The Silk Roads An illustrated new history of the world

This volume provides a conceptual view of world history by way of the silk roads. Equal parts symbolic and literal, the roads trace the flow and exchange of ideas, culture, and commerce. Packer's illustrations include maps as well as mythical and abstract representations of objects, armies, and individuals from antiquity to modern day. Frankopan explores the expansion of religious beliefs in the ancient world and discusses how "the Road to New Worlds" resulted in the spread of European ideals and technology to North America (and in "astonishing cruelty" toward indigenous people). Later chapters focus on the roads to world wars, Middle Eastern conflicts, the civil rights movement, and the fall of apartheid. The past need not be seen as linear or chronological, Frankopan conveys, but rather as an intersection of ever-evolving human experiences. Ages 10-14. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In prose at once conversational and elegant, Frankopan tells the history of humanity through that of the silk roads, focusing on the religious, cultural, intellectual, and confrontational history of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Spanning from ancient times to the present, this ambitious volume (based on Frankopan's adult book) will satisfy history buffs and casual readers alike. Packer's gorgeous art ranges in style from classical to modern as the narrative progresses. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.