In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan

Many professors have written memoirs of their early years -- how they got into the field, early academic experiences, etc. One of my favorites in this genre is E. Ullendorff's "The Two Zions". This book is not quite that kind of memoir. Instead, it is a travel narrative of the author's 1935 trek through the Gobi desert and on the Yellow River. The narrative account of life in rural 1935 China is fascinating, and makes this well worth reading. Anyone expecting tons of information on Chinese (based on all his other books) will find little. But the book is a great adventure tale and I recommend it.

John DeFrancis is a name that anyone with any serious interest in things Chinese will probably recognise. He's written and researched more than one Chinese-language dictionary, and is the author of many books on things Japanese and Chinese both. He had a wealth of experience to draw upon, to include travelling, as the title states, in the footsteps of Genghis Khan through Northern China--a journey that would be impossible today due to the despo--er, because of political problems. Reading this book, I was priveliged to learn many things about the folkways and history of China that I never saw in other books, and I was entertained all the way through. Not many books make it to my "Keeper" list, but this one's a cinch.