Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer [Paperback]

Jeannette Mirsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

An extraordinary man, who advanced human knowledge on many fronts, Sir Aurel Stein (1862-1943) pursued dramatic adventure with scientific purpose. Jeannette Mirsky has drawn from Stein's voluminous outpouring of books and articles as well as from his letters and unpublished archival materials to produce a lively and definitive biography of this archaeological explorer, geographer, historical topographer, and linguist.

"[Mirsky] has digested the correspondence, and she quotes so skillfully that her book will save many people the trouble of reading Stein's own exhaustive and exhausting volumes. Definitive."—Larry McMurtry, Washington Post

"A first-rate and unique biography of one of the more significant explorers of Central Asia and the Indo-Iranian borderlands. . . . Mirsky has recreated not only the life of an intrepid explorer but the spirit of the times."—Choice

"Mirsky has performed a signal service in distilling the life, travels, and letters of Aurel Stein into a manageable, graceful, and meaningful synthesis."—Theodore A. Wertime, Technology and Culture

Product Details

• Paperback: 616 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226531775
• ISBN-13: 978-0226531779
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An insightful view of a great explorer, March 27, 2006

By 

Marc E. Nicholson (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer (Paperback)

There have been two biographies written about Sir Aurel Stein: this admirable pioneering effort by Jeanette Mirsky, and Annabel Walker's "Aurel Stein--Pioneer of the Silk Road," which was published about 20 years later. Both are available on Amazon.com. I purchased and read both, and Amazon asked me to review them. I have done so and compared the two in a review under the Amazon.com entry for Walker's book. Please go to it if you would like a lengthy comparison. But the bottom line is: 1) in my view, Stein is an exemplar of the great life productively lived and he thus merits your attention whether you are that interested or not in Central Asian archaeology; and 2) of the two biographies produced on him, Walker's is clearly the one to read first and then, if you are hooked on Sir Aurel Stein (as I was), you will find Mirsky's book of value as a more personal view of the man. Again, more detail is to be found under my review of Walker's book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a scholar's guide to the life of Sir Marc Aurel Stein, September 29, 2006

By 

lector avidus (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer (Paperback)

Jeanette Mirsky, formerly affiliated with the USIS and Princeton University, has written a biography of Sir Aurel Stein that is sure to appeal to scholars interested by the life of this most fascinating explorer.

In order to write her book, Mirsky went to significant lengths to find and read Stein's correspondence with his relatives and friends, and then, in then when she wrote the book, chose to quote very liberally from his letters, to such an extent that this book is not as much a biography as snippets of his letters interspersed with a running commentary that is a biography. Stein was an extremely fascinating explorer: as a philologist and explorer he had few peers. Unfortunately men of his caliber are no longer made nowadays in our age of MTV and plane trips to China; for scholars who want to read the primary sources, or rather abridged parts of his translated letters, this book will truly be invaluable. But the very complexity and sophistication of Ms. Mirsky's book mean that it is not the sort of book you would want to give to your teen to get him or her interested in Central Asian history.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Rate But, May 7, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer (Paperback)

As the editorial reviewer stated, this is indeed a first rate biography. It only lacks good map which is something hard to understand considering the subject. However, don't let this put you off; find an atlas with a map of central Asia and enjoy.