The Silk Roads, Peter Frankopan

 

The Silk Roads:  A new history of the world by Peter Frankopan

Started:  August 11, 2025
Completed: October 9, 2025
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody in particular, but I think that this caught my eye because of my niece's recent visit to Morocco where she sent me pictures of ruins that once were part of the silk road.

Review:

This look at the history of the world focuses on what we would call the East (here in the West) and identifies how the countries of the East have been the focus of modern history with the start of everything in the general area (think Babylon or Ur if you know that).  The perspective is refreshing and offers new insights if you are even only thinking about trade (which is how this book looks at it).  Surely there are other ways to view the world, but from the perspective of trade Frankopan makes a good argument that what we think of as the Silk Roads were the entry point of West into the lucrative markets, resources, skills, and culture of the East.  Ridiculously long book with an incredible amount of detail.