Marozzi deftly interweaves history, politics and travel in this vivid account of Amir Temur (AKA Tamerlane), the fearsome 14th-century Mogul conqueror. An outsized statue of Tamerlane on horseback still dominates the main square in Tashkent. He is said to have built a pyramid of 90,000 heads of his enemies after seizing Baghad in the 15th century.  (CAS122, $18.00)