Central Asia & the Silk Road

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Central Asia & the Silk Road | READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE
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Lonely Planet Central Asia •   Lonely Planet
GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 528 PAGES
A comprehensive, detailed guide to travel in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the Lonely Planet series. With a good overview of the history and culture of the region, a modest section of color photographs, and 55 local and regional maps. (CAS42, $29.99)

The Great Game, The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia •  Peter Hopkirk
HISTORY • 1994 • PAPER • 565 PAGES • FAVORITE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE
A spellbinding, vivid, and riveting account of the great European struggle for supremacy in Central Asia. This is a romantic, glamorous tale of intrigue, treachery and adventure that takes us over the high mountain passes and through the scorching deserts and caravan towns of the Silk Road. With meticulous scholarship and on-the-spot research, the author describes the history of this region at the core of geopolitics today. With 39 photographs and fine maps. (CAS09, $18.00)

The Lost Heart of Asia •  Colin Thubron
TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2008 • PAPER • 374 PAGES
The intrepid Colin Thubron recounts his travels to Samarkand, Bukhara and throughout Central Asia in the early 1990s, in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union, in this thrilling travelogue. A fine writer, intrepid traveler and insightful observer, he's an outstanding guide to the history, people and culture of this complex corner of the world. (CAS07, $15.99)

The Silk Road, Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia •  Frances Wood
CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2004 • PAPER • 270 PAGES
A nicely illustrated overview of the art, culture and history of the Silk Road, largely drawn from the collections of the British Library. Frances Wood, head of the Chinese section at the library, makes good use of archival photographs, manuscripts and paintings in telling a lively story of these diverse ancient trade routes. She includes chapters on jade and silk, trade during the Han dynasty, Dunhuang, the Great Game, explorers, and the Silk Road today. With 102 color and 31 black-and-white photographs. (ASA36, $21.95)

Central Asia Map •   Nelles
2007 • MAP
An up-to-date, double-sided shaded relief map of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Krygystan at the very good scale of 1:1,750,000. With inset plans of major cities. Two Sides. 20x36 inches. (CAS37, $10.95)

Related Categories

Silk Road Countries Map, Central Asia •   Gizi Map • A map covering the Silk Roads and surrounding territories from Western China and India across Asia to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Black Sea at a scale of 1:3,000,000. (CAS100, $12.95)

The Ancient Silk Road, An Illustrated Map •   Odyssey Maps • A double-sided map showing ancient trading routes across China, Central Asia and Asia Minor, with color photographs and captions. (ASA58, $14.95)

Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook •  Justin Jon Rudelson • GUIDEBOOK • A handy pocket phrasebook, which focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler on the Silk Road. (CAS38, $8.99)

Odyssey Guide Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva and the Golden Road to Samarkand •  Calum MacLeod •  Bradley Mayhew • GUIDEBOOK • A concise introduction to Uzbekistan, its history, culture and attractions, featuring full-color maps and excellent photography. It covers in detail Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. (CAS23, $27.95)

A History of Inner Asia •  Svat Soucek • HISTORY • A dense, informative survey of the changing fortunes of people in the region, with chapters on Arab conquest and Chinese expansion, Mongols, Samanids, Timurids, Uzbeks, and other kingdoms and people in the region, including the 17th-19th century development of the trading cities. With 13 maps and dynastic charts. (CAS51, $38.99)

Empires of the Silk Road, A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present •  Christopher I. Beckwith • HISTORY • Christopher Beckwith's depth of knowledge, judgment and flair for words is very much in evidence in his bold scholarly history. He rescues the region from the periphery of world affairs, showing the sweep of empire and trade over the millennia in the heartland of Central Asia. We especially enjoyed the epilogue in which Beckwith demolishes Western stereotypes of "The Barbarians." (CAS171, $35.00)

Everyday Life in Central Asia, Past and Present •  Jeff Sahadeo • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • Dozens of scholars and ethnographers contributed to this lively reader on the peoples, cultures and customs across Central Asia. (CAS148, $24.95)

Murderers in Mausoleums, Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing •  Jeffrey Tayler • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • A portrait of the region, history and travelogue, Taylor's riveting account of a three-month, 7,000-mile odyssey from Moscow to Beijing, though mighty Kazakhstan, across the Silk Road to Kashgar, Urumqi and onto Beijing, illuminates the red-hot geopolitics of Central Asia. (CAS168, $24.00)

Religions of the Silk Road •  Richard C. Foltz • RELIGION • A scholarly survey of cultural traditions, and especially religions, along the trade routes through China and Central Asia from antiquity to the 15th century. (CAS52, $23.95)

Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants on the Silk Road •  Luce Boulnois •  Helen Loveday • HISTORY • A history and guide to the Silk Road, organized chronologically and featuring a nice selection of contemporary photographs. (CAS111, $26.95)

Sons of the Conquerors, The Rise of the Turkic World •  Hugh Pope • HISTORY • A lively, illuminating report on the Turkic speaking lands across Inner Asia from westernmost China to the Black Sea. (TKY104, $19.95)

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia •  Ahmed Rashid • HISTORY • Rashid eye-opening account of the rise of the Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism illuminates the politics and history of Central Asia. (CAS49, $17.00)

Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World •  Justin Marozzi • HISTORY • Marozzi deftly interweaves history, politics and his own travels across the deserts, steppes and mountains of Central Asia in this vivid account of the life and ambitions of Amir Temur, the fearsome 14th-century Tatar conqueror. (CAS122, $18.00)

The New Great Game, Blood and Oil in Central Asia •  Lutz Kleveman • HISTORY • An eyewitness account of current policies and conflicts in Caucasus and Central Asia, full of interviews, anecdote, history and polemic. (CAS112, $15.00)

Tournament of Shadows, The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia •  Karl Meyer •  Shareen Blair Brysac • HISTORY • Journalists Meyer and Brysac recreate the blundering, xenophobic exploits of Russia and, especially, the British in 19th-century Central Asia in this grand tale. (CAS41, $19.95)

Islamic Arts •  Jonathan Bloom •  Sheila Blair • ART & ARCHITECTURE • A comprehensive survey of 1,000 years of Islamic architecture, design and decoration. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps and site plans. (ISL01, $24.95)

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond •  Kenneth Nebenzahl • ART & ARCHITECTURE • This visually stunning collection of 80 rare illuminated manuscripts, early modern masterpieces and archival maps traces two millennia of exploration across Asia. (CAS113, $49.95)

Rough Guide Music Central Asia •   Rough Guide World Music • MUSIC • A sampling of the diverse sounds of Central Asia. (CAS123, $14.98)

Apples are from Kazakhstan, The Land That Disappeared •  Christopher Robbins • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • NEW • Yes, apples do come from Kazakhstan. Tulips, too. Robbins writes winningly of the country and its people in this rich cultural portrait of a country the size of Western Europe. (CAS160, $24.00)

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World •  Jack Weatherford • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • Weatherford, who has lived and studied in Mongolia, interweaves his own travels and field work on the Central Asian steppes, much of it on horseback, with a lively portrait of Genghis Khan and the world of the medieval Mongols. The Mongols introduced not only mayhem, but also paper, printing, gunpowder, the compass and trousers to their far-flung empire. (CAS106, $14.95)

In Xanadu, A Quest •  William Dalrymple • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • An epic journey in the footsteps of Marco Polo through the Middle East and Central Asia to China. An intrepid traveler and entertaining writer, Dalrymple offers an anecdotal history of the people and places he encounters en route. (CAS50, $14.95)

Khubilai Khan, His Life and Times •  Morris Rossabi • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • This fascinating, scholarly portrait of the culture and politics of 13th-century Asia examines Khubilai Khan's rise to power, the submission of Korea and the attempted invasion of Japan. (CAS10, $22.95)

Life Along the Silk Road •  Susan Whitfield • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • With insight, scholarship and dramatic flair, Susan Whitfield recounts the lives of ten diverse individuals on the ancient Silk Road, including four tales set in Dunhuang. With a superb 15-page history of Central Asia. (CAS44, $18.95)

Shadow of the Silk Road •  Colin Thubron • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • Thubron returns to Central Asia in this lyrical, erudite account of a 7,000-mile trek across Asia, visiting archaeological sites, people and cities from Xi'an and Dunhuang to Samarkand, Bukhara, Afghanistan and Iran. (CAS133, $15.99)

The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane •  Beatrice Forbes Manz • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • A portrait of the great nomadic conqueror who rose to power in 1370 on the ruins of the Mongol Empire and led campaigns from Moscow to Delhi. (CAS11, $27.99)

The Silk Road, Ten Thousand Miles Through Central Asia •  Sven Hedin • EXPLORATION • A new edition of Hedin's riveting 1938 account. (CAS170, $18.95)

The Trail of War •  Sven Hedin • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • An enthralling account of high adventure and a telling portrait of Central Asia. Hedin recounts his journey through one of the most inhospitable regions of the world, involvement in a bloody war for independence, encounters with rebels and bandits and imprisonment and near execution. (CAS169, $16.95)

Flashman in the Great Game •  George MacDonald Fraser • LITERATURE • What caused the Sepoy Mutiny, a pivotal moment in the Raj? How about Harry Flashman, the reluctant, much-decorated coward, cad and womanizer at the center of George MacDonald Fraser's wildly entertaining, irreverent series of historical novels. (CAS120, $15.00)

The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years •  Chingiz Aitmatov • LITERATURE • First published in 1980 under the Soviet regime, this novel by a famous Kyrgyz writer mixes the story of a man traveling through the steppes to bury a friend and the tale of two cosmonauts aboard a space station. (CAS139, $20.95)

Here are some other groups of books that might interest you. Click to view a listing:

More Books
For Kids
Uzbekistan
The Ancient Silk Road
Xian & the Chinese Silk Road


	These 5 items are available for $89, including U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXCAS32)	E-mail Print
Select Item

	Lonely Planet Central Asia • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 528 PAGES A comprehensive, detailed guide to travel in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the Lonely Planet series. With a good overview of the history and culture of the region, a modest section of color photographs, and 55 local and regional maps. (CAS42, $29.99)
	The Great Game, The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia • Peter Hopkirk HISTORY • 1994 • PAPER • 565 PAGES • FAVORITE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A spellbinding, vivid, and riveting account of the great European struggle for supremacy in Central Asia. This is a romantic, glamorous tale of intrigue, treachery and adventure that takes us over the high mountain passes and through the scorching deserts and caravan towns of the Silk Road. With meticulous scholarship and on-the-spot research, the author describes the history of this region at the core of geopolitics today. With 39 photographs and fine maps. (CAS09, $18.00)
	The Lost Heart of Asia • Colin Thubron TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2008 • PAPER • 374 PAGES The intrepid Colin Thubron recounts his travels to Samarkand, Bukhara and throughout Central Asia in the early 1990s, in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union, in this thrilling travelogue. A fine writer, intrepid traveler and insightful observer, he's an outstanding guide to the history, people and culture of this complex corner of the world. (CAS07, $15.99)
	The Silk Road, Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia • Frances Wood CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2004 • PAPER • 270 PAGES A nicely illustrated overview of the art, culture and history of the Silk Road, largely drawn from the collections of the British Library. Frances Wood, head of the Chinese section at the library, makes good use of archival photographs, manuscripts and paintings in telling a lively story of these diverse ancient trade routes. She includes chapters on jade and silk, trade during the Han dynasty, Dunhuang, the Great Game, explorers, and the Silk Road today. With 102 color and 31 black-and-white photographs. (ASA36, $21.95)
	Central Asia Map • Nelles 2007 • MAP An up-to-date, double-sided shaded relief map of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Krygystan at the very good scale of 1:1,750,000. With inset plans of major cities. Two Sides. 20x36 inches. (CAS37, $10.95)

	Silk Road Countries Map, Central Asia • Gizi Map • A map covering the Silk Roads and surrounding territories from Western China and India across Asia to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Black Sea at a scale of 1:3,000,000. (CAS100, $12.95)
	The Ancient Silk Road, An Illustrated Map • Odyssey Maps • A double-sided map showing ancient trading routes across China, Central Asia and Asia Minor, with color photographs and captions. (ASA58, $14.95)
	Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook • Justin Jon Rudelson • GUIDEBOOK • A handy pocket phrasebook, which focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler on the Silk Road. (CAS38, $8.99)
	Odyssey Guide Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva and the Golden Road to Samarkand • Calum MacLeod • Bradley Mayhew • GUIDEBOOK • A concise introduction to Uzbekistan, its history, culture and attractions, featuring full-color maps and excellent photography. It covers in detail Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. (CAS23, $27.95)
	A History of Inner Asia • Svat Soucek • HISTORY • A dense, informative survey of the changing fortunes of people in the region, with chapters on Arab conquest and Chinese expansion, Mongols, Samanids, Timurids, Uzbeks, and other kingdoms and people in the region, including the 17th-19th century development of the trading cities. With 13 maps and dynastic charts. (CAS51, $38.99)
	Empires of the Silk Road, A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present • Christopher I. Beckwith • HISTORY • Christopher Beckwith's depth of knowledge, judgment and flair for words is very much in evidence in his bold scholarly history. He rescues the region from the periphery of world affairs, showing the sweep of empire and trade over the millennia in the heartland of Central Asia. We especially enjoyed the epilogue in which Beckwith demolishes Western stereotypes of "The Barbarians." (CAS171, $35.00)
	Everyday Life in Central Asia, Past and Present • Jeff Sahadeo • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • Dozens of scholars and ethnographers contributed to this lively reader on the peoples, cultures and customs across Central Asia. (CAS148, $24.95)
	Murderers in Mausoleums, Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing • Jeffrey Tayler • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • A portrait of the region, history and travelogue, Taylor's riveting account of a three-month, 7,000-mile odyssey from Moscow to Beijing, though mighty Kazakhstan, across the Silk Road to Kashgar, Urumqi and onto Beijing, illuminates the red-hot geopolitics of Central Asia. (CAS168, $24.00)
	Religions of the Silk Road • Richard C. Foltz • RELIGION • A scholarly survey of cultural traditions, and especially religions, along the trade routes through China and Central Asia from antiquity to the 15th century. (CAS52, $23.95)
	Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants on the Silk Road • Luce Boulnois • Helen Loveday • HISTORY • A history and guide to the Silk Road, organized chronologically and featuring a nice selection of contemporary photographs. (CAS111, $26.95)
	Sons of the Conquerors, The Rise of the Turkic World • Hugh Pope • HISTORY • A lively, illuminating report on the Turkic speaking lands across Inner Asia from westernmost China to the Black Sea. (TKY104, $19.95)
	Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia • Ahmed Rashid • HISTORY • Rashid eye-opening account of the rise of the Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism illuminates the politics and history of Central Asia. (CAS49, $17.00)
	Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World • Justin Marozzi • HISTORY • Marozzi deftly interweaves history, politics and his own travels across the deserts, steppes and mountains of Central Asia in this vivid account of the life and ambitions of Amir Temur, the fearsome 14th-century Tatar conqueror. (CAS122, $18.00)
	The New Great Game, Blood and Oil in Central Asia • Lutz Kleveman • HISTORY • An eyewitness account of current policies and conflicts in Caucasus and Central Asia, full of interviews, anecdote, history and polemic. (CAS112, $15.00)
	Tournament of Shadows, The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia • Karl Meyer • Shareen Blair Brysac • HISTORY • Journalists Meyer and Brysac recreate the blundering, xenophobic exploits of Russia and, especially, the British in 19th-century Central Asia in this grand tale. (CAS41, $19.95)
	Islamic Arts • Jonathan Bloom • Sheila Blair • ART & ARCHITECTURE • A comprehensive survey of 1,000 years of Islamic architecture, design and decoration. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps and site plans. (ISL01, $24.95)
	Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond • Kenneth Nebenzahl • ART & ARCHITECTURE • This visually stunning collection of 80 rare illuminated manuscripts, early modern masterpieces and archival maps traces two millennia of exploration across Asia. (CAS113, $49.95)
	Rough Guide Music Central Asia • Rough Guide World Music • MUSIC • A sampling of the diverse sounds of Central Asia. (CAS123, $14.98)
	Apples are from Kazakhstan, The Land That Disappeared • Christopher Robbins • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • NEW • Yes, apples do come from Kazakhstan. Tulips, too. Robbins writes winningly of the country and its people in this rich cultural portrait of a country the size of Western Europe. (CAS160, $24.00)
	Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World • Jack Weatherford • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • Weatherford, who has lived and studied in Mongolia, interweaves his own travels and field work on the Central Asian steppes, much of it on horseback, with a lively portrait of Genghis Khan and the world of the medieval Mongols. The Mongols introduced not only mayhem, but also paper, printing, gunpowder, the compass and trousers to their far-flung empire. (CAS106, $14.95)
	In Xanadu, A Quest • William Dalrymple • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • An epic journey in the footsteps of Marco Polo through the Middle East and Central Asia to China. An intrepid traveler and entertaining writer, Dalrymple offers an anecdotal history of the people and places he encounters en route. (CAS50, $14.95)
	Khubilai Khan, His Life and Times • Morris Rossabi • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • This fascinating, scholarly portrait of the culture and politics of 13th-century Asia examines Khubilai Khan's rise to power, the submission of Korea and the attempted invasion of Japan. (CAS10, $22.95)
	Life Along the Silk Road • Susan Whitfield • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • With insight, scholarship and dramatic flair, Susan Whitfield recounts the lives of ten diverse individuals on the ancient Silk Road, including four tales set in Dunhuang. With a superb 15-page history of Central Asia. (CAS44, $18.95)
	Shadow of the Silk Road • Colin Thubron • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • Thubron returns to Central Asia in this lyrical, erudite account of a 7,000-mile trek across Asia, visiting archaeological sites, people and cities from Xi'an and Dunhuang to Samarkand, Bukhara, Afghanistan and Iran. (CAS133, $15.99)
	The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane • Beatrice Forbes Manz • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • A portrait of the great nomadic conqueror who rose to power in 1370 on the ruins of the Mongol Empire and led campaigns from Moscow to Delhi. (CAS11, $27.99)
	The Silk Road, Ten Thousand Miles Through Central Asia • Sven Hedin • EXPLORATION • A new edition of Hedin's riveting 1938 account. (CAS170, $18.95)
	The Trail of War • Sven Hedin • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • An enthralling account of high adventure and a telling portrait of Central Asia. Hedin recounts his journey through one of the most inhospitable regions of the world, involvement in a bloody war for independence, encounters with rebels and bandits and imprisonment and near execution. (CAS169, $16.95)
	Flashman in the Great Game • George MacDonald Fraser • LITERATURE • What caused the Sepoy Mutiny, a pivotal moment in the Raj? How about Harry Flashman, the reluctant, much-decorated coward, cad and womanizer at the center of George MacDonald Fraser's wildly entertaining, irreverent series of historical novels. (CAS120, $15.00)
	The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years • Chingiz Aitmatov • LITERATURE • First published in 1980 under the Soviet regime, this novel by a famous Kyrgyz writer mixes the story of a man traveling through the steppes to bury a friend and the tale of two cosmonauts aboard a space station. (CAS139, $20.95)