Conquerors

Attila, A Barbarian King Who Challenged Rome

by John Man

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
2006
HARD COVER
336 PAGES

A brisk, popular account of the life, political derring-do and military exploits of the fifth-century conqueror. Man interweaves his own research and travels with archaeological evidence of the fearsome Huns and their westward push from the Russian steppes. The empire of the Huns once stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Rhine and Baltic. (HGR46, $25.95)

Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World

by Justin Marozzi

HISTORY
2007
PAPER
480 PAGES

Marozzi deftly interweaves history, politics and his own travels across the deserts, steppes and mountains of Central Asia in this vivid account of the life and ambitions of Amir Temur, the fearsome 14th-century Tatar conqueror. (CAS122, $18.00)

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

by Jack Weatherford

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
2005
PAPER
352 PAGES

Weatherford, who has lived and studied in Mongolia, interweaves his own travels and field work on the Central Asian steppes, much of it on horseback, with a lively portrait of Genghis Khan and the world of the medieval Mongols. The Mongols introduced not only mayhem, but also paper, printing, gunpowder, the compass and trousers to their far-flung empire. (CAS106, $15.00)

Napoleon

by Paul Johnson

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
2006
PAPER
208 PAGES

British historian Johnson doesn't hold back in this enlightening, short biography in the inspired Penguin Lives series. In just over 200 pages, he not only traces the major events of the emperor's life, from his birth on Corsica to his death on St. Helena, but also exposes Napoleon's ruthless appetite for power and his naked opportunism. (FRN348, $14.00)