(ed. by S. Chuluun). Улаанбаатар: Монсудар. 2014. 304 p.*

The book under review is a large documentary photo album on the history of the Mongols, in fact the second volume under the title "Mongolchuud" - "Mongols" (the first volume was published in 2011 and covered the beginning of the XX century). The editor - in-chief of this book is Professor S. Chuluun, Director of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia. The book is published in a large format, in a hardcover and dust jacket, on coated paper, and has a very high quality of printing.

^* Mongols: an illustrated history of the XVII-XX centuries. / Ed. by S. Chuluun. Ulaanbaatar: Monsudar Publ., 2014, 304 p.

The book is a rich collection of documentary photographs taken mainly from archives. Some of them are taken from books, there are modern maps. This is the first attempt to present the history of the Mongols from the 17th to the 20th centuries in documentary illustrations. This approach has not yet been used. The book's editor has worked for many years in the archives of Russia, Mongolia and other countries. Some of the illustrations are obtained from these archives. In addition, it contains a number of valuable reconstructions (for example, clothing of Mongol warriors in the XVII-XVIII centuries), many reproductions of old maps.

The book consists of nine chapters, each of which contains a number of sections. The chapters are preceded by an illustrated list of the main events that took place in Mongolia in the XVII-XX centuries, by year.

Chapter 1, "Encounters in the West and North," shows Mongol contacts with Russia in the 17th century. In particular, a brief and accurate overview of the state of Russia in the XVI-XVII centuries is given. Chapter 2," The Last Great Migration of the Nomads", covers materials about the Kalmyks ' migrations to Russia, their service in the Russian army, migrations inside Mongolia, the history of the Khoshuts, information about the Kukunor and Tuvans. Chapter 3, "Mongolia between Empires", is devoted to materials on the interaction of the Mongols with the new empires of the XVIII century - the Russian and Qing. The text and illustrations describe in detail the relations of the Mongols with both empires and the gradual entry of Mongolia into the Qing Empire. There are throne portraits of all Qing emperors (from Nurhatsi to Pui) with their official Mongolian government mottos (next to them is a table of the years of rule, personal and temple names of all these emperors). The state of the Dzungarian Khanate before its fall is described in detail. Portraits of eight higher noyons of Dzungaria are presented.

Chapter 4 "Maps of the Mongols" provides cartographic images of Mongolia in the XVI-XIX centuries, materials on Russian-Qing relations and treaties. Detailed maps of Outer and Inner Mongolia, Dariganga, and Tuva are given, showing all the Khoshuns (appanages). A number of old Mongolian maps of individual regions of Mongolia, compiled in the Qing period, are presented. Chapter 5, "Mongolia under Foreign Rule," deals with the period of Manchu rule. Among the illustrations, old photographs and portraits of Manchu governors in Outer Mongolia, as well as Mongolian cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries, should be particularly noted. Some of them were still unknown. A table of insignia (by headdresses, balls on them, clothes) of princes of different ranks (descending) is given: hoshoi-chin-wan, jun-wan, beile, beise, gong. A brief description and illustrations of some of the tortures used by the Manchus and Chinese are given.

Chapter 6, "Aristocrats immortalized in legends," contains information about the famous Mongolian noyons of that time (Ligden Khan, Tsogtu-taiji, Galdan-Boshogtu, Gushi Khan, Chin-gunzhav, Amarsana, testimonies, films and other materials about Huntaiji, legends about the ruins of the city of Khar-Bukhyn-Balgas, etc.). Photos of documents, memorials, ruins of buildings associated with some of them, a diagram of the genealogy of the Mongol khans up to the XVII century are given. Chapter 7, "Beliefs of the Mongols," provides information about the spread of Buddhism in Mongolia, the rules for honoring monasteries, lists noyons who adhere to Buddhist teachings, describes the monasteries of Erdene-Dzu, Ih-khure, and others. Photos are provided, including those from Russian archives (for example, a portrait of the Dalai Lama XIII during his stay in Urga in 1904-1906). The table shows information about 13 hutukhts (higher reborn lamas), indicating the first rebirth and the last before the revolution, and the locations of their main monasteries. A photograph of one of the highest lamas, Manjushri - Khutukhta, in the seventh rebirth revealed in 2009 is given. Iconographic images of all the rebirths of the head of the Buddhist Church of Mongolia, Bogdo - gegen Dzhebtsundamba-hutukhta (from the first-Luvsandambidzhantsan, 1635-1723, to the ninth - Zhambalnamdolchoyzhizhantsan, 1932-2012) are given.

Chapter 8, "The Mongols under Foreign Masters: Their Way of Life and Culture," presents in detail the way of life, culture, and organization of human settlements under Manchu rule. In particular, there are maps of seasonal migrations of Mongols in several khoshuns, diagrams of the construction and photos of yurts of several types, many photos of Mongols in different traditional costumes, drawings of hats and shoes. Brief information and photos of holiday scenes, examples of written monuments are given.

Chapter 9 "Mongols on the world market" contains materials on trade, in particular tea, with Russia. Special attention is paid to the development of cross-border trade between Russia and Mongolia, photos and information about the Russian consulates in Their Khure and Uliassutai, Russian trade

on the Idar-gol River, near Daichin-wangiin-khure, Russian woolwashings, cattle purchases, etc. Prices for a number of products are shown. Hunting for fur-bearing animals is described, and photos are given.

At the end of the book, you will find a dictionary of terms, an index of names and geographical names. A list of sources for illustrations is given on pages 298-301, and a list of sources used in general is given on pages 302-303.

In each chapter, there is a small box "Meanwhile in the world..." with a brief description and illustration of some discovery or event in the West during the period described in Mongolia. These boxes don't seem to be necessary. There is a typo: "Royal Titular" (p. 24) - it should be "Royal Titular".

In general, the information and illustrations in the book on the territories of Mongolia, Russia and the Qing Empire are highly reliable. This is due to the fact that the book's editor S. Chuluun is one of the leading experts on Mongol-Russian and Mongol-Qing relations in the XVI-XVIII centuries.

The book is an important contribution to Mongolian studies and is of interest not only to specialists, but also to a wide range of readers, and those interested in the history of not only Mongolia, but also Russia and the Qing Empire. It is advisable to translate this book into Russian and publish it in Russia.

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