Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: History's Greatest Naval Disaster - Couverture souple

Delgado, James

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1847920780 ISBN 13 : 9781847920782

Editeur : The Bodley Head Ltd, 2009

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture :

'James Delgado does a splendid job as a cultural historian in showing how the legend of a brave but doomed defence, supported by the intervention of the gods, shaped national identity over seven centuries' Tablet

After finally achieving what had eluded even his grandfather Genghis Khan - the conquest of China - and inheriting the world's largest navy, Khubilai Khan set his sights on Japan. He commanded an immense armada, the largest fleet the world had ever seen and success seemed assured. The Japanese were vastly outnumbered and facing certain death, but they prayed to their gods for survival and the very next day Khan's entire armada were destroyed by a 'divine wind', the kamikaze.

The legend of the kamikaze has endured for centuries, and was revived as a Japanese national legend during the Second World War, culminating in the suicide bombers they sent to attack the Allies, but the truth has remained a mystery. Only now, after decades of painstaking research and underwater excavation can leading marine archaeologist James Delgado reveal the truth of what really happened to Khubilia Khan's fleet.

'Dredging not only the sea but also historical records, Delgado tells us something new - some of it speculative but most of it richly authentic - about a great nautical adventure' The Times

'Through brilliant and painstaking research Delgado has brought Khubilai Khan's lost fleet to the surface, showing for the first time the true nature of the doomed adventure' Stephen Turnball

Présentation de l'éditeur :

*After finally achieving what eluded even his grandfather Ghengis Khan - the conquest of China - and inheriting the world's largest navy, Khubilai Khan turned his sights to Japan, which he attacked with an immense armada in 1274. Vastly outnumbered and facing total massacre, the Japanese prayed to their gods for survival, and the very next day Khan's entire armada was destroyed by a 'divine wind' (kamikaze). When Khan tried again seven years later, with a fleet double the size of the first, the very same thing happened.

* The legend of the kamikaze - revived as a Japanese national legend as they modernised and militarised, culminating in the suicide bombers of WWII - has endured for centuries.

* Now, after decades of painstaking research and underwater excavation, marine archaeologist James Delgado has discovered what really happened.

* Based on original sources as diverse as actual sunken ships, archeological excavations on land, temple inscriptions, hand-painted scrolls, woodblock prints, and historical and literary records from China, Japan and Vietnam, Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet is a captivating journey back through the mists of time.

* It tells the fascinating tale of the great Mongol's maritime forays, offers a compelling study of where myth, legend and history blend and blur, and solves one of history's greatest mysteries: what sank the Khan's immense fleet?

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: The Bodley Head Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1847920780
• ISBN 13: 9781847920782
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 240