What's it about?

The book aims to understand Genghis Khan and his impact on world history. The introduction, "The Missing Conqueror," suggests that Genghis Khan was a significant figure whose true story has been obscured by myth and limited historical information. The author highlights the recovery of "The Secret History of the Mongols," a document written from the Mongol perspective, as crucial to understanding his life and legacy. The author and his colleagues conducted on-the-ground research, visiting the locations mentioned in historical texts to verify and interpret the accounts. This involved a "peripatetic project, a sort of archaeology of movement rather than just place" due to the nomadic nature of Genghis Khan's life. The author, Jack Weatherford, is the Dewitt Wallace Professor of Anthropology at Macalester College and holds an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Chinggis Khaan College in Mongolia. He has also written other books, including "Indian Givers," "Savages and Civilization," and "The History of Money". The book includes a dedication "To the Young Mongols: Never forget the Mongolian scholars who were willing to sacrifice their lives to preserve your history". It also features an epigraph from Geoffrey Chaucer praising Genghis Khan as an excellent lord. The "Notes" section indicates that the book draws on a variety of sources, including "The Secret History of the Mongols," accounts by chroniclers like Ata-Malik Juvaini and Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani, and modern scholarly works. The author also acknowledges the assistance of Mongolian state officials and numerous individuals in Mongolia who facilitated his research. He notes the importance of Mongolian songs as a repository of cultural and historical information. The book also includes a glossary of Mongolian terms