The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia

An engaging narrative synthesis from the earliest artifacts to the fall of the Mongols. I have no idea how much is speculation nor how much has been superseded since the book was published in 1939. Nevertheless, I had a much better understanding of the course of Central Asian history, the religious affiliations of the various khans, and why the empire disintegrated.

This is an opinionated book, the author doesn’t disguise his affinity for Genghis Khan, or his loathing of Tamerlane. He makes educated generalizations about the effect of nomadic life vs. sedentary civilization.

An impressive book, and remarkably, adequately mapped. The translation reads well, and though the text on occasion may dissolve into a confusing mass of the names of short-lived rulers and states, there is a lot to be retained. The index is useful, and I don't believe there is yet a better one volume work on this topic.

I'm sure this was a great work in its day, but, reading the introduction, I found it (or at least the English translation) to be dated. For instance it said some of the tribes in the northern Russian steppe "remained savage." Certainly not a word current historians or anthropologists would use. Since I just want an overview, I'm going to look elsewhere.

http://www.fireandsword.com/Reviews/empiresteppes.html

This masterful history by one of France’s most distinguished scholars piqued my youthful interest with its tales of wild tribes in remote places of Asia. I still keep The Empire of the Steppes on my shelf as a reference work and simply as an interesting read.

great, one of my favorite historys.