This rigorous scholarly appraisal of the legendary biographies of Tamerlane is the first of its kind in any language.

Ron Sela is Assistant Professor of Central Asian History at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is the author of Ritual and Authority in Central Asia: The Khan's Inauguration Ceremony (2003) and co-author, with Scott C. Levi, of Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources (2009).

Introduction; 1. The origins and usages of T¿m¿r's heroic apocrypha; 2. T¿m¿r's birth and childhood; 3. Youth; 4. Inauguration and kingship; 5. Premonitions; 6. Central Asia in turmoil, 1700-50; Conclusion.