A serious study of Kublai Khan (the best available biography of the legendary figure) and a fascinating, scholarly portrait of the culture and politics of 13th-century Asia. Rossabi examines Khan's rise to power, the submission of Korea and the attempted invasion of Japan. An invader conquered by his own conquest, Khubilai Khan remains of interest to the casual reader because of his influence on his times and his legendary status as the subject of both Marco Polo's writings and Coleridge's famous poem.  (CAS10, $22.95)