George Lane is Lecturer in the History of the Middle East and Central Asia, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

[A] general history book that uses primary source material throughout. It introduces students to the importance of primary sources and stresses how these early texts provide the evidence and foundations for all the words, ideas, and thoughts that make up traditional history books. The excellent biographies, including one listing many of the translated primary source materials, ensure that this book will be an essential component in any library of the Mongol Empire. -- Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

[W]ell-written, accurate, and engagingly informative. -- Canadian Journal of History