Michael Baizerman Author

 I have just received the galley proof of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East." Yes, I can call it now a book rather than a manuscript.  Checking the galleys is a long and tedious process, but it also has fascinating sides. First of all, my publishing team of Authorhouse UK has done a fantastic job improving the text. I appreciate hearing my voice slightly different and retaining all its significant points.  Secondly, I am using the editorial program of Grammarly, a mandatory lifeline thrown to writers, to raise my standards and to revise the work of the publishing gang. The bottom line: my text has become much more readable and eloquent.  While working with Grammarly, I like those moments when the program advises to rewrite the sentence, giving only general recommendations. I have to try various versions and, if I succeed, I feel so tired and happy as if I have run long distances!  My book will have references to illustrations instead of artwork. I...

I have just uploaded the final chapter of the cycle of articles focused on the legend of the Iron Gates. This collection of papers make up Unit IV,  Mapping Marvels and Monsters: In the Shadow of the Iron Gate, of my book "The Enchanting Encounter with the East."    The following extract tells the story of the Khazars, the tribe confederation of the steppe Turks, as it is exposed by written sources and archaeological finds. You can view it on my Academia page  https://www.academia.edu/74005169/The_Turks_in_Jacobs_Tents I have also forwarded this piece to the Discussions. I want to see the comments on the role of the Khazars as a "wall" hampering the expansion of the Arab Caliphate into the Pontic-Caspian steppes and the Byzantine Empire in Crimea. The following story adds to the myth of Gog-Magog that loomed large on Latin Christendom throughout the Late Middle Ages.  The map of the Khazar Khaganate between 650 and 850 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazars ...