconnected.

However, despite all that, there are interesting stories in the life of Kublai, and even this author can't help but capture those. So, it is better to read this book than no book about Kublai at all. However, I certainly won't pick up another John Mann book in the future and there are probably better Kublai books out there.

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not good! - Try other versions!, January 7, 2009

By 

A Kahn "Watch this Good Watch" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kublai Khan (Paperback)

Wasn't impressed by this book at all! The author needs to brushup on his writing skills before publishing books!!!!