New Releases by John Man

‘The author brings together a wealth of information which has, until now, only been available in highly specialized academic journals and scholarly books’ – David Nicolle ''An astonishing array of themes and characters’ – John Man The Mamluks were, at one distinct point in history, the greatest body of fighting men in the world and the quintessence of the mounted warrior – reaching near perfection in their skill with the bow, lance and sword. Their story embraces many of the great themes of medieval military endeavour: the Crusaders and the deadly contest between Islam and Christendom, the Mongols and their vision of World Dominion, Tamerlane the Scourge of God and the rise of the Ottoman Empire whose own slave soldiers, the Janissaries, would be the Mamluks'' final nemesis. They entered the Islamic world as unlettered automatons and through a total application to the craft of the warrior they became more than soldiers. After a bloody seizure of power from their masters, the descendants of Saladin, they developed a martial code and an honor system based on barracks brotherhood, a sophisticated military society that harnessed the state''s energies for total war and produced a series of treatises on cavalry tactics, martial training, mounted archery and scientific and analytical approaches to warfare that more than compare to Sun Tzu''s Art of War, the Western Codes of Chivalry and the Bushido in their complexity, beauty of language and comprehensive coverage of the bloody business of war. Their story embraces many of the great themes of medieval military endeavour: the Crusaders and the deadly contest between Islam and Christendom, the Mongols and their vision of world dominion, Tamerlane and the rise of the Ottoman Empire whose own slave soldiers, the Janissaries, would be the Mamluks'' final nemesis.

An authoritative and rich history of the remarkable Xiongnu culture—a lost empire which preceded the Mongols and even China itself. The author of landmark histories such as Genghis Khan, Attila, and Xanadu invites us to discover a fertile period in Asian history that prefigured so much of the world that followed. The people of the first nomadic empire left no written records, but from 200 bc they dominated the heart of Asia for four centuries, and changed the world in the process. The Mongols, today’s descendants of Genghis Khan, see these people as ancestors. Their rise cemented Chinese identity and inspired the first Great Wall. Their descendants helped destroy the Roman Empire under the leadership of Attila the Hun. We don’t know what language they spoke, but they became known as Xiongnu, or Hunnu, a term passed down the centuries and surviving today as “Hun,” and Man uncovers new evidence that will transform our understanding of the profound mark they left on half the globe, from Europe to Central Asia and deep into China. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, Empire of Horses traces this civilization’s epic story and shows how this nomadic cultures of the steppes gave birth to an empire with the wealth and power to threaten the order of the ancient world.

The people of the first nomadic empire left no written records, but from 200 BC they dominated the heart of Asia for 400 years. They changed the world. The Mongols, today''s descendants of Genghis Khan, see them as ancestors. Their rise cemented Chinese unity and inspired the first Great Wall. Their heirs under Attila the Hun helped destroy the Roman Empire. We don''t know what language they spoke, but they became known as Xiongnu, or Hunnu, a term passed down the centuries and across Eurasia, enduring today in shortened form as ''Hun''. Outside Asia precious little is known of their rich history, but new evidence reframes our understanding of the indelible mark they left on a vast region stretching from Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia deep into China. Based on meticulous research and new archaeological evidence, Emperors and Barbarians traces their epic story, and shows how the nomadic cultures of the steppes gave birth to a ''barbarian empire'' with the wealth and power to threaten the civilised order of the ancient world.

SINOPSIS Tentara Terakota adalah patung-patung prajurit dan kuda yang ditemukan di sekitar makam Kaisar Pertama China Qin Shi Huang. Tentara Terakota pertama kali ditemukan pada 1974 oleh beberapa petani setempat di dekat Xi’an, Provinsi Shaanxi. Jumlah patung-patung itu diperkirakan lebih dari 8.000 prajurit, 130 kereta dengan 520 kuda dan 150 kuda kavaleri, yang sebagian besar masih terkubur di banyak lubang. Para arkeolog percaya bahwa ada banyak lubang yang belum ditemukan. Terkubur di dalam tanah sejak 210 SM, Tentara Terakota bertugas sebagai “tentara gaib” penjaga makam sang kaisar. Kaisar Qin Shi Huang, penguasa brilian sekaligus kejam pemersatu China dan pembangun Tembok Besar pertama, konon dihinggapi paranoia dan berambisi untuk tetap berkuasa bahkan dalam kehidupan di alam baka. Tak pelak, di sekeliling gundukan makam raksasanya, yang hingga kini tetap tertutup, lubang-lubang terowongan lain menyembunyikan dunia gaib para pejabat negara, prajurit, kereta, kuda, penghibur, dan musisi. Penemuan ini mengungkap salah satu rahasia besar dalam sejarah China, dan sekaligus membuka jalan bagi penemuan arkeologis terbesar sepanjang masa. Dan, dengan merangkai sejarah dan pengalaman tangan-pertama dari berbagai perjalanannya di China, John Man mengisahkan riwayat bagaimana dan mengapa artefak-artefak yang mengagumkan ini diciptakan pada abad ke-3 SM. ENDORSEMENT “John Man menampilkan bangsa kuno dalam sebuah lanskap asing sedemikian rupa sehingga mereka benar-benar hidup.” —The Guardian “Penemuan Tentara Terakota… merupakan temuan arkeologis terbesar di abad ke-20.” —Sunday Times “Brilian dan sangat enak dibaca. Lebih mirip kisah petualangan… dengan detail yang mengagumkan.” —Library Journal “Kisah yang mendalam mengenai akar pembentuk kebudayaan unik China.” —Sun Lakes Splash

In this authoritative biography, historian John Man brings the Muslim hero and his world to life with vivid detail in "a rollicking good story" (Justin Marozzi, author of The Way of Herodotus ). Saladin remains one of the most iconic figures of his age. As the man who united the Arabs and saved Islam from Christian crusaders in the twelfth century, he is the Islamic world''s preeminent hero. A ruthless defender of his faith and brilliant leader, he also possessed qualities that won admiration from his Christian foes. But Saladin is far more than a historical hero. Builder, literary patron, and theologian, he is a man for all times, and a symbol of hope for an Arab world once again divided. Centuries after his death, in cities from Damascus to Cairo and beyond, to the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, Saladin continues to be an immensely potent symbol of religious and military resistance to the West. He is central to Arab memories, sensibilities, and the ideal of a unified Islamic state. John Man charts Saladin''s rise to power, his struggle to unify the warring factions of his faith, and his battles to retake Jerusalem and expel Christian influence from Arab lands. Saladin explores the life and enduring legacy of this champion of Islam while examining his significance for the world today. "A tale about the life of a man and the passions that drove him." — Roanoke Times "A worthy biography of an important Muslim hero." — Foreword Reviews "Superb and eminently readable." — Chicago Tribune''s Printers Row "This book will appeal to anyone interested in the Crusades or medieval history." — Library Journal

Genghis Khan is one of history''s immortals: a leader of genius, driven by an inspiring vision for peaceful world rule. Believing he was divinely protected, Genghis united warring clans to create a nation and then an empire that ran across much of Asia. Under his grandson, Kublai Khan, the vision evolved into a more complex religious ideology, justifying further expansion. Kublai doubled the empire''s size until, in the late 13th century, he and the rest of Genghis’s ‘Golden Family’ controlled one fifth of the inhabited world. Along the way, he conquered all China, gave the nation the borders it has today, and then, finally, discovered the limits to growth. Genghis''s dream of world rule turned out to be a fantasy. And yet, in terms of the sheer scale of the conquests, never has a vision and the character of one man had such an effect on the world. Charting the evolution of this vision, John Man provides a unique account of the Mongol Empire, from young Genghis to old Kublai, from a rejected teenager to the world’s most powerful emperor.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree Kublai Khan lives on in the popular imagination thanks to these two lines of poetry by Coleridge. But the true story behind this legend is even more fantastic than the poem would have us believe. He inherited the second largest land empire in history from his grandfather, Genghis Khan. He promptly set about extending this into the biggest empire the world has ever seen, extending his rule from China to Iraq, from Siberia to Afghanistan. His personal domain covered sixty-percent of all Asia, and one-fifth of the world''s land area. The West first learnt of this great Khan through the reports of Marco Polo. Kublai had not been born to rule, but had clawed his way to leadership, achieving power only in his 40s. He had inherited Genghis Khan''s great dream of world domination. But unlike his grandfather he saw China and not Mongolia as the key to controlling power and turned Genghis'' unwieldy empire into a federation. Using China''s great wealth, coupled with his shrewd and subtle government, he created an empire that was the greatest since the fall of Rome, and shaped the modern world as we know it today. He gave China its modern-day borders and his legacy is that country''s resurgence, and the superpower China of tomorrow.

En 1434, les livres sont manuscrits et ne circulent pas. Les gens vivent dans la crainte de Dieu. 80% d’entre eux sont analphabètes. En 1434, Johann Gutenberg a la trentaine. Il vit à Mayence et cela fait maintenant dix ans qu’il fabrique et poinçonne des pièces de monnaie. Il gagne peu d’argent, s’ennuie beaucoup et se lance dans la fabrique de reliques sacrées, un petit bout de métal frappé comme une pièce de monnaie qu’il vend une fortune aux milliers de pèlerins qui croient alors dur comme fer en ses vertus salvatrices. « Et si seulement il existait un moyen de produire des textes rapidement, en grande quantité, plutôt que des amulettes ? » Pour cela, il doit fabriquer des lettres à la place des amulettes, des milliers de lettres en plomb. Puis inventer une façon de les assembler pour former des lignes, des pages, et enfin des livres. Gutenberg était en train de concevoir l’imprimerie à caractères mobiles. Il lui faudra encore plusieurs années pour mettre en oeuvre son idée. Mais, pas à pas, obstinément, toujours à court d’argent, pressé par les créanciers, il parviendra à ouvrir la porte aux délices du savoir.

In 1450, all Europe''s books were handcopied and amounted to only a few thousand. By 1500 they were printed, and numbered in their millions. The invention of one man - Johann Gutenberg - had caused a revolution. Printing by movable type was a discovery waiting to happen. Born in 1400 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg struggled against a background of plague and religious upheaval to bring his remarkable invention to light. His story is full of paradox: his ambition was to reunite all Christendom, but his invention shattered it; he aimed to make a fortune, but was cruelly denied the fruits of his life''s work. Yet history remembers him as a visionary; his discovery marks the beginning of the modern world.

**A SOURCE FOR MARCO POLO, A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES** Marco Polo''s journey from Venice, through Europe and most of Asia, to the court of Kublai Khan in China is one of the most audacious in history. His account of his experiences, known simply as The Travels, uncovered an entirely new world of emperors and concubines, great buildings - ''stately pleasure domes'' in Coleridge''s dreaming - huge armies and imperial riches. His book shaped the West''s understanding of China for hundreds of years. John Man travelled in Marco''s footsteps to Xanadu, in search of the truth behind Marco''s stories; to separate legend from fact. Drawing on his own journey, archaeology and archival study, John Man paints a vivid picture of the man behind the myth and the true story of the great court of Kublai Khan.

Genghis Khan is history''s greatest conqueror. As a teenager he was an outcast fleeing enemies on a mountain in northern Mongolia, an exile, a nobody. Yet it took only twenty years for Genghis to build the largest land empire in history - four times the size of Alexander''s, twice the size of Rome''s. How did he do it? What lessons does his life reveal about the nature of leadership? What is ''greatness'' in leadership? What traits did Genghis possess exactly? Were they unique, or might some apply in other times and other places - even here and today? In Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan, John Man re-examines the life of Genghis Khan to discover the qualities, characteristics and strategies that made him the great leader that he was. The answers are sometimes surprising. Genghis was far from just the tyrant that history records, but rather a leader of exceptional vision and modernity. And many of the secrets of his success are as valuable and applicable in today''s competitive business world as they were in rallying the Mongol hordes.

The idea behind the alphabet - that language with all its wealth of meaning can be recorded with a few meaningless signs - is an extraordinary one. So extraordinary, in fact, that it has occurred only once in human history: in Egypt about 4000 years ago. Alpha Beta follows the emergence of the western alphabet as it evolved into its present form, contributing vital elements to our sense of identity along the way. The Israelites used it to define their God, the Greeks to capture their myths, the Romans to display their power. And today, it seems on the verge of yet another expansion through the internet. Tracking the alphabet as it leaps from culture to culture, John Man weaves discoveries, mysteries and controversies into a story of fundamental historical significance.

John Man travels the entire length of the Great Wall and across two millennia to find the truth behind the legends. Along the way, he delves into the remarkable and complex history of China--from the country''s tribal past, through the war with the Mongols, right up to the modern day when the Great Wall is once more a commanding emblem of China, the resurgent superpower.

"A virtuoso historical investigation" of the discovery and history of the sculptures of the first emperor of China''s army ( Kirkus Reviews) . The Terra Cotta Army is an account of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever made. Over seven thousand life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the mausoleum of the first emperor of China''and each figure was individually carved. Weaving together history and a first-hand account of his experiences in China, John Man tells the fascinating story of how and why these astonishing figures were created in the third century BC, and how they have become a symbol of China''s history, culture, and society. "John Man conjures up an ancient people in an alien landscape in such a way as to make them live." — Guardian

Originally published: London: Bantam Press, 2004.

Presents a guide to forty-seven unique destinations on seven continents, including such natural and man-made sites as Branff National Park, Istanbul, Patagonia, Argentina, Varanasi, India, Kyoto, Japan, the Great Wall of China, and Iceland.

Atlas.

Chronicles the life of Attila the Hun, focusing on his conflicts with the Roman Empire, his influence over the history of Europe, his image in the modern world, his reputation for savagery, and other related topics.

Durante veinte cruciales años a comienzos del siglo V, Atila tuvo el destino del imperio romano y el futuro de toda Europa en sus manos. El decadente imperio, que dominaba el mundo occidental desde su doble capital de Roma y Constantinopla, estaba amenazado por tribus bárbaras del este. Fue Atila quien creó el mayor ejército bárbaro. Su imperio rivalizó brevemente con el de Roma, extendiéndose desde el Rin hasta el Mar Negro, del Báltico a los Balcanes. En numerosas incursiones y tres grandes campañas contra el imperio romano, se ganó una inmediata e imperecedera reputación de crueldad. Pero en él había algo más que mera barbarie. El poder de Atila procedía de su asombroso carácter. Era caprichoso, arrogante y brutal, aunque también lo bastante brillante como para ganarse la lealtad de millones de individuos. Los humo lo consideraban semidivino, los godos y otros bárbaros lo adoraban, occidentales cultos estaban orgullosos de servirle. Atila también fue un astuto político. Desde su base en los prados húngaros, enviaba secretarios latinos y griegos para chantajear al imperio. Al igual que otros déspotas, antes y después, dependió del respaldo financiero extranjero, y supo aprovecharse de las debilidades de sus amigos y enemigos. Con esta mezcla única de cualidades, Atila casi llegó a dictar el futuro de Europa. Al final, sus ambiciones acabaron con él. La insensata petición de la mano de una princesa romana y ataques en el interior de Francia e Italia lo condujeron a una muerte repentina en los brazos de una nueva esposa. No fue suficiente para fundar un imperio duradero, pero sí para empujar a Roma hacia su caída final.

O livro narra as origens do povo mongol, a partir do surgimento de um líder carismático que unificou as tribos nômades das estepes da Ásia central, erguendo um império avassalador que viria a dominar mais da metade da Eurásia no século XIII. São descritas as principais conquistas militares dos mongóis, desde as diversas regiões da China unificadas por eles até a Europa Central.

"Provides a fresh insight into the sites of some of history''s greatest conflicts. By overlaying modern photographs of the battlefield with dramatic reconstructions of ten of the key battles, it compares in a unique way scenes of struggle and heroism with the often pastoral site today"--Page 4 of cover

L''An Mil marque une étape décisive dans l''histoire de notre Terre : une communication universelle peut enfin s''esquisser. Imaginons un scénario. L''Islam trouve or et esclaves dans l''Afrique subsaharienne. L''information descend vers le sud, traverse le Sahara, remonte le Nil, arrive grâce aux bergers bantous chez les Khoï et San du Kalahari. L''Islam commerce aussi avec Byzance, elle-même en liaison avec les Russes qui contrôlent la route commerciale nord-sud et sont en contact avec les Vikings. Ces derniers se rendent régulièrement en Islande, au Groenland et commercent avec les Inuit au nord du "Canada". A ce point, notre message emprunte deux chemins divergents : le premier itinéraire, vers le sud, traverse le sud-est des "Etats-Unis" actuels, puis le sud-ouest désertique, vers l''Amérique centrale, les Andes et enfin l''Amazonie. Au nord, les Inuit de Thulé transmettent l''information vers l''"Alaska" et le nord-est de la Sibérie. Nouvelle croisée des chemins en Chine. Vers l''est, le message parvient au Japon par le biais des marchands chinois ou de la "Corée"; vers l''ouest, le message emprunte la route de la soie, vers l''Asie centrale, puis l''Inde et Ceylan... Le voyage continue. Tout cela est un rêve bien sûr. Pourtant, tous ces liens existaient : les réseaux d''une communication planétaire étaient déjà visibles. John Man tente ici, pour la première fois, une exploration originale et précise des cultures et des lieux symboles sur les cinq continents, saisis à un moment charnière.

By overlaying modern photos of the battlefield with dramatic reconstructions of 20 key battles, it compares in a unique way scenes of struggle and heroism with the site today. Includes: Hastings, Constantinople, Nagashino, Waterloo, Alamo, Antietam, Gettysburg, Rorke's Drift, Gallipoli, The Somme, Pearl Harbor, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Berlin, Khe Sanh, and Desert Storm. The text places each battle in its historical context and describes the factors that led to the site being chosen by, or forced on, the commanders of the opposing sides. The battles are described, and their impact on politics or military strategy is clear.

Shows empires, trade routes, military activity, etc. on all continents ca. 900-1100.

In intelligent, jargon-free prose, the author takes readers on a colorful tour of the Gobi Desert, from its natural wonders to its conflicts with society. Illustrations.