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)