Gessar Khan was the mythical hero of Tibet and also well loved amongst the nomadic Mongolian tribes who roamed the steppes of central Asia. Tales of his exploits were carried by work of mouth and related orally for centuries by these people around their campfires and during the long and cold winter nights. These legendary tales first appeared in the Mongolian language at the order of the Chinese Emperor Kanghi in about 1716. Much later in 1836 Issac jakob Schmidt was authorized to translate them and present them to the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Even later in 1839 Professor Schmidt translated them into his native German presenting them under the title of Die Thaten Bogda Gesser Chans. It is from this version that Ida Zeitlin translated the English edition. It was only after the publication of the German edition that a great interest began to develop in the Western world thus making the English edition a must. Tales of monsters, demons dragons and maidens in distress, which have always filled people with delight, fill these pages to entertain and enlighten the reader. Whether these tales originated in Tibet or in Mongolia has never been ascertained but whatever the origins they do not fail to entertain readers of all ages, irrespective of where they may come from. This well illustrated book provides us with a great deal of insight into the hopes and fears of a people who have always remained an enigma to the world.
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