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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXCAS72. Buy these 5 items as a set for $82 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Insight Guide Silk Road

Insight Guide Silk Road

by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 421 PAGES

From Xi'an across Central Asia to Turkey, Chris Bradley covers the sweep of the Silk Road in this gorgeously illustrated guide in the revitalized Insight series. (CAS200, $23.99)

The Great Game

The Great Game

by Peter Hopkirk

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 565 PAGES
  • FAVORITE
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

Hopkirk's spellbinding account of the great struggle for European supremacy in Central Asia takes us over the high mountain passes and through the scorching deserts and caravan towns of the Silk Road, capturing the glamour, intrigue, treachery and adventure of the time. (CAS09, $18.00)

The Lost Heart of Asia

The Lost Heart of Asia

by Colin Thubron

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 374 PAGES

In this classic account, Thubron recounts his travels to Samarkand, Bukhara and throughout Central Asia in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union. A fine writer, intrepid traveler and insightful observer, he's an outstanding guide to the history, people and culture of the region. (CAS07, $15.99)

Kazakhstan Map

Kazakhstan Map

by Gizi Map

  • 2002
  • MAP

This excellently detailed map of Kazakhstan extends well beyond the borders to include Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as part of western China. (CAS107, $15.95)

Central Asia Map

Central Asia Map

by Nelles

  • 2011
  • MAP

An up-to-date, double-sided shaded relief map at a scale of 1:1,750,000. (CAS37, $13.95)

 
Silk Road Countries Map, Central Asia

Silk Road Countries Map, Central Asia


by Gizi Map

  • 2003
  • 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, $15.95)

The Ancient Silk Road, An Illustrated Map

The Ancient Silk Road, An Illustrated Map


by Odyssey Maps

  • 2011
  • MAP

Three large annotated color maps, dozens of photographs and expert commentary illustrate sites across the Silk Road from China across Central Asia, the Middle East and Asia Minor. (ASA58, $14.95)

Lonely Planet Central Asia

Lonely Planet Central Asia


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 528 PAGES

A comprehensive, detailed guide to travel in the region, including Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. (CAS42, $32.99)

Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook

Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook


by 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. (CAS38, $8.99)

Odyssey Guide Uzbekistan

Odyssey Guide Uzbekistan


by Calum MacLeod | Bradley Mayhew

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 331 PAGES

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)

Empires of the Silk Road

Empires of the Silk Road


by Christopher I. Beckwith

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 504 PAGES
  • NEW

Beckwith rescues Central Asia from the periphery of world affairs with flair and scholarship, showing the sweep of empire, trade and cultural life over the millennia. (CAS171, $16.95)

Everyday Life in Central Asia, Past and Present

Everyday Life in Central Asia, Past and Present


by Jeff Sahadeo

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 401 PAGES

Dozens of scholars and ethnographers contributed to this lively reader on the peoples, cultures and customs across Central Asia. (CAS148, $24.95)

Heritage of Central Asia, From Antiquity to the Turkish Expansion

Heritage of Central Asia, From Antiquity to the Turkish Expansion


by Richard N. Frye | Bernard Lewis

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 265 PAGES

Frye writes with authority and style in this clear, well-written survey of the people, history and culture of the region. (CAS91, $22.95)

Murderers in Mausoleums

Murderers in Mausoleums


by Jeffrey Tayler

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 306 PAGES
  • NEW

Tayler's riveting account of a three-month, 7,000-mile odyssey from Moscow to Beijing, through 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

Religions of the Silk Road


by Richard C. Foltz

  • RELIGION
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 186 PAGES

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, $26.00)

Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants on the Silk Road

Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants on the Silk Road


by Luce Boulnois | Helen Loveday

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 575 PAGES
  • COMING IN FEBRUARY

A history and guide to the Silk Road, organized chronologically and featuring a nice selection of contemporary photographs. (CAS111, $27.95)

Sons of the Conquerors, The Rise of the Turkic World

Sons of the Conquerors, The Rise of the Turkic World


by Hugh Pope

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

A lively, illuminating report on the Turkic speaking lands across Inner Asia from westernmost China to the Black Sea. (TKY104, $19.95)

Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World

Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World


by Justin Marozzi

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

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 Great Cities in History

The Great Cities in History


by John Julius Norwich

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 304 PAGES

Each city magnificently illustrated in color and with an essay by diverse dignitaries, including Jan Morris (New York), Colin Thubron (Samarkand), Simon Schama (Amsterdam) and Michael Coe (Angkor). this inspired book depicts the rise and fall of cities from Mesopotamia through ancient trading centers to Medieval Europe and today. (WLD171, $45.00)

The Silk Road, Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia

The Silk Road, Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia


by Frances Wood

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

Wood draws on hundreds of archival photographs, manuscripts and paintings from the British Library in telling this lively story of the art, culture and history of diverse trade routes. With chapters on jade and silk, trade during the Han Dynasty, Dunhuang, the Great Game, explorers and the Silk Road today. (ASA36, $28.95)

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond


by Kenneth Nebenzahl

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

This visually stunning collection of 80 rare illuminated manuscripts, early modern masterpieces and archival maps traces two millennia of exploration across Asia. (CAS113, $29.95)

Apples are from Kazakhstan

Apples are from Kazakhstan


by Christopher Robbins

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Yes, apples do come from Kazakhstan. Tulips too. Robbins offers a rich cultural portrait of a remarkable country the size of Western Europe, sealed off from the world by the Tsars and Soviet Russia. (CAS160, $15.00)

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World


by Jack Weatherford

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

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, $15.00)

Shadow of the Silk Road

Shadow of the Silk Road


by Colin Thubron

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 363 PAGES

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 Silk Road, Ten Thousand Miles Through Central Asia

The Silk Road, Ten Thousand Miles Through Central Asia


by Sven Hedin

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 344 PAGES

Hedin's enthralling account of adventure and derring-do -- and a telling portrait of Central Asia and its people in the 1930s, first in a trilogy that includes The Trail of War (CAS169, $16.95) and The Wandering Lake (CHN596, $19.00). (CAS170, $18.95)

Flashman in the Great Game

Flashman in the Great Game


by 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. (CAS120, $15.00)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.