An overview of the culture of ancient people of the Silk Road based on the extraordinarily well preserved Caucasoid mummies unearthed in Urumchi in the Tarim Basin of Central Asia (administered by China, north of Tibet and southwest of Mongolia). The oldest of the mummies date from 2,000 bc. It's lucid, illustrated overview of the prehistory of the region, written as detective story. With maps and illustrations.  (CAS34, $18.95)