The Silk Roads

'Spellbinding ... a pitch-perfect treasure' LoveReading4Kids

Set your sails east with this stunningly original new history of the world.

Peter Frankopan, number one bestselling author and historian, explores the connections made by people, trade, disease, war, religion, adventure, science and technology in this extraordinary book about how the east married the west with a remarkable voyage at its heart – the journey along the Silk Roads.

From ancient world laws laid down by King Hammurabi and the mighty Persian empire, to terrifying huns, the rise of Europe, two world wars and politics today, The Silk Roads illustrated edition moves through time and history sewing together the threads from different peoples, empires and continents into a phenomenal history of the globe.

With stories from each and every corner of society, Frankopan's magnificent brand new text based on his literary triumph The Silk Roads, sumptuously illustrated by Neil Packer, is a must-have world history.

'An extraordinarily vivid book on an often-neglected corner of history'
Inis Reading Guide

'Not just children, but people of any age will find this book an absorbing read'
New York Journal of Books

'Peter Frankopan's text is pitched at exactly the right level for children to read and for adults to share with them. The illustrations of Neil Packer are completely captivating … this is a perfect marriage and a book to treasure'
Armadillo magazine

'Studded with stylish, evocative illustrations from Neil Packer … this is an ambitious account that nevertheless tackles big themes in a friendly, accessible way'
History Revealed magazine

About the Author

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University where he is also Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College and Director at the Centre for Byzantine Research. He was Schiff Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge, and Senior Scholar at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He has been Stanley J. Seeger Fellow at Princeton, Scaliger Visiting Professor at Leiden and Presidential Scholar at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. His revised translation of The Alexiad by Anna Komnene was published by Penguin Classics in 2009. He is the author of The First Crusade: The Call from the East (2012) and The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (2015).