JOHN MAN

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 barbaras del este. Fue Atila quien creo el mayor ejercito barbaro. Su imperio rivalizo brevemente con el de Roma, extendiendose desde el Rin hasta el Mar Negro, del Baltico a los Balcanes. En numerosas incursiones y tres grandes campañas contra el imperio romano, se gano una inmediata e imperecedera reputacion de crueldad.Pero en el habia algo mas que mera barbarie. El poder de Atila procedia de su asombroso caracter. Era caprichoso, arrogante y brutal, aunque tambien lo bastante brillante como para ganarse la lealtad de millones de individuos. Los humo lo consideraban semidivino, los godos y otros barbaros lo adoraban, occidentales cultos estaban orgullosos de servirle. Atila tambien fue un astuto politico. Desde su base en los prados hungaros, enviaba secretarios latinos y griegos para chantajear al imperio. Al igual que otros despotas, antes y despues, dependio del respaldo financiero extranjero, y supo aprovecharse de las debilidades de sus amigos y enemigos. Con esta mezcla unica de cualidades, Atila casi llego a dictar el futuro de Europa.Al final, sus ambiciones acabaron con el. La insensata peticion 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 si para empujar a Roma hacia su caida final.

In Xanadu did Kublai 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.

Gengis Khan es uno de los personajes inmortales de la historia: un líder de auténtico genio y el fundador del mayor imperio terrestre del mundo, un imperio que duplicaba la extensión del romano. Su misteriosa muerte en 1227 puso en peligro todo lo que habia conseguido, por lo que sus herederos la mantuvieron en secreto hasta asegurarse el control de sus conquistas. El secretismo lo ha rodeado desde entonces. Su tumba sin descubrir, llena de tesoros imaginados, sigue siendo hoy dia tema de intrigas y especulaciones.Hoy en dia, Genghis Khan es considerado por algunos como un salvaje, un heroe o, incluso, un semidios. Para musulmanes, rusos y europeos es un asesino de masas. Pero, en la tierra que lo vio nacer, los mogoles lo consideran el padre de la patria; los chinos lo honran como fundador de su dinastia, y seguidores suyos en ambos paises buscan su bendicion.Este libro es algo mas que la apasionante narracion del ascenso y las conquistas de Genghis Khan. John Man emplea sus propias experiencias para mostrarnos que su influencia aun sigue viva. Es el primer escritor que ha explorado el valle escondido donde es posible que muriera, y uno de los pocos occidentales que ha escalado la montaña sagrada donde probablemente esta enterrado.El resultado es un relato emocionante sobre el hombre y sobre las pasiones que aun hoy despierta. Pues Genghis Khan sigue vivo en la leyenda, el rito y la controversia...

A panoramic history of the roots of China and Mongolias historic rivalryand why it matters today.The Great Wall of Chinastretching from the arid rises of Gansu province to the cold waters of the Bohai Searemains an enduring symbol of Chinese might. And yet for all its grandeur, the Wall also marks a vulnerability: an ever-present reminder of old battlelines and never-ending tension with Chinas northern neighbours.Travelling by sacred mountains and along forgotten trade routes, John Man journeys through China and Mongolia, tracing the contours of their uneasy shared histories. From the tumult of the Warring States Period to the present day, Man weaves a thrilling tale of battling warlords, imperial power plays, Soviet interference and contemporary political manoeuvring.Looking to the future of the region, Conquering the North canvasses the still fractious interplay of two rival cultures and the continuing struggle for Mongolian sovereignty as China continues to edge north.

A panoramic history of the roots of China and Mongolias historic rivalry and why it matters now.A beguiling blend of history and intimate narrative and a delight to read. Colin Thubron, author of Shadow of the Silk RoadThe Great Wall of China stretching from the arid rises of Gansu province to the cold waters of the Bohai Sea remains an enduring symbol of Chinese might. And yet for all its grandeur, the Wall also marks a vulnerability: an ever-present reminder of old battlelines and never-ending tension with Chinas northern neighbours.Travelling by sacred mountains and along forgotten trade routes, John Man journeys through China and Mongolia, tracing the contours of their uneasy shared histories. From the tumult of the Warring States Period to the present day, Man weaves a thrilling tale of battling warlords, imperial power plays, Soviet interference and contemporary political manoeuvring. Looking to the future of the region, Conquering the North canvasses the still fractious interplay of two rival cultures and the continuing struggle for Mongolian sovereignty as China continues to edge north.

An Illustrated Guide to One of the Greatest Events of World War IIThe Allied landing in German-occupied Normandy on June 6, 1944 was the greatest amphibious operation in military history. In the months that followed, German forces, outnumbered and outgunned, fought one of the most tenacious and skillful defensive campaigns of the entire war. This magnificent graphical reconstruction details the momentous events of the Normandy campaign from its conception through to the destruction of the German 7th and 5th Panzer Armies at Falaise and the Allied liberation of Paris.Included in The D-Day Atlas are: Disposition and movements of military units Plans and objectives of the commanders on both sides Nature of the Normandy terrain Role of Allied air interdiction and long-range naval fire support Movement of reserve units and supplies Activities of the French Resistance Follow troop movements and positions throughout the Normandy campaign to discover how the British, American, and Commonwealth troops reached victory.

Genghis Khan is historys 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 Alexanders, twice the size of Romes.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 todays competitive business world as they were in rallying the Mongol hordes.

**A SOURCE FOR MARCO POLO, A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES**Marco Polos 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 Coleridges dreaming - huge armies and imperial riches. His book shaped the Wests understanding of China for hundreds of years.John Man travelled in Marcos footsteps to Xanadu, in search of the truth behind Marcos 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.

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.

The name Attila the Hun has become a byword for barbarism, savagery and violence. His is a truly household name, but what do we really know about the man himself, his position in history and the world in which he lived? This riveting biography reveals the man behind the myth.In the years 434-454AD the fate of Europe hung upon the actions of one man, Attila, king of the Huns. The decaying Roman empire still stood astride the Western World, from its twin capitals of Rome and Constantinople, but it was threatened by a new force, the much-feared Barbarian hordes. It was Attila who united the Barbarian tribes into a single, amazingly-effective army. He launched two violent attacks against the eastern and western halves of the Roman empire, attacks which earned him his reputation for mindless devastation, and brought an end to Romes pre-eminence in Europe.Attila was coarse, capricious, arrogant, ruthless and brilliant. An illiterate and predatory tribal chief, he had no interest in administration, but was a wily politician, who, from his base in the grasslands of Hungary, used secretaries and ambassadors to bring him intelligence on his enemies. He was a leader whose unique qualities made him supreme among tribal leaders, but whose weaknesses ensured the collapse of his empire after his death.

The name Samurai is synonymous with the ultimate warrior. With their elaborate armour, fierce swordsmanship and code of honour, the samurai have become iconic figures whose influence can still be felt today . From Kurosawas epic Seven Samurai to the figure of Darth Vader in Star Wars, to Manga comics and video games, the figure of the fighting samurai still inspires us today. In John Mans new book we discover the truth behind the legend.From his birth in the shadow of the great volcano Sakurajima, to his glorious death by ritual suicide and disembowelment, Saigo Takamori was the ultimate Samurai leader. His fall brought about the end of hundreds of years of Samurai tradition and in many ways marks the birth of modern Japan. Saigo was a man trapped by paradox: a faithful servant to the emperor, and yet a leader of rebel troops; a mighty Samurai warrior, and also a master of Chinese poetry. His life, and ultimately his death, offer a window into the hundreds of years of culture and tradition that defined the samurai.

Man does for the reader that most difficult of tasks: he conjures up an ancient people in an alien landscape in such a way as to make them live. - GuardianThe 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, todays 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 dont 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, Barbarians at the Wall 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.

Since the time of the ancient Greeks we have been fascinated by accounts of the Amazons, an elusive tribe of hard-fighting, horse-riding female warriors. Equal to men in battle, legends claimed they cut off their right breasts to improve their archery skills and routinely killed their male children to purify their ranks.For centuries people believed in their existence and attempted to trace their origins. Artists and poets celebrated their battles and wrote of Amazonia. Spanish explorers, carrying these tales to South America, thought they lived in the forests of the worlds greatest river, and named it after them.In the absence of evidence, we eventually reasoned away their existence, concluding that these powerful, sexually liberated female soldiers must have been the fantastical invention of Greek myth and storytelling. Until now.Following decades of new research and a series of groundbreaking archeological discoveries, we now know these powerful warrior queens did indeed exist. In Amazons, John Man travels to the grasslands of Central Asia, from the edge of the ancient Greek world to the borderlands of China, to discover the truth about the warrior women mythologized as Amazons.In this deeply researched, sweeping historical epic, Man redefines our understanding of the Amazons and their culture, tracking the ancient legend into the modern world and examining its significance today.

Genghis Khan - creator of the greatest empire the world has ever seen - is one of historys immortals. In Central Asia, they still use his name to frighten children. In China, he is honoured as the founder of a dynasty. In Mongolia he is the father of the nation. In the USA, Time magazine, voted Genghis Khan the most important person of the last millennium. But how much do we really know about this man? How is it that an unlettered, unsophisticated warrior-nomad came to have such a profound effect on world politics that his influence can still be felt some 800 years later? How he united the deeply divided Mongol peoples and went on to rule an empire that stretched from China in the east to Poland in the west (one substantially larger than Romes at its zenith) is an epic tale of martial genius and breathtaking cruelty. John Mans towering achievement in this book, enriched by his experiences in China and Mongolia today, is to bring this little-known story vividly and viscerally to life.

The Ninjas today are the stuff of myth and legend in comics, film and electronic games. But once they were real, the medieval equivalent of the SAS: spies, saboteurs, assassins. In their secrecy, under-cover skills and determination to survive, they were the opposite of the overt, self destructive samurai. Could they fly? Make themselves invisible? Of course not.It was just that their skills gave them a magical aura. As a result, martial artists and story-tellers have turned them into fantasy creatures, from James Bond to Mutant Turtles.In Ninja John Man goes in search of the truth. In a journey to the heartland of the ninjas, he takes us from their origins over 1,000 years ago, through their heyday in the civil wars that ended with Japans unification in 1600. But that was not the end of the ninja ethos. That re-emerged in World War Two as a little-known counterpart to Japanese militarism. Ninja ways live on in the real last of the ninjas, Hiroo Onoda, who held out in the Philippine jungle for 30 years.

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 12th century, he is the Islamic worlds preeminent hero. Ruthless in defence of his faith, brilliant in leadership, he also possessed qualities that won admiration from his Christian foes. He knew the limits of violence, showing such tolerance and generosity that many Europeans, appalled at the brutality of their own people, saw him as the exemplar of their own knightly ideals. 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. In this authoritative biography, historian John Man brings Saladin and his world to life in vivid detail. Charting his 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 the enduring legacy of this champion of Islam, and examines his significance for the world today.