Book
The Silk Roads : a new history of the world / Peter Frankopan.
"Our world was made on and by the Silk Roads. For millennia it was here that East and West encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas and cultures, the birth of the world's great religions, the appetites for foreign goods that drove economies and the growth of nations. From the first cities in Mesopotamia to the growth of Greece and Rome to the depredations by the Mongols and the Black Death to the Great Game and the fall of Communism, the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East. The Silk Roads vividly captures the importance of the networks that crisscrossed the spine of Asia and linked the Atlantic with the Pacific, the Mediterranean with India, America with the Persian Gulf. By way of events as disparate as the American Revolution and the horrific world wars of the twentieth century, Peter Frankopan realigns the world, orientating us eastwards, and illuminating how even the rise of the West 500 years ago resulted from its efforts to gain access to and control these Eurasian trading networks. In an increasingly globalized planet, where current events in Asia and the Middle East dominate the world's attention, this magnificent work of history is very much a work of our times"--Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 1101946326
- ISBN: 9781101946329
- Physical Description: xix, 645 pages : colour illustrations
- Edition: First American edition.
- Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.
- Copyright: ©2015
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "This is a Borzoi book"--Title page verso. |
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Immediate Source of Acquisition Note: | LSC 39.00 |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | World history. Trade routes > History. East and West > History. Imperialism > History. Culture conflict > History. Acculturation > History. Silk Road > History. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 909 Fra | 31681020032363 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
From the rise and fall of empires in China, Persia and Rome itself to the great wars of the twentieth century, this epic, magisterial work illuminates how the Silk Roadsâthe crossroads of the world, the meeting place of East and Westâperhaps more than anything else, shaped global history over the past two millennia. - Baker & Taylor
Looks at how the Asian Silk Roads have acted as a crucible of culture throughout history, capturing the importance of these networks that linked the Atlantic with the Pacific, the Mediterranean with India, and America with the Persian Gulf. - Baker & Taylor
"Our world was made on and by the Silk Roads. For millennia it was here that East and West encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas and cultures, the birth of the world's great religions, the appetites for foreigngoods that drove economies and the growth of nations. From the first cities in Mesopotamia to the growth of Greece and Rome to the depredations by the Mongols and the Black Death to the Great Game and the fall of Communism, the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East. The Silk Roads vividly captures the importance of the networks that crisscrossed the spine of Asia and linked the Atlantic with the Pacific, the Mediterranean with India, America with the Persian Gulf. By way of events as disparate as the American Revolution and the horrific world wars of the twentieth century, Peter Frankopan realigns the world, orientating us eastwards, and illuminating how even the rise of the West 500 years ago resulted from its efforts to gain access to and control these Eurasian trading networks. In an increasingly globalized planet, where current events in Asia and the Middle East dominate the world's attention, this magnificent work of history is very much a work of our times"-- - Random House, Inc.
âThis is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare… A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement.â âWilliam Dalrymple, The GuardianÂ
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The epic history of the crossroads of the worldâthe meeting place of East and West and the birthplace of civilization
It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the twentieth centuryâthis book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.
Peter Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. He vividly re-creates the emergence of the first cities in Mesopotamia and the birth of empires in Persia, Rome and Constantinople, as well as the depredations by the Mongols, the transmission of the Black Death and the violent struggles over Western imperialism. Throughout the millennia, it was the appetite for foreign goods that brought East and West together, driving economies and the growth of nations.
From the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast region stretching eastward from the Balkans across the steppe and South Asia has been thrust into the global spotlight in recent years. Frankopan teaches us that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these intricate trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next.
