The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture

Rating:
Summary: Incomplete Masterpiece
Review: This is a remarkable work. It has all the bearings of a lifetime's achievement, all too noticable in the unfinished nature of the book. Maenchen-Helfin died before it was finished and the book was edited together by Max Knight from the author's papers. It is encyclopedic. If you want to know anything about the Huns then consult this book, E A Thompson's "The Huns" formerly "Attila and the Huns" and P Heather's section in the Cambridge Ancient History Vol. XIII. If it's not in these books then it's not worth knowing. This book, more than the others, is indispensible but difficult to use. It is patchy and often unwieldy but breathtaking in scope and vision. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know about the Huns who also has the time to work with the book to get the information out.

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece on the Huns
Review: This is truely a masterpiece on the Huns. The sad part is that it is incomplete. It is far superior to the work of Thompson in the Huns even in this incomplete state. The analytical methodical scholarship, typical of savants of the German school, is seen throughout the book. This is supported by the author's firsthand experience amidst the Altaic nomads. One can only imagine the out come if Maenchen-Helfen had lived longer. I do not see scholars of his stature anymore in Central Asian studies.