Silk Road [Hardcover]

Jonathan Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2003

Celebrating the cultural heritage of the countries along the Silk Route, this text explores the ancient trade route between Europe and the Far East, more specifically between Rome and the old Chinese capital of Xian. It examines the beautiful works of art discovered in each country, and sets them in their historical and geographical context. The author provides a comprehensive history of the Silk Road, drawing freely on anecdotes and literary and historical sources he examines the lives of the merchants and other travellers who used this route. Vignettes and poems from the heydey of the great trading route punctuate a lively and colourful text, which also features Antonia Tozer's evocative photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"large, colourful reference book... worthy of accolades... excellent, and at times breathtaking, photography... This book is a Silk Road 'bible', a well-constructed and beautiful collation of a mass of information and knowledge on a truly fascinating corner of the world...be warned: read the Silk Road and you'll want to experience it for yourself" -Geographical magazine (magazine of the Royal Geographical Society)

About the Author

Jonathan Tucker and Antonia Tozer operate a gallery in St James's, London, and are both former employees of Spink and Son, where Jonathan ran the Indian and Southeast Asian department and Antonia was a specialist in the Chinese department.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Philip Wilson; First edition. edition (March 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856675466
• ISBN-13: 978-0856675461
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 10.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,757,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Merchants as Instruments of Civilization, August 10, 2007

By 

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel "World Music Explorer" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Silk Road (Hardcover)

Jonathan Tucker offers us not only a history and an art and architecture book, he provides us a feeling for the merchants and scholars who traveled east and west across the expanse of Asia for profit, for knowledge, and for adventure. The hundreds of fine colored photographs, the many interspersed maps, and quotations from poetry and contemporary travelers aid our armchair journeys across time and cultures. Arranged much like a guidebook, the author starts in Xian, China, and takes us westward along the various land routes of the Silk Road, with southern spurs to Afghanistan and India as well as northern routes to the Aral and Caspian areas. Although the various wars of empire over the past 2,000 years tend to merge and blur by the time the reader approaches the end, we do manage to appreciate the influences of art, technology, and design of one people upon another. We see how empire-building and its associates bloodshed and city destruction had a strong economic basis, and the encouragement of trade and protection of caravans from brigands were key responsibilities of kings and khans.

The Art Media Resources edition I own has a number of typographical errors, chiefly hard hyphens and spaces that were not removed in digital production. The style is dry and direct but easy to follow.

Readers of all the other historical books on the Silk Road that focus on music, religion, and military matters, as well as modern tourists seeking the unusual, will find this large book a perfectly worthy supplement. And if you have no such interest in Silk Road studies but are curious, then by all means begin here.