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On the Trail of Genghis Khan

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Bloomsbury presents On the Trail of Genghis Khan by Tim Cope, read by Dugald Bruce-Lockhart.

Grand Prize Winner, Banff Mountain Festival Book Competition

The relationship between man and horse on the Eurasian steppe gave rise to a succession of rich nomadic cultures. Among them were the Mongols of the thirteenth century—a small tribe, which, under the charismatic leadership of Genghis Khan, created the largest contiguous land empire in history. Inspired by the extraordinary life nomads lead, Tim Cope embarked on a journey that hadn’t been successfully completed since those times: to travel on horseback across the entire length of the Eurasian steppe, from Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia, through Kazakhstan, Russia, Crimea and the Ukraine to the Danube River in Hungary.

From horse-riding novice to spending months in the saddle, he learnt to fend off wolves and would-be horse-thieves, and grapple with the haunting extremes of the steppe as he crossed sub-zero plateaux, the scorching deserts of Kazakhstan and the high-mountain passes of the Carpathians. As he travelled he formed a close bond with his horses and especially his dog Tigon, and encountered essential hospitality—the linchpin of human survival on the steppe—from those he met along the way.

Cope bears witness to how the traditional ways hang in the balance in the post-Soviet world—an era that has brought new-found freedom, but also the perils of corruption and alcoholism, and left a world bereft of both the Communist system upon which it once relied, and the traditional knowledge of the nomadic forefathers.

A journey of adventure, endurance and eventual triumph, On the Trail of Genghis Khan is at once a celebration of and an elegy for an ancient way of life.

Critics Review

Tim Cope is a beautiful explorer--by which I mean that he explores beautiful places, but also that he does it beautifully. This is a young man possessed of extraordinary courage, but also great sensitivity and respect. His writing, like his journeys, speaks to a heightened soul, operating at its highest potential. He is an inspiration to me and I believe he will be an inspiration for many. To anyone who believes that there are no worlds left to be discovered, I offer up the evidence of this magnificent tale.
Elizabeth Gilbert
This great journey gives the lie to any notion that the world is too much known. It's an astonishing feat of courage and imagination, travelling in its own rich dimension--of nomad history and the horse.
Colin Thubron
Vivid, insightful, thoughtful, with great narrative drive. A modern classic.
John Man, author of GENGHIS KHAN: LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION and MARCO POLO: THE JOURNEY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
[A] sensitive account both personal and historical . . . [Cope] refuses his ambitious account with the stories of the people and tales of the animals who inspired the journey, rendering the book heartfelt and memorable. An exciting, detailed account of man versus adversity.
Kirkus Reviews
Weaving acute observation, honest introspection, and a sense of history, Cope crafts a marvelously perceptive travelogue of an audacious odyssey.
Booklist
Tim Cope's exploration across the continents on horseback grew into a quest through history and then an odyssey deep into the human heart. In exploring some of the most remote places on earth, he brings us back to ourselves and to a better understanding of our place in the world today.
Jack Weatherford, author of GENGHIS KHAN AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD
In some ways the most reassuring thing about On the Trail of Genghis Khan is that, in a world full of people and connections and easy means of gratification, someone with enough courage and curiosity can still find a place to get lost. And, in doing so, can still come to understand life on totally foreign terms. That Cope writes beautifully about the experience makes this book one to treasure and remember.
Nick Reding, author of THE LAST COWBOYS AT THE END OF THE WORLD and METHLAND
An epic tale of an epic journey, told with beauty and sensitivity. For anyone who loves adventure and traveling off the beaten track, this is a must read.
Tim Macartney-Snape, mountaineer, first Australian to summit Mount Everest
Tim Cope's epic journey is a reminder to us all that life should be lived to the fullest. Cope is a man who appreciates the simple things in life but still manages to conquer the seemingly impossible through sheer will power and an unbreakable spirit, on a quest to recreate history. His path is one we’d all love to follow.
Steve Waugh, Australian cricket legend
This is a staggering travel adventure, beautifully recounted, by an amazing man.
Peter FitzSimons, sports journalist, commentator, and biographer
There are plenty of fine book written by people who go off on adventures and return to set their story to paper, but Tim Cope's adventure, recalled in On the Trail of Genghis Khan, puts them all to shame. The anecdotes he relates are amazing, but it's Cope himself that provides the most inspiration. It's a shame that the word 'epic' has been so degraded by over-use, because it must be employed here.
The Daily Beast
Author Tim Cope
Narrator Dugald Bruce Bruce Lockhart
Duration 16 hours and 31 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781635578218
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Asian history, Travel and holiday guides, Travel guides: adventure holidays, Travel writing
Availability US

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