The heart of my fascination with Central Asia. The remnants of the great cities are still there. Connections still there to be reconnected. I was lucky enough to travel to some of its sites--Merv, Bukhara, Tashkent and other unnamed ruins.
1. The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia, Francis Wood (2002). History and stories of the Silk Road. Exquisite artwork and pictures and images. Bought new.
2. The Golden Road to Samarkand, Wilfrid Blunt (1973). Blunt tells his story of the Silk Road through Alexander the Great, Ghingis Khan, Marco Polo, Tamerlane and the British explorer Ariel Stein. Rich in photographs. Bought used. A stamp from Saviille Books, Washington, DC.
3. Life Along the Silk Road, Susan Whitfield (1999). Whitfield tells the story of the Silk Road through the lives of a Merchant, a Soldier, a horseman, a Monk, an Artist and a Chinese princess. Supported by artwork and photos of artifacts. Bought new.
4. The Long Old Road to China , Langdon Warner (1926). Over two-thousand years ago, a Chinese military force mapped out the eastern end of what became the Silk Road. They traveled as far as the Caspian Sea. Bought used at the State Department book store.
5. Trans-Asia Motoring, Colin McElduff (1976). Written in an age when an intrepid British motorist could drive from Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan the Northwest Frontier, Pakistan and India. Suggested routes, ititineraries and handy references for the Trans-Asian motorist. Instructive black and white photos. Originally sold in the UK but bought in the State Department Bookstore.
