The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia - Softcover

"A beautifully rendered tribute to the thousands of years in which these routes served as the center of trade....This is a rich, and richly illustrated, history." - Publishers Weekly; "The Silk Road - copiously illustrated, as befits its Folio Society origins - is a fine introduction to a world about which most Westerners know only the legend." - Times Literary Supplement; "A splendidly illustrated history of the route along which East met West." - San Jose Mercury News"

Along this legendary route silks were sent from China to ancient Rome; princesses were dispatched in marriage alliances; bandits and thieves launched attacks. Covering more than 5,000 years and lavishly illustrated with photographs, manuscripts, and paintings from the collections of the British Library and other museums worldwide, this book presents an overall picture of the history and cultures of the Silk Road. It also contains many previously unpublished photographs by the great explorers Stein, Hedin, and Mannerheim, and brings the Silk Road to life - from its beginnings to the present day, revealing a rich history still in the making.