Description
Book SynopsisA new translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan'Bear the sword andHew asunder high and haughty necksSlash apart all strong and self-willed shoulders'Born poor into a world of dangers and hardships, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khan would grow up to unify Mongolia and conquer a vast empire stretching from modern-day Beijing to Baghdad. The Secret History of the Mongols, written after Chinggis's death in the thirteenth century, is a great historical saga recounting not only his turbulent life and times, but that of his loved ones, ancestors and heirs. This remarkable new translation of the earliest surviving work written in Mongolian gives insight into a world of warlords, kinship, horses, yurts, shamans and vast landscapes, where bloody battles and violent family conflicts are impelled by Heaven's destiny. Translated with an introduction by Christopher P. Atwood
Trade ReviewThe Secret History of the Mongols describes in vivid detail the life and times of Chinggis Khan, not as an enemy, but as the Mongols saw themselves …
This translation is a monumental event, a publishing landmark … Christopher Atwood has given the reader a translation for contemporary times. It is like a caravanserai, providing the materials needed for both scholar and general reader, organized for one's private trek through the empire. -- Diane Wolff, author of The Silk Road Series
This is an important book… a contemporaneous record of one of the most astonishing and significant events in history… Atwood’s text is
a masterpiece of erudition and skill… a vital resource for anyone interested in the biggest bang of the last millennium. -- John Man * Literary Review *
I was thrilled that Penguin Classics published a new translation of
The Secret History of the Mongols by Christopher P Atwood.
It’s a spectacular text and a wonderful edition that I will be wrapping several copies of. -- Peter Frankopan * The Guardian Books of the Year *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Influence of the Secret History and its Preservation
2. The World of the Secret History
3. Date and Authorship
4. Title, Genre, Composition
5. Mongolian Terms and their Translation
Note on Spellings and Pronunciation
Note on Chapter, Sub-chapter and Section Divisions
Figures
Maps
THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE MONGOLS
1: The Origin of Chinggis Khan
2: The Youth of Chinggis Khan
3: The Early Battles of Chinggis Khan
4: Chinggis Khan and Ong Khan
5: Completing the Unification of Mongolia
6: The New Regime
7: The Foreign Conquests
8: The Reign of Ökodei Khann
Colophon
Afterword: The Transmission and Translation ofthe Secret History
Appendix A: Alternative Mouse Year Theories and the Question of the Secret History’s Unity
Appendix B: Socio-political Organization of the Pre-Chinggisid Mongols
Appendix C: The New Aristocracy under Chinggis Khan
Appendix D: Chronologies of the Foreign Conquests
Bibliography
Notes
Glossary of Names
