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| Shadow of the Silk Road (P.S.) | 
 enlarge | Author: Colin Thubron
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: £8.91
Buy Used: £5.44
You Save: £3.47 (39%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 788685
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0061231770
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9780061231773
ASIN: 0061231770
Publication Date: July 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Picture of the former Silk Road Route September 27, 2008
The London based author, Colin Thubron, travelled through China, Central Asia, northern Afghanistan, Western Asia, and reached the capital of Silk Road, Antakya (Anoioch) in 8 months. He travelled with donkey, camels, third-class trains, buses, and jeep.
He describes an abundance of fascinating accounts in relation to those countries' history, politics, commerce, industry, and the history of the Silk Road. Having visited many relatively unknown parts of these countries and discovered a series of the factual events, he conveys a number of untold stories of kings, aristocrats, and landowners. The descriptions include the dramatic change of Xian between the beginning of the 1980s and 2000, a number of half-constructed or largely decayed villages, displaced communities following the pollution and disasters throughout China.
Colin Thubron clearly gives the local people's feelings, emotions, and struggles, that have been caused by the corrupt governments and totally disorganised bureaucracies. It is wonderfully written description of the Silk Road route in modern time.
wonderful hypnotic book February 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Colin Thubron is such an evocative writer. This is a fascinating read about a fascinating journey.
 Travels in an unknown region January 31, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I enjoyed Mr Thubron's latest addition to his collection of travel books. The region visits in this book is relatively unknown in the West, even the bigger countries such as Kazakhstan do not feature regularly in the media. The author certainly gives those of us who know little of the region a very interesting taste of what life is like for the people's of central Asia and western China.
I enjoyed most the history of the places the author visited and equally enjoyable were the author's stories of discussions he had with people he met along the way as this gave an insight into their daily lives. Towards the end of the book her travel across Iran and this is arguably the best part of the book. Iran was never somewhere I'd have considered visiting before reading this book but having read it, Iran sounds like a fascinating place with friendly people. I found some of the descriptive passages (especially of places/locations) a bit long-winded but that aside, the book is well worth reading.
 An experience by proxi December 2, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
At the time of this review, I am about 70% through the book, which may mean that my views are unimportant compared with the three people reporting before me. However, I think that anyone who reads this book is likely to experience the feelings that I express here. Firstly an immense admiration for the stamina and bravery of Colin Thubron for undertaking such a demanding journey, at a time of life when most people are taking care to not over-extend themselves. Secondly, a feeling of inadequacy, faced with Thubron's immense command of the history of the regions he visits; the upside of this, on the other hand, is my own vastly increased knowledge by following up the information in the book - for example the life and times of Tamerlane. Finally, and slightly critically, I feel that Thubron's much admired writing does suffer from "simile overload" when describing the environment. Overall though it is a pleasure to read a travel book which concentrates on revealing the peoples and countries through which the author passes rather than revealing himself.
Serious travel, by a real grown up June 13, 2007
97 out of 99 found this review helpful
If your experience of travel writing is mainly the likes of Bill Bryson, Tony Hawks and Michael Palin, this is something totally different. Colin Thubron is almost intimidatingly intelligent and perceptive. He does not patronise the reader but assumes you are as intelligent as he is, and he wants to share what he is seeing and hearing. As he speaks many languages and seems to have the gift of picking up a little of each new language as he hears it, he has a lot to report, and he does so clearly and accurately (so far as I can tell). There are few, if any, of the "humourously colourful locals" found in other travel books, partly because I think Thubron respects people's dignity too much to laugh at them in this way. He is, perhaps, part of a previous generation of travel writers, which I do not consider a bad thing.
Like the best travel books you will learn about the geography and topography of the areas Thubron travels through, you will learn something about the locals he meets on his travels, and about the history of each place he visits as he passes through. One revelation for me (perhaps others were already aware) was that the silk route was seldom travelled from end to end; most merchants traded with the next towns in each direction. It was through a relay that goods passed from merchant to merchant, from Antioch to Beijing, and beyond in each case. Thus the Romans in the West had no idea of China, while the Chinese had no idea of the Roman empire. By the end of the book the reader will have some idea of both cultures, and those between. You will also have some idea of the people on the silk road today; they may not be what you expect from those countries.
A journey with Thubron through the medium of this book is a delight, but you will need to think at times. A journey at his side in reality might be stressfull because I would worry about falling short of his expectations of me. I would still sign up tomorrow.
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