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The Mongol Art of War: Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Military System. By Timothy May. Yardley, Pa.: Westholme Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-59416-046-2. Maps. Illustrations. Battle plans. Notes. Select bibliography. Index. Pp. 214. $29.95.
The Mongols' place in history is closely linked with the name of Chinggis Khan and with their military conquests. There is a sizeable literature of varying quality on both Chinggis and on the empire he founded, but the saturation point is far away so one must welcome Professor May's attempt to provide a comprehensive description of the highly successful military machinery that allowed a people small in numbers to conquer a sizeable portion of Asia and of eastern Europe.
The material presented by the author is divided into nine sections dealing respectively with: (1) the rise and expansion of the Mongol Empire, 1185- 1265; (2) recruitment and organization of the Mongol Army; (3) training and equipping the Mongol warrior; (4) care of the army: logistics,...