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Title: The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia
ISBN: 0520243404
Author:
Frances Wood
Publicate Date: 2004-09-20
Publish: 2004-09-20
List Price: $21.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $13.20
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $9.94
Amazon Merchant Price: $14.93
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A Silky Production
First, the edition I have to hand is from the Folio Society; a handsome presentation which predates the copy under review. Photos abound and archival 'snaps',if glass plates could be considered such from photography in its infancy, by both travellers and collectors, are juxtaposed with superb images of items secured for their benefactors. Frances Wood's research is extensive and first hand, strengthening the wisdom in the book. I liked the revisioning of the much cited Polo and family and the accounts of latterday travellers, Aurel Stein, the redoubtable Sven Hedin, Younghusband and missionary, Mildren Cable animate the text. The data of those who plundered the riches, the various cultural traffic and religious movements make this book an important reference for impending tourists to the Silk routes.
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2: Not Necessarily the Best First Book on the Topic
I recently became interested in this topic and based on the reviews here ordered this book as a first step. I do not know the literature well but I would hope that there exists a better introduction for the novice.
To be sure, this is a fine book in many ways. It is a beautiful package and it showcases the author's scholarship with intensive use of primary sources. And I did learn a lot. I was especially intrigued by the "east-looking-west" world view, resulting no doubt from the author's Sinophilia.
To my mind, there are two big gaps. The first is the absence of the historian's "big picture." There is much detail but not much discussion to tie it all together.
The second - and the more important - is that among all of the illustrations there are very few maps. In fact there are only two, at the very front and the very back, and they don't do much to relate the historical Silk Road to modern political boundaries and ethnic distributions. Time and again I wished there were maps to show the travels and conquests of various groups and individuals. For a history with a strong geographical component, this is a fatal flaw.
Don't get me wrong. I am happy that I read the book. But I do wish I had started elsewhere, though I'm not sure where that would be.
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3: VERY INFORMATIVE, BEAUTIFUL READ. I LEARNED MUCH FROM THIS ONE!
The Silk Road, by Frances Wood is a wonderfully detailed account of the history of what is probably the most famous "road" in history. Of course we soon learn that this "road" is actually a series of roads running here and there through many countries and many cultures. I must admit that when I first received this book, I had a sinking feeling. It appeared to be just another coffee table book. It certainly looked and felt like one. How wrong I was. Just goes to show you indeed cannot judge a book by its cover nor by its shape. I cannot remember reading a book, in particular on this subject, which was so filled with wonderful facts and obscure bits of knowledge. What was even nicer was the fact that it is so well written and so well researched. Also, unlike many of the books on this subject, it is not Eurocentric by any means. Most of the story of this famous trade route took place in the far and Middle East and this is where the author places the majority of emphasis.
While the author certainly touches on the types of goods which were carried along this route, and does address the economic aspect of trade in this part of the world over the past several thousand years, the majority of this work focuses on the various civilization, many of them completely lost, and on the travels of quite a number of important, but seldom heard of travelers and traders. This is NOT a rehash of all the old tales of Marco Polo, who, thank goodness, was not mentioned all that much. The study of Marco is interesting and enjoyable, but to learn the truth of these days and times, his writings are probably not the most accurate. Besides, if you want to learn of Marco and his family, there are certainly enough other books out there that more than cover the subject.
Now before I continue, the reader should take note. As the author fully admits, this is a very complicated work, made even more so by the spelling of place names and the various rise and fall of numerous civilizations. I must admit that at many times I was completely clueless as to where, who and when the author was referring to. This is not the author's fault, it is mine. I had no idea just how ignorant I was of the geography of the area concerned, and how ignorant of the history of that area. If you do not know what and where Zhou, Xiongnu, Yarkland, Loulan, Zhibin, Parthis, Chang'an, Qin, Gaozong, Dunhuang, Xuanzang, and several hundred other locations are, then you will be in big trouble like I was. Many of these place names are further complicated because of name changes over hundreds of years and by numerous different spellings of the same place. There is obviously a large gap in my education. I had the same problem with names of various tribes and the names of people. Even maps are not that much help, as many of the places mentioned in the author's narrative simply no longer exist. Actually and surprisingly, this did not distract from the overall work all that much. And, when you think about it, what better way of learning these previously unknown facts, than the study of a work such as this? The reader should not be put off by this...consider it a learning challenge and experience!
The author is quite outspoken and quite critical during the last part of the book when addressing "The Great Game" and the role the major European powers had in raping, exploiting and destroying traces of these wonderful and lost civilizations. She is also quite harsh in her assessment as to the role of religion is destroying irreplaceable artifacts in the name of one God or another, even addressing the recent atrocities carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan against religions shrines and the almost complete destruction of museums, all in the name of religion. While I dearly love having access to some of these pieces of history in our own museums, I must admit that we were as guilty as the next is literally stealing from these countries. On the other hand, one wonders if some of these priceless artifacts would still exist in this world had they not been removed from their original source. Food for thought here!
This is a very readable, scholarly work and the many, many pictures, photographs and reproductions make it an absolute pleasure to the eye. This is one of those books that if you read it for the art work alone, you will enjoy and will learn. If you choose to read only one book covering this fascinating subject, then this is the one you should probably choose.
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4: the best book about "the" silk road
This is the best of all the many books I've read about "the" silk road, since I have been visiting Gansu province, China, for the past ten years. It is very informative, as well as beautifully illustrated and engagingly written. Wood adeptly covers the subject from varied perspectives: historical, geographical, cultural, artistic, political,etc. Superb!
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5: A great history of the Silk Road!
A wonderful read of Asian history along the famous trade route. The art and photographs are beautiful and the author's style is easy to read. Not your typical, dry history read.
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