Compulsively Aimless

In a moment that out did Yogi Berra, General De Gaul is quoted as saying, "China is a big country inhabited by many Chinese."   I'll say the same with books-China is a big country with many books written about it.  I've mentioned books on China from my other lists (Paul Theroux, Colin Thubron, Ella Maillart and others) but this is a short list of  western writers and travelers who shared their insight and passion about the country.   1.  River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, Peter Hessler (2001).  Hessler is a gifted writer and patient observer--two qualities that were well suited to his two years in the Peace Corps in a backwater of China.  His travels and experiences teaching English literature in China are wonderful and rewarding.  Hessler has since gone onto write other books on China and pieces for The New Yorker.  Bought new.   2.  Frontier of Heaven, Stanley Stewart: A Journey to the End of China, Stanley...

The original network for globalization.  Not one road but a network of roads running east to west that brought merchants, mercenaries, monks , missionaries connecting Europe, India, and Asia.  The Silk Road brought together different cultures. 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 ...