Journeys on the Silk Road: A Desert Explorer, Buddha's Secret Library, and the Unearthing of the World's Oldest Printed Book
What traveler doesn’t yearn to set the first foot on untraversed territory and to discover the rarest gem of all, that which no human has laid eyes upon for a thousand years? Morgan and Conrad allow the reader to accomplish the next best thing. In this expressive account, they and, by proxy, we follow the footsteps of archeologist Aurel Stein as he explores the remains of cultures along the ancient trade route known as the Silk Road. Traveling this legendary trail in the early years of the twentieth century, the intrepid Stein made discoveries that rival the great tombs of Egypt in sheer beauty and human achievement, to say nothing of in terms of the evidence of remarkable commingling of East and West in commerce, art, and philosophy. The excitement mounts as Stein faces strife and competition to unearth and claim such rare antiquities as the Diamond Sutra, a printed paper book predating the Gutenberg Bible by 600 years. The good if somewhat worrisome news is that these invaluable sites, long reserved for the most elite traveler, have become easily accessible and hugely popular. --Donna Chavez