Frank McLynn Book order

The greatest story of military conquest in history from a 'master storyteller'. (Guardian) Genghis Khan was by far the greatest conqueror the world has ever known, whose empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to central Europe, including all of China, the Middle East and Russia. So how did an illiterate nomad rise to such colossal power, eclipsing Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon? Credited by some with paving the way for the Renaissance, condemned by others for being the most heinous murderer in history, who was Genghis Khan? His actual name was Temujin, and the story of his success is that of the Mongol people: a loose collection of fractious tribes who tended livestock, considered bathing taboo and possessed an unparallelled genius for horseback warfare. United under Genghis, a strategist of astonishing cunning and versatility, they could dominate any sedentary society they chose. Combining fast-paced accounts of battles with rich cultural background and the latest scholarship, Frank McLynn brings vividly to life the strange world of the Mongols, describes Temujin's rise from boyhood outcast to become Genghis Khan, and provides the most accurate and absorbing account yet of one of the most powerful men ever to have lived.

The contrast with Britain's European neighbours, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Russia, is dramatic - all have been convulsed by external warfare, revolution and civil war and experienced fundamental change to their ruling elites or social and economic structures.

Focusing on the complex dynamics among four Allied commanders, this narrative explores the Burma campaign, one of World War II's most grueling military engagements. It chronicles their struggles against the Japanese forces and each other, beginning with the British defeat in 1942 and culminating in the pivotal battles of Imphal and Kohima. This vivid account captures the brutality and challenges of warfare, providing a gripping look at a significant yet often overlooked chapter in military history.

The Burma Campaign was one of the most punishing and protracted military adventures of World War Two.

Profiles the famous navigator, addresses the common colonialist misconceptions about the explorer and his death, and re-creates the voyages that took him from his native England to the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean.

Marcus Aurelius is the one great figure of antiquity who still speaks to us today, nearly 2,000 years after his death.

Although 1759 is not a date as well known in British history as 1215, 1588, or 1688, there is a strong case to be made that it is the most significant year since 1066. In 1759 - the fourth year of the Seven Years War - the British defeated the French in arduous campaigns on four continents and also achieved absolute mastery of the seas.

Anyone who has seen The Lion in Winter will remember the vicious, compelling world of the Plantagenets and readers of the romance of Robin Hood will be familiar with the typecasting of Good King Richard, defending Christendom in the Holy Land, and Bad King John who usurps the kingdom in his absence.

History would have been different if not for the events of 1759. It was the fourth year of the Seven Years', or the French-and-Indian, War, and crucial victories against the French in the first truly global conflict laid the foundations of British supremacy throughout the world for the next hundred years. The defeat of the French not only paved the way for the global hegemony of the English language but also made the emergence of the United States possible. Guiding us through England's often extremely narrow victories in India, North America, and the Caribbean, McLynn controversially suggests that the birth of the British Empire was more a result of luck than of rigorous planning. McLynn includes anecdotes of the intellectual and cultural leaders of the day--Swedenborg, Hume, Voltaire--and sources ranging from the Vatican archives to oral histories of Native Americans.--From publisher description.