Searches for an Imaginary Kingdom
The Legend of the Kingdom of Prester John
Part of Past and Present Publications
- Author: Lev Nikolaevich Gumilev
- Translator: R. E. F. Smith
- Date Published: April 2009
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521108799
Paperback
Looking for an inspection copy?
Please email [email protected] to enquire about an inspection copy of this book
-
The so called 'Kingdom of Prester John' was a Christian power thought to exist in Central Asia at the time of the twelfth-century crusades. At a deeper level, for the steppe peoples it constitutes a distant dynamic which led to the world-shattering rise of Mongol power under Chinggis (Genghis) Khan. The book ranges widely in subject matter, space and time. Christian history and ecological, demographic, social and economic history are all interwoven with the politics, religions and literature of the vast and varied area between European Russia and China from c800 to 1300. The author's views are distinctive and stimulating and are not always accepted by western specialists. But his bold synthesis fills in many of the missing links between histories of Europe and medieval China and makes it possible to think of these vast areas as, in some senses, parts of a greater whole.
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: April 2009
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521108799
- length: 428 pages
- dimensions: 216 x 140 x 24 mm
- weight: 0.54kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
Foreword
Translator's notes
Part I. The Trefoil of the Writing Desk:
1. Overcoming the study of letters
2. An excursion into geography
3. The road through history
Part II. The Trefoil of the Bird's Eye View:
4. The dark century (861–960)
5. The shattered silence (961–1100)
6. Foreshadowing the legend's hero (1100–1143)
Part III. The Trefoil of the Barrow:
7. The courage and ruin of King David (1143–1218)
8. The loss of a dream (1218–1259)
9. Dealing with the Conquerors (1259–1312)
Part IV. The Trefoil of the Mouse-hole:
10. The tastes and sympathies of the author of the secret history
11. Jamuqa-sechen under investigation
12. Two in one
Part V. The Trefoil of the Tree of Thought:
13. An attempt to overcome self-deception
14. A space-time scheme
15. Construction of hypotheses
Bibliography
Index.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email [email protected]
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×