Peter Frankopan: Silk Roads; A New History of the World
My new read. Superb start. A poignant picture though of the Buddhas of Bamiyan as a symbol of the spread of Buddhism...now no more thanks to religious rigidity and dogma.
Suspect this book, again, will show importance of knowing and understanding history as well as a means of making sense of the world... yes Will Gibson and Ashley Phillipson?...
Very well produced book; all illustrations in colour.
May 27th
Halfway through and focus now on rise of Northern Europe/Dutch mercantilism and imminent loss of the Americas.
June 3rd.
Start of Second World War. Like the way he uses the 'silk road' as a concept/metaphor for different routes of crucial goods and services at different times in different places e.g. the 'oil road' centering around Persia in the pre-war years.
June 6th.
Finished. Considered comments later.
June 10th
Well, as I thought, riveting. Gave wonderfully comprehensive overview of world history and its interconnectedness...although in the latter part where dealing with the 20th century did begin to feel that the 'roads' concept was getting a little forced...although I could understand the logic and connections.
