Central Asia: 130 years of Russian Dominance  •  Edward Allworth HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 650 PAGES A scholarly historical overview of foreign -- and especially Russian -- influence in the region, revised with a new chapter covering the eventful years from 1989-1993 (CAS26, $27.95)
The Central Asian States, Discovering Independence  •  Gregory Gleason CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A timely analysis of the emergent independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan after 70 years of Soviet rule. Both scholarly and accessible to the general reader, this book discusses cultural, political and economic foundations and change in the region. With maps, illustrations, an excellent chronology and extensive bibliography. (CAS27, $38.00)
Foreign Devils on the Silk Road  •  Peter Hopkirk HISTORY •  1984 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES Hopkirk tackles the history of the Chinese Silk Road in his inimitable style, especially the exploits of Sven Hedin and five other archaeological raiders of the early years of the 20th century. Accurate, vividly written and great fun. (CAS22, $24.95)
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World  •  Jack Weatherford BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES In this revisionist biography, Weatherford refurbishes the popular image of the great Mongol leader Genghis Khan, portraying him not just as a tyrant but also a religiously tolerant family man and entrepreneur on a world scale (not to mention military genius and crack administrator). The book is a lively portrait of Genghis Khan and the world of the Medieval Mongols, who once ruled the largest land empire on Earth. 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. Professor Weatherford is a cultural anthropologist who teaches at Macalester College in St. Paul. (CAS106, $14.95)
God Lives in St. Petersburg, and Other Stories  •  Tom Bissell LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 212 PAGES Bissell (Chasing the Sea) returns to his years in Central Asia as a Peace Corps volunteer in these sharp, witty fictionalized accounts. His six fast-paced tales are set in Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and the Aral Sea. (CAS117, $13.95)
A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia: Volume I: Inner Eurasia from Prehistory to the Mongol Empire  •  David Christian HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 472 PAGES • COMING IN DECEMBER A comprehensive history of the region from the Stone Age to the 13th-century Mongol Empire. With a few maps and photographs, helpful chronology and the usual scholarly paraphernalia. A volume in the ambitious "Blackwell History of the World" series, this book will appeal to the traveler with a serious interest in the cultural origins of the region. (CAS35, $62.95)
Islam, The Straight Path  •  John L. Esposito RELIGION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES A well-written survey of the faith, practice and beliefs of Islam. It's a balanced tome intended for an undergraduate audience, yet it also functions as an excellent overview for the general reader. (MDE22, $39.95)
Islamic Art and Architecture  •  Robert Hillenbrand ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Covering one thousand years and the geographic scope of Islam, this book is a wide-ranging guide to the arts of Islam, including architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, and textiles. A marvelously compact synthesis, it focuses on major styles associated with Muslim dynasties including the Ottomans. With a useful glossary of Islamic terms, time line, maps and 270 illustrations, many in color. (CAS17, $18.95)
Lost Cosmonaut, Observations of an Anti-tourist  •  Daniel Kalder TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Kalder's offball, offbeat and rather strange report from forgotten corners of the ethnic republics of Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Mari El and Udmurtia in what was once the Soviet Union. Kalder revels in being no-place. Obsessed with a quest he never fully understands Kalder boldly goes where no man has gone before: in the deserts of Kalmykia he stumbles upon a city dedicated to chess and a forgotten tribe of Mongols; in Mari El, home to Europe's last pagan nation, he meets the Chief Druid and participates in an ancient rite; while in the bleak industrial badlands of Udmurtia, Kalder looks for Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK 47 and inadvertently becomes a TV star. Profane yet wise, utterly honest yet full of lies, Lost Cosmonaut is an eye- opening, blackly comic tour of our alien planet. (EUR199, $19.95)
My Life as an Explorer  •  Sven Hedin  •  Peter Hopkirk EXPLORATION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 546 PAGES A bestseller in the 1920s, this classic memoir by the great Swedish adventurer is an amazing account of hardship, adventure and exploration over three decades through the lands of the Silk Road. He journeyed by caravan to Tibet, the Gobi Desert, and India. Mapping uncharted rivers, discovering long-lost cities, revealing the splendor of now-vanished civilizations, and recording encounters with the various characters he met along the way, the author also illustrated the book with his own drawings. (CAS06, $16.00)
Odyssey Guide The Silk Road, Xi'an to Kashgar  •  Judy Bonavia GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A comprehensive guide to China's Silk Road with color photographs, excellent maps and much historical information. This handy book includes separate essays on the history and culture of the area, excerpts from the literature, a brief Chinese phrasebook, and a province-by-province description of points of interest. (CAS13, $24.95)
The Silk Road, Art and History  •  Jonathan Tucker  •  Antonia Tozer ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES • COMING IN Tucker, a specialist in Asian Art, interweaves history, exploration, culture, art, archaeology and literature in this richly illustrated celebration of the ancient Silk Road from Xi'an to Rome. Organized geographically, brimming with excellent maps and featuring 300 color photographs, the book is an essential reference. Among the many images in the book are the photographs by Tucker and his wide, Antonia Tozer, of the monumental Buddhas at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. (CAS98, $65.00)
Ultimate Journey, Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk Who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment  •  Richard Bernstein TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES In this journey of self-discovery, Bernstein travels across Central Asia from China to India, loosely in the footsteps of the seventh-century Buddhist monk Hsuan Tang. A foreign correspondent in China in the 1970s and religious skeptic, Bernstein (who turns 50 during the journey) offers the insight and eye for detail of an experienced traveler and writer. (CAS64, $14.00)
A Woman's Asia  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. Featuring selections from Jan Morris, Pamela Logan and Alison Wright. (ASA49, $17.95)