This introduction to both written and oral Mongolian literature from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century provides a rare insight into the changing world views of the Mongolian people: from clan society to Soviet culture. Translated by renowned scholar Charles Bawden, the work is organised into Histories, Legends, Didactic literature, Epics, Shamanistic Incantations, Folk­ tales, Myths, Sino-Mongolian Prose Literature, Lyrics and Other Verse and Reminiscences, concluding with a modern short story. This important work, which makes the rich tradition of Mongolian literature available for the first time, will be essential reading for many years to come.

Charles R. Bawden is Emeritus Professor of Mongolian in the University of London. From 1955 to 1984 he was a member of the academic staff at the School of Oriental and African Studies, university of London, serving successively as Lecturer, Reader and Professor of Mongolian. For fourteen years he was Head of the Department of the Far East and for two years Pro-director of the School. In 1985 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Previous publications include The Modern History of Mongolia published by Kegan Paul and a study of missionary activity amongst the Mongols entitled Shamans, Lamas and Evangelicals: The English Missionaries in Siberia, published by Routledge and Kegan Paul. He is the compiler of the definitive Mongolian-English Dictionary published by Kegan Paul in 1997. He is possibly the world's leading authority on Mongolian Studies.