Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde

by Harold Lamb, Elton Fax (Illustrator)

Traces the life of the chief of the small Mongol tribe who established a vast empire from Peking to the Black Sea in the twelfth century.

Genres: History, Biography, World History, Nonfiction, Childrens, China, Medieval

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Harold Albert Lamb was an American historian, screenwriter, short story writer, and novelist.

Born in Alpine, New Jersey, he attended Columbia University, where his interest in the peoples and history of Asia began. Lamb built a career with his writing from an early age. He got his start in the pulp magazines, quickly moving to the prestigious Adventure magazine, his primary fiction outlet for nineteen years. In 1927 he wrote a biography of Genghis Khan, and following on its success turned more and more to the writing of non-fiction, penning numerous biographies and popular history books until his death in 1962. The success of Lamb's two volume history of the Crusades led to his discovery by Cecil B. DeMille, who employed Lamb as a technical advisor on a related movie, The Crusades, and used him as a screenwriter on many other DeMille movies thereafter. Lamb spoke French, Latin, Persian, and Arabic, and, by his own account, a smattering of Manchu-Tartar.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Skallagrimsen]

Pulp History

"Seven hundred years ago a man almost conquered the earth."

Harold Lamb specialized in novelized biographies of colorful figures of the distant past: Hannibal, Theodora, Cyrus the Great, among many others. Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde was, I believe, his first effort in this vein, a reader-friendly account of the tribesman of the Asiatic steppes who rose up from utter obscurity to unsettle the foundations of Eurasian civilization and write his name on the pages of history in blood.

Despite its sensationalism, Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde remains admirably accurate in historical detail. To be sure, Lamb wrote to entertain. Yet for all that was a genuine scholar, passionate about the history of central Asia. Here as elsewhere, Lamb's eye for evocative detail, his instinct for the well-chosen anecdote, and the authenticity of his first hand experience combine to create a most compelling narrative. Yelu Chucai, the Taoist/Confucian scholar who served as the Great Khan's advisor, is enlisted as a kind point of view character. He serves to intermediate between the reader and the almost otherworldly figure of Genghis Khan. I found it an effective literary device, helping to deliver a nuanced portrayal of Genghis, not as a simple bloodthirsty tyrant, but as an introspective man of moral and emotional complexity.

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde is the kind of old book perhaps some would consign to the dust bin for reflecting the inevitable cultural insensitivity of its era. But I think you could still do a lot worse for a general introduction to this fascinating subject. I credit this classic with helping to ignite my own lifelong obsession with central Asian history. That seems reason enough to be grateful to it.

(Also published as Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men.)

[Foad Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

دومین بار است که این کتاب را میخوانم و این متن مربوط به ص 118 کتاب است زمانی که چنگیز به سمت ایران لشکر کشی میکند
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"چون سپاهیان در سلسله جبال غربی داخل و از محلی که موسوم به دروازه بادهاست گذشتند درختانن بزرگ را افکنده و پل ساخته و از روی تنگه ها عبور کردند اسب ها با سم برف را پس زده و خزه سنگ ها یا علف خشک را بیرون می آورند صیادان به راه افتادند که شاید شکاری بزنند این دویست و پنجاه هزار نفر در سرمای سخت آسیای علیا مشقاتی تحمل کردند که اگر به یکی از لشکرهای امروز دول عالم می رسید عموما در مریضخانه می افتادند اما مغولان ابدا اعتنایی به این مشقات نداشتند بالاپوش های پوست یا چرم را به خود پیچیده و میتوانستند در زیر برف بخوابند و هنگام لزوم در زیر یورت های سنگین خود را گرم می کردند چونن غذایی به دست نمی آمد شریان اسبی را باز کرده مقدار قلیلی خون نوشیده و شریان را مجددا می بستند .........مغولان با اسبان لاغر خود اولین مرحله سفر را که عبارت بود از دو هزارکیلومتر به پایان آوردند
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کتاب فوق العاده و عجیب است کاری به جنایت و درندگی مغولها ندارم ولی با خونندن این کتاب میشه این صفتها را در چنگیز دید
1 - خوش قولی و صداقت و راستگویی
2. همه در برابر قانونن یاسا یکسان بودند
3. از چین تا اروپا امنیتی برقرار کرد که بی سابقه بود و هیچ دزد و راهزنی جرات نفس کشیدن نداشت
4.کسی که با او نمیجنگید و پیمان وفاداری می بست کاری باهاش نداشت
5.لشکری که دو برابر لشکر خودش بود یعنی ایران با 400 هزار نیروی خوارزمشاه رو تار ومار کرد
6.اراده و سخت کوشی و شجاعت و رهبری او خیلی جای بحث دارد
7.این کتاب ارزش خواندن دارد

[Kelly Hohenstern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Landmark book. Well written story that helped me understand Genghis Khan better. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as other Landmark Books, but it was only because the subject matter wasn’t as interesting to me.

[Azhman P · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب بدى نبود و خيلى كوتاه و مختصر نوشته شده بود و نكته جالبش اينه كه كاملا بى طرف زندگى نامه تموجين رو شرح داده بود...

[Okcatlady29 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with daughter and loved it. Wonderful story of Genghis Khan. Tells the story in a way that makes the Khan seem more human. The book starts with Genghis being a young boy and ends with just a little snippet of Kublai Khan. You are taken along as Genghis rushes to his ailing fathers side, to his wedding and into his old age and great disappointment in his children. I have always found the two great Khans fascinating and this book is a great way to introduce them to a younger child without going into too much detail.

[Marlowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entry from my mother's biography collection from the 1950s (the first being William the Conqueror).

This, along with the one about Odysseus that I'm sure I'll be reading eventually, were my childhood favs. As I was reading this book to my son, I was surprised by how many of the stories and pictures were carved into my memory.

That said, it isn't terribly great. The writing style is a bit clunky, and the scenes themselves aren't nearly as evocative as they could be. I had hoped to infect my child with some of my enthusiasm for the Mongols, but this book failed to capture his interest (even when I tried to supplement it with a Crash Course History video!).

Still, it's not a bad primer for interested kids, especially in a market that has so little world history offerings for the early/middle readers.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice upper elementary level biography (still discussion of some killing because you can't avoid that, but age appropriate I think). Gives you a glimpse into his life and why he might have acted the way he did and toward the end why the generations after him didn't hold the empire together. Amazing story of how one man changed the known world.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that first got me interested in history as a child. My aunt had a copy from her childhood that ended up on on our shelf. It's basically a novelized retelling of the Secret History of the Mongols for teens. Where can you go wrong with such an entertaining story (regardless of how much of it is actually true)?

[Seth Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author’s point: The great kahn was an amazing organizer, strategist, and human lightning bolt.

My evaluation: Genghis stands with few other leaders in history like Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar who dominated much of the world, and yet he simply shows the same dominating spirit of his father, Satan. A cruel and violent man. Read with Carson.

[Carson Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informational. I read this with my father on long car trips. Genghis Khan, whatever he did, was still a barbarian, and I don't have much to say on his behalf, except that I feel pity at how dark the world was back then, and even now.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. The story of Genghis Khan toned down some for younger readers, ut still very informative.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cross between a biography and a novel. Read like a novel but you knew all of it was true. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Wes]

Children's edition

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Landmark history books always serve as outlines for adults. This one did that just fine.

[Patience · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview. Doesn’t go into many details. Suitable for children.

[Ken Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved these kinds of books as a teen

[Amir Hatami-Monjezi · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب جزئی از سه کتاب اولی بود که مادرم برام خرید

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Landmark book ✔️ Perfect for enriching our history learning

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very well written!

[Catherine Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I'm not in favor of Genghis Khan no matter how much land he controlled. But it is a well written book and the best waay to learn about him.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. It seemed disjointed and it was confusing.

[Pat Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew very little about Genghis Khan and I wanted to know more. This book provided a pretty goo filling in of his history for me.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very insightful. Solid reading. =)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical novel for young children about the life of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire.

[Bryan Spahr]

read for school in 5th grade

[Leichty Library]

Copies: 1 (Softcover)

[Marris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for school.

[Abdurrahman Muttafiq]

یک نسخه کتاب درباره حملات چنگیز خان در اسیا را عاجل کار دارم