The Caucasus--a region of supreme natural beauty and fiercely proud warriors--has throughout history been characterized by violence and turmoil. During the Great Caucasus War of 1834-1859, the warring mountain tribes of Daghestan and Chechnya united under the charismatic leadership of the Muslim chieftain Imam Shamyl, the ""Lion of Daghestan"", and held at bay the invading Russian army for nearly 25 years. Lesley Blanch vividly recounts the epic story of their heroic and bloody struggle for freedom and the life of a man still legendary in the Caucasus.

""I can imagine no better introduction to modern Russia.""--New York Times Book Review

""A masterly account of Chechnya's struggle against 19th-century Tsarist Russia, ominously relevant to today's conflict. [Blanch's] portrait of Shamyl, the Chechen leader-prophet, was widely admired and Blanch is still consulted by historians.""--The Sunday Times (London)

""This reissue ... is to be warmly applauded. The result of four years of research and local travel, this is a uniquely original and fresh introduction to a forgotten world and in particular to that of the most important colonial war of the 19th Century.""--Lawrence Kelly