Mongolia: Empire of the Steppes (Odyssey Illustrated Guides) (Paperback)

~ Claire Sermier (Author), Helen Loveday (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Whoever goes to Mongolia must absolutely take this guide. -- Anda, the premier journal of Mongolian studies in France

[T]he most complete and up-to-date guide. -- Le Monde

Product Description

A colorful and informative guide to the land of the Genghis Khan—whose empire once extended from China to Europe—as it adjusts to life in the 21st century. Much of the old Mongolia is still to be found; herdsmen, horses and hospitality. And yet daily people flock to seek a more modern lifestyle in Ulaan Baatar, the capital city. The Mongolians have only recently shaken off the mantle of communism and are eagerly recreating their own national identity. This book helps the traveler better understand this transition while providing essential information for making a really worthwhile visit to this rugged and incomparable land.

• Illuminating insights into Mongolian customs and culture • Insightful analysis of Mongolia's different ethnic groups, cultures and traditions • Exceptional color photography • Special sections on traditional crafts, music, customs, etiquette and seasonal celebrations—including the famous Nadaam festival • Practical advice for getting around, what to see and do • The search for the tomb of Genghis Khan • Dinosaur eggs and recent discoveries from prehistory • 60 color photographs, 7 maps

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Odyssey Publications, Ltd. (July 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9622176895
• ISBN-13: 978-9622176898
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,512,579 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great information, great pictures, February 9, 2003

By	N. Jacobs (Fish Creek, Wi USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like the Iran guide in this series, this book features good facts for people considering going to Mongolia, and enough pictures to make you seriously consider it. As with the Iran guide, it doesn't feature all the indepth fact and figures that would make it a helpful guide inside of the country, but it makes a great fact book. There's a brief section on the language in the back, oodles of address for getting a visa, and plenty of goregeous pictures. I can't think of a downside to this book, because it fulfills its purpose perfectly. Excellent work.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Mongolia guide on the market, September 20, 2002

By	N. Freeman "nanbgl" (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Unfortunately this wasn't published until a few days after I got back from my trip. This guide contains excellent descriptions of the cities and sites, along with the historic background you need to really appreciate Mongolia in the 21st century. Reading it after I got back helped refresh my memory - and put names to some of the photographs I took.

The only downside to this book is that the maps - a handful covering about five aimags (provinces) apiece - are so high-level as to be almost useless. The Lonely Planet guide, though out-of-date and surprisingly negative - has more and better maps.