Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics and the Rise of the Taliban  •  Larry Goodson HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES A scholarly analysis of Afghanistan's devastating recent history and its continuing strategic importance at the crossroads of Central, South and Southwest Asia. Goodson examines the ethnic, religious and social divisions in a country wracked by war and economic upheaval. Based in part on field work in the region in the mid-1980s, the author returned to Afghanistan in 1997 to see the country under the rule of the Taliban. With maps and tables. (CAS73, $22.50)
The Afghans, Peoples of Asia  •  Willem Vogelsang CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES A wide-ranging history of the people and culture of Afghanistan in the excellent series by Blackwell Publishers, "Peoples of Asia." The author, an archaeologist and journalist who has traveled widely in the region, includes chapters on the war with Britain, Soviet occupation and recent history. (CAS70, $39.95)
Aurel Stein on the Silk Road  •  Susan Whitfield BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES A illustrated account of the life and discoveries of Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1942), drawn from the collections of the British Library. The book features both archival and modern photographs of the extraordinary Buddhist art at Dunhuang. (CAS109, $35.00)
The Bazaar, Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World  •  Walter Weiss  •  Kurt-Michael Westermann CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES In addition to hundreds of color photos, this celebration of bazaars throughout the Islamic world includes a history of caravan trade, an overview of the setup of medinas and portraits of bazaars from Marrakech to Samarkand. (CAS36, $50.00)
Between Mecca and Beijing, Modernization and Consumption Among Urban Chinese Muslims  •  Maris Boyd Gillette CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES Published by Stanford University, this scholarly paper looks at how the Hui people of Xi'an -- ethnic Muslims -- have negotiated the right to religious freedom in the PRC. It focuses especially on their eating habits. (CHN180, $23.95)
Buddhist Art and Architecture  •  Robert Fisher ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A wide-ranging, illustrated survey of Buddhist art, architecture and iconography in the excellent World of Art series. It includes examples from throughout Asia. (ASA30, $18.95)
C.I.S. and the Baltic States Map  •  Hildebrand MAP A reasonably detailed map of Western Russia and the Baltics (at a scale of 1:3.5 million) with a general all the states of the former USSR on the reverse at a scale of 1:15.7 million. The more detailed map includes not only the western portion of Russia, but much of Central Asia, right up to the Chinese border. (RUS22, $14.95)
The Cambridge Illustrated History of China  •  Patricia Buckley Ebrey HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A concise, handsomely illustrated survey of Chinese history. Organized chronologically, this book marches confidently through 8,000 years of Chinese civilization, balancing social issues with politics and culture. With maps and an excellent selection of accompanying photographs, many in color. (CHN79, $36.99)
The Caves of Dunhuang  •  Fan Jinshi ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES • COMING IN MAY Jinshi illuminates the extraordinary ancient murals, silks, manuscripts, and other treasures within the Buddhist cave temples in this illustrated survey. (CHN534, $70.00)
Central Asia Map  •  Nelles MAP An up-to-date, 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. (CAS37, $10.95)
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)
Chasing the Sea, Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia  •  Tom Bissell TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 388 PAGES Bissell's gritty, on the street account of adventures in Uzbekistan, where he returned in 2001 after an earlier stint in the Peace Corps. A lively writer (and a self-confessed adventure junkie), Bissell portrays the grim reality and disasters in the region through his unique, offhand prose. This was no lark. He devotes much of his book to his time cruising through Uzbekistan, concluding with an account of the fast-disappearing Aral Sea and the poor fisherman who depend upon it. (CAS103, $14.95)
Chinese Art & Culture  •  Richard Ellis Vinograd  •  Robert L. Thorp HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 440 PAGES A fine introduction to more than 7,000 years of Chinese art, from the Neolithic jade carving and Ming pottery to contemporary installations, video and performance. The handsomely produced book is not as much an overview of well known masterpieces as an investigation of a continuously evolving tradition. (CHN94, $85.00)
The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature  •  Jo Lau  •  Howard Goldblatt ANTHOLOGY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 737 PAGES The first comprehensive anthology of modern Chinese literature, this tome, with many newly commissioned translations, introduces important authors and literary trends of modern China. (CHN524, $35.50)
Dragon Hunter, Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions  •  Charles Gallenkamp  •  Michael Novacek BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES • COMING IN A crowd-pleasing biography of explorer, mammalogist and American Museum of Natural History director Roy Chapman Andrews (1884-1960), a flamboyant character said to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones. Gallenkamp devotes appropriate attention to Chapman Andrews' front-page exploits in Central Asia in the 1920s, particularly his discoveries in the Gobi, where Chapman found the first fossil dinosaur eggs at a locality in Mongolia he christened the Flaming Cliffs. (CAS63, $15.00)
The Dust of Empire, The Race for Mastery in the Asian Heartland  •  Karl Meyer HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Meyer's follow-up to the lively, engaging "Tournament of Shadows," his account of the 19th-century tussle between Great Britain and Russia over control of the region. Here the veteran journalist brings the story of politics and struggle in the Central Asian Republics up to date, covering too the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Russia. Meyer artfully interweaves travels with interviews, history and analysis. (CAS96, $15.00)
Eagle Dreams, Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia  •  Stephen Bodio TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 212 PAGES Tales of travel among the Kazakh nomads of westernmost Mongolia. A falconer himself, Bodio combines his childhood fascination with Central Asia with some rough-and-ready travel and non-nonsense meditation on the people, landscapes and character of one of the least populated places on Earth. His account of living among the nomads and joining them on the hunt with Golden Eagles is marvelous. (MGL52, $22.95)
Eastern Approaches  •  Fitzroy MacLean BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 543 PAGES • COMING IN An action-packed account of Fitzroy MacLeans's adventures undercover in the Central Asian Republics of the USSR during Stalin's reign, as a commando in the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa, and his work with the Partisans in Yugoslavia during World War II. MacLean (often touted as the real-life inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond) is not only a good writer but an eyewitness to historic events. Originally published in 1949. (CAS48, $30.00)
Eastward to Tartary  •  Robert D. Kaplan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 364 PAGES A loosely organized travelogue by the author of the acclaimed "Balkan Ghosts," Kaplan connects his travels and experience in the Balkans, the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucasus to the history and culture of Central Asia. (CAS45, $14.95)
The Empire of the Steppes, A History of Central Asia  •  Rene Grousset HISTORY •  1989 •  PAPER  • 687 PAGES A magisterial survey of the nomadic empires of Central Asia from the Scythians and Huns, to Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and Kublai. It's the classic history of the region, originally published in 1939 and translated from the French. Of great interest to history-minded travelers. (CAS43, $29.95)
Eric Shipton, The Six Mountain Travel Books  •  Eric Shipton EXPLORATION •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 800 PAGES A wide-ranging collection of six great books on mountain exploration by Eric Shipton, featuring his pioneering expeditions in the Himalayas, East Africa, Central Asia and Patagonia. This 800-page book includes Nandi Devi, Blank on the Map, Upon that Mountain, Mt. Everest Reconnaissance Expedition of 1951, Mountains of Tartary, and Land of Tempest. (EXP12, $38.00)
Feathered Dragons  •  Philip J. Currie SCIENCE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 361 PAGES A collection of 15 scholarly articles on the transition from dinosaurs to birds, including a detailed description of Bambiraptor and other recent discoveries in North America and Asia. Editor Philip J. Currie is the curator of dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta. With 134 black-and-white and 16 color photographs. (SCI87, $49.95)
Flashman in the Great Game  •  George MacDonald Fraser LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES 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. He gets the Victorian Cross for this latest folly in the service of Her Majesty. (CAS120, $15.00)
Fodor's Beijing's 25 Best  •  Fodors GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES This slim book includes a separate full-color map of the center of Beijing, along with a handy 96-page shirt-pocket guide with essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing. (CHN48, $11.95)
Fodor's Exploring China  •  Christopher Knowles GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES This excellent series has done it again with a stylish guidebook laced with maps and color photos that brings to life old and contemporary China. With separate sections on suggested places to visit, recommended walks, practical information including travel facts, the basics of communications, climate, money, electricity, photography, and transportation, descriptions of restaurants and hotels, ratings of sights, a language guide with Chinese phrases and numbers, a chronology of dynasties and historic events, even a small section on traditional arts and crafts, and chapters on the Silk Road, Beijing, and Xi'an, this is a complete and handy reference for any trip to China. (CHN25, $22.00)
The Forbidden City, Center of Imperial China  •  Gilles Beguin  •  Dominique Morel HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES This slim volume is packed with maps, archival photographs and illustrations. A surprisingly effective overview of Beijing's Imperial Court, with a useful chronology, and a carefully chosen selection of writings over the ages. Part of the acclaimed "Discoveries" series of references that fit in your pocket, for travelers it's an indispensable and handy guide to the Forbidden City and the history of Imperial China. (CHN32, $12.95)
Forbidden Journey  •  Ella Maillart TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES The classic account of Maillart's journey from Peking across the Taklamaken through Xinjiang to Kashmir in the company of Peter Fleming (who wrote his own account of the journey, News from Tartary). (CAS101, $22.95)
Frontiers of Heaven, A Journey to the End of China  •  Stanley Stewart TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A British journalist with wanderlust and a way with the pen, Stewart recounts his rough journey halfway across Asia from Shanghai to Xinjiang along the Great Wall. He mixes descriptions of his travels and encounters with history, geography and wit. Winner of the 1996 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. (CHN237, $14.95)
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire  •  Jean-Paul Roux CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 143 PAGES A sumptuously illustrated pocket encyclopedia covering the origins, successors, empire and legacy of Genghis Khan, whose empire once extended from Korea, China and Russia across Asia to Eastern Europe. With hundreds of maps, archival photographs and color reproductions. (CAS99, $12.95)
Genghis Khan, His Life and Legacy  •  Paul Ratchnevsky  •  Thomas Nivison Haining HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 313 PAGES A scholarly biography of the 12th-century conqueror, ably translated from the German with the general reader in mind. This landmark book by a leading historian of the Mongol Empire, offers great insight into life on the steppes of Central Asia and expansion of the Mongol empire. With a useful chronology, glossary, Dynastic tables and main personalities. Originally published in Germany in 1983. (MGL24, $31.95)
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)
The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, A Study of T'ang Exotics  •  Edward Schafer ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 399 PAGES A marvelous study of the court of T'ang Dynasty China, and the many splendid works of art that were given in tribute. Not just a catalog, the author draws the reader into the history of China with anecdotes, evocative descriptions and stories of court life. First published in 1963, it's a classic, scholarly overview that suffers only from its lack of color illustrations. (CAS53, $29.95)
Heritage of Central Asia, From Antiquity to the Turkish Expansion  •  Richard N. Frye  •  Bernard Lewis HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 265 PAGES A concise, scholarly history of the region that includes modern Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, and Xinjiang. In presenting the complex and competing ethnic groups in the region, the author draws on sources in local languages, archaeology, art history, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. With chapters on the Zoroasters, Alexander the Great, Nomadic empires, Silk Road, Buddhist East, Sogdians, Caliphs and Kaghans. With excellent maps and illustrations throughout. (CAS91, $22.95)
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)
Hundred Thousand Fools of God  •  Theodore Levin MUSIC •  1999 •  PAPER  • 346 PAGES An engaging account of adventures in ethnomusicology in contemporary Central Asia, Levin is a wonderful guide to musical traditions in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. With an accompanying CD featuring the traditional music of Central Asia. (CAS59, $29.95)
Inside China  •  National Geographic Society CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES The diverse landscapes and peoples of China as seen through the lenses of photographers past (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Li Zhensheng, Marc Riboud) and present (Mark Leong, Edward Burtynsky, Sebastio Salgado). Jonathan Spence, Minxin Pei and other modern experts offer essays on the history and future of the country. (CHN444, $50.00)
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)
Jihad, The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia  •  Ahmed Rashid HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 281 PAGES A history and political analysis of the five Central Asian republics -- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- by the Pakistani journalist and author of the outstanding, best-selling "Taliban." Rashid sees these volatile, resource-rich nations as keys to understanding the future of the region. (CAS84, $15.00)
Kazakhstan Map  •  Gizi Map 2002 •  MAP An excellently detailed map of Kazakhstan and surrounding Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at a scale of 1:3,000,000. (CAS107, $12.95)
The Light Garden of the Angel King, Journeys in Afghanistan  •  Peter Levi TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 231 PAGES An account of travels in Afghanistan in the late 1960s (in the company of a young Bruce Chatwin) by the poet, classicist and Jesuit priest Peter Levi. He and Chatwin search out the heritage of Alexander the Great, Moghul rulers, and Buddhist monks in this elegantly written, learned account of archaeology and adventure in Afghanistan. Levi includes chapters on the now-destroyed monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan in the Hindu Kush, Nuristan, Ay Khanoum and the north. (CAS72, $18.95)
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)
Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook  •  Justin Jon Rudelson GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 239 PAGES A handy pocket phrasebook, which focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler on the Silk Road. It includes sections on the major languages spoken from China's Xinjiang Province to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. (CAS38, $8.99)
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)
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 break-up 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, $15.95)
Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World  •  John Larner EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A scholarly, insightful study of Marco Polo's famous travel account -- and its impact on European ideas and politics, particularly its influence on cartographers and explorers. The author looks too at the circumstances of Marco Polo's life and travels, arguing that Marco Polo really did visit China -- and that he must have had a highly talented co-author in Rustichello da Pisa. (EXP22, $19.00)
The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy  •  David Morgan  •  Reuven Amitai-Preiss HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 361 PAGES This useful collection of review articles by leading scholars, though aimed at specialists in Mongol studies, provides an excellent overview of the impact and extent of the late 13th and 14th century empire, the largest land-based empire in history. The product of a March 1991 conference in London. (CAS94, $66.00)
The Mongols (Peoples of Europe)  •  David Morgan HISTORY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A short, readable treatment of the medieval Mongols, their administration, military, religion and economy. Before the Mongols withdrew from central Europe in 1242, they had reached the Adriatic and become Europe's most formidable -- and dangerous -- neighbor. They once controlled the largest continuous land empire in history. Includes chapters on the predecessors of the Mongols in Central Asia, Chinghiz Khan's rise to power, and the Mongols in China, Russia and Persia. (MGL15, $34.95)
National Geographic Atlas of China  •  National Geographic Society REFERENCE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES A portrait of China as seen in 300 maps, including traditional cartography, ten detailed city plans, sattellite imagery and scores of thematic maps and charts, covering population growth, energy usage, language, religion and other factors shaping the face and future of the nation. (CHN445, $26.00)
The New Great Game, Blood and Oil in Central Asia  •  Lutz Kleveman HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 291 PAGES An eyewitness account of current policies and conflicts in Caucasus and Central Asia, full of interviews, anecdote, history and polemic. With chapters on Georgia, Chechnya, China, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He argues powerfully that oil-interests are driving geopolitics -- and U.S. policy -- in the region. (CAS112, $15.00)
Odyssey Guide Kyrgyz Republic  •  Rowan Stewart  •  Susie Weldon GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 318 PAGES A comprehensive travel guide to the Kyrgyz Republic, the first in English. With a concise cultural, historical and social background, photographs, maps and language guide. Second edition. (CAS47, $24.95)
Odyssey Guide Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva and the Golden Road to Samarkand  •  Calum MacLeod  •  Bradley Mayhew GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 331 PAGES • COMING IN OCTOBER A concise introduction to Uzbekistan, its history, culture and attractions, featuring full-color maps and excellent photography. We agree with the NY Times, which said that this was "one of those rare guides that is a joy to read whether or not you are planning a trip." It covers in detail Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. With 90 color photographs and 22 regional and town maps. Fifth edition. (CAS23, $27.95)
Odyssey Guide Xi'an, Shaanxi & the Terracotta Army  •  Kevin Bishop GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A convenient, illustrated guide to Xi'an, the ancient capital of China. With color photographs, insightful essays on culture and history, and a series of wonderfully chosen literary excerpts. It includes site plans and places of interest, along with practical travel information and maps. (CHN34, $23.95)
A Ride to Khiva, Travels and Adventures in Central Asia  •  Peter Hopkirk  •  Frederick Burnaby TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 390 PAGES The real-life adventure of a Brit snooping in Russian Central Asia in 1875, with an introduction by Peter Hopkirk. A captain in the Royal Horse Guard, the author made a clandestine journal thousands of miles across desert and steppes to the city of Khiva, closed to foreigners and suspected of strategic importance to the Russians. A Great Game classic. (CAS16, $30.00)
Rough Guide Moscow  •  Rough Guide GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES A comprehensive, no-nonsense guide to the culture, history and attractions of Moscow. With fll colcor maps of Central Moscow and the Metro system, dozens of sketch maps and site diagrams, and a chapter on excursions outside of Moscow. (RUS129, $16.99)
Samarkand, A Novel  •  Amin Maalouf  •  Russell Harris LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A fictional history of Persia featuring Omar Khayyam, the 11th-century poet and author of the "Rubaiyat." Written by Lebanese novelist Amin Maalouf. (CAS69, $14.95)
Setting the East Ablaze, Lenin's Dream of an Empire in Asia  •  Peter Hopkirk HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 268 PAGES Another volume in the grand Hopkirk tradition of intrigue, treachery, murder, escape, executions and skullduggery. In this book he portrays Lenin's attempt between the two World Wars to spread Marxism east. A very readable escapade, this is the story of British Indian Intelligence officers against armed Communist revolutionaries, enlivened by a cast of real characters including White Russians versus Bolsheviks, a murderous, mad baron, Chinese warlords, Islamic visionaries, agents provocateurs, and a vanishing lady. (CAS25, $15.95)
The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War & Faith  •  Susan Whitfield CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 400 PAGES The companion book to an exhibition at the British Library drawn from the Aurel Stein collection of manuscripts, paintings and artifacts. With 300 color reproductions and essays by a range of scholars. (CAS108, $85.00)
The Silk Route, From Europe to China  •  Harry Holcroft HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES Inspired by 19th-centurury adventurer, Frederick Burnaby, Holcroft roamed Central Asia, sketch book and paint brush in hand. His lovely watercolor sketches and journal excerpts depict diverse archaeological sites, cities and people along the ancient network of trade routes. With photographs and 100 color illustations. (CAS97, $27.50)
Sons of the Conquerors, The Rise of the Turkic World  •  Hugh Pope HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES Istanbul-based journalist Hugh Pope interweaves travel, history, interview and observation in these essays about Turks and Turkic speaking people across Inner Asia. Pope (Turkey Unveiled) is the Istanbul correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. (TKY104, $19.95)
Spectrum Guide to Pakistan  •  Camerapix GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 358 PAGES Comprehensive, beautifully illustrated and well written, this guide produced in Nairobi is an excellent overview of the history, cultures, nature and attractions of Pakistan. (PKN07, $22.95)
Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia  •  Ahmed Rashid HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES An eye-opening political and social history of Afghanistan and its Islamic fundamentalist movement. A correspondent in the region, Rashid gives an account of the Taliban in the context of the politics and history of Central Asia. He draws on interviews with Taliban leaders and firsthand experience in telling this story of empires, power and politics. Rashid has also written "The Resurgence of Central Asia, Islam or Nationalism?" (CAS49, $14.95)
This is Not Civilization  •  Robert Rosenberg LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Opening in an Apache town in Arizona and closing in the midst of the devestating 1999 earthquake in Istanbul (with a detour to Kyrgyzstan en route), Rosenberg's debut novel follws the fate of an antic, globe-trotting young man trying to make sense out of the world. Rosenberg clearly draws on his own experiences in the Peace Corps. (TKY117, $13.00)
Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600  •  David Roxburgh ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 512 PAGES This sumptuously illustrated book, published in conjunction with an exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts, showcases the art and culture of Turkish speakers, not just in Turkey but from the Bosphorus across Asia to westernmost China. With 500 color photographs of artifacts from the Topkapi Museum and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul. (TKY105, $90.00)
War at the Top of the World, The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Tibet  •  Eric Margolis HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Margolis, a veteran correspondent in the region, presents a detailed overview of the ongoing struggle over the high Himalayas, showing their strategic importance to Pakistan, India and China. Updated throughout for this second edition, including a new chapter on the Taliban. He sorts out confusing religious differences, complex geographies and politics with clarity, explaining -- for example -- the strategic value of the 16,000-foot Siachen Glacier where oxygen-starved Indian and Pakistani soldiers have been fighting for years. (PKN09, $25.95)
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)
Wonderful Xinjiang, A Photographic Journey of China's Largest Province  •  Wang Meng CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Wang Meng showcases the people, cultures, landscapes, monuments and cities of Northwestern China in this photographic overview of the province. With 300 color photographs. The captions are taken from Weng's many novels and books set in the region. (CHN249, $30.00)