Jack Weatherford is an anthropologist and author of New York Times bestselling Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. He has spent over 25 years exploring Mongolia and its history, and his writing on the Mongol Empire has transformed our understanding of its long legacy. Jack Weatherford is the retired DeWitt Wallace Chair of Anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and he is the only foreigner ever inducted into the Order of Chinggis Khaan, Mongolia's highest national honour. His other books include The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, Genghis Khan and the Quest for God, Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World, and The History of Money.

"Astonishing...brings to life the smells and tastes of distant lands" --Daniel Brooks, The Daily Telegraph

"Jack Weatherford, an anthropologist and specialist in Mongol history, is an informed and lively guide to this extraordinary transformation." --Michael Prodger, the New Statesman

"sparkles with energy, insight and passion... difficult to put down." --Nicholas Morton, BBC History Magazine

"Weatherford puts Kublai's accomplishments in full context, following up with a summary of China's maritime history right up to the present day. Readers will find this a valuable treatment of a part of history previously familiar primarily to specialists.
A detailed look at one of history's most powerful rulers, and his impact on a huge swath of the world." --Kirkus Reviews

"His life and accomplishments are utterly compelling, and Jack Weatherford does full justice to how Kublai Khan transformed China and world commerce centuries before Europe mastered the sea." --Jim Kelly, Air Mail

Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum

Pub date: 2026-05-26

Length: 368 pages