Khubilai Khan - Lord of Xanadu, Emperor of China

I would have thought that the “A Brief History” series would be aimed at the reader who has a passing interest in the specific subject and just wants to be educated with out delving into the more academic tomes that may be available. I would have thought that the “A Brief History” series would also require good footnotes, a chronology and a bibliography as to where to go next if ones interest is piqued. Most of all it should cover its subject with an easy to read and accessible text. This book covers all that is required of a brief history. Sources covered and explained. Made the subject matter a breeze to read and best of all left one hankering for more.

I have now read a few of these A Brief History's and they are in general very good with the odd one being superb in doing what they should set out to do. This one by Jonathan Clements is as good as it gets. Highly recommended to the lay reader.