1 The Creation of the Silk Road
2 The Road of Faiths
3 The Road to a Christian East
4 The Road to Revolution
5 The Road to Concord
6 The Road of Furs
7 The Slave Road
8 The Road to Heaven
9 The Road to Hell
10 The Road of Death and Destruction
11 The Road of Gold
12 The Road of Silver
13 The Road to Northern Europe
14 The Road to Empire
15 The Road to Crisis
16 The Road to War
17 The Road of Black Gold
18 The Road to Compromise
19 The Wheat Road
20 The Road to Genocide
21 The Road of Cold Warfare
22 The American Silk Road
23 The Road of Superpower Rivalry
24 The Road to Catastrophe
25 The Road to Tragedy
Conclusion: The New Silk Road
Index

For centuries, fame and fortune were to be found in the west – in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of riches and adventure. Sweeping right across Central Asia and deep into China and India, a region that once took centre stage is again rising to dominate global politics, commerce and culture.
The Silk Roads is a dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires, determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs.