Asia Overland

Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian & Silk Road

What was it really like to travel the iron rails of the Trans-Siberian Railway in its early years, the dusty, parched tracks of the Silk Road in its heyday, or the rugged, dangerous mountain passes into and out of the Indian subcontinent? Eurasia's great land routes, offspring of the ambition of Russian tsars, Chinese emperors and Mughal khans, have served human history well, acting as conduits for trade, religion and cultural conventions, and as avenues down which conquering armies and commercial pioneers swarmed in the forging of empires. With wit and humor, Omrani weaves a tapestry of tales and reports by a panoply of travelers down the centuries, taking the reader on an exciting journey that crosses continents and spans epochs. Richly embellished with stunning photography, detailed maps and fascinating archival illustrations, Asia Overland is a compelling piece of travel literature that will appeal to both modern-day explorers and armchair travelers alike.

Reviews

“...Beautifully illustrated...well-written and drawing upon numerous resources, Asia Overland should appeal to readers fascinated by the region's history just as much as it would to travellers planning to set out along either of these great routes. Omrani succeeds in painting a vivid picture of the peoples seen along the way...A very engaging read from start to finish. ...” - Real Travel (Book of the Month, August 2010)

“...First-class storytelling... will take you through the ups and downs, and leave you aching to take off....” - Time Out

“...From recollections of the drunks who stumbled out of Moscow and St Petersburg's bars to the traditional nomad tribes of Mongolia, this engaging book reveals in candid detail what people thought of the rough - and often savage - landscapes they encountered...” - Wanderlust

Remarks

+ Works both as a travel companion and historical travelogue

+ Source material from a diverse range of travel luminaries, from George Kennan to Anton Chekhov, Fa Xian and Xuanzang to Marco Polo and Matteo Ricci, Sir Clarmont Skrine and Francis Younghusband to Peter Fleming and Mildred Cable, Lord Curzon and Sir Alexander Burnes to Yakut al-Hamawi and Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo

+ Fascinating archival images rarely seen outside their home countries

+ Lavish, broad-ranging photography

+ Succinct travel information section for the modern traveler

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Biographies

Bijan Omrani - Author

Specifications

Links

Book Preview
Travel Bookseller review of Asia Overland
Time Out Review