Synopses & Reviews
When a Chinese monk broke into a hidden cave in 1900, he uncovered one of the world’s great literary secrets: a time capsule from the ancient Silk Road. Inside, scrolls were piled from floor to ceiling, undisturbed for a thousand years. The gem within was the Diamond Sutra of AD 868. This key Buddhist teaching, made 500 years before Gutenberg inked his press, is the world’s oldest printed book.
The Silk Road once linked China with the Mediterranean. It conveyed merchants, pilgrims and ideas. But its cultures and oases were swallowed by shifting sands. Central to the Silk Road’s rediscovery was a man named Aurel Stein, a Hungarian-born scholar and archaeologist employed by the British service.
Undaunted by the vast Gobi Desert, Stein crossed thousands of desolate miles with his fox terrier Dash. Stein met the Chinese monk and secured the Diamond Sutra and much more. The scroll’s journey—by camel through arid desert, by boat to London’s curious scholars, by train to evade the bombs of World War II—merges an explorer’s adventures, political intrigue, and continued controversy.
The Diamond Sutra has inspired Jack Kerouac and the Dalai Lama. Its journey has coincided with the growing appeal of Buddhism in the West. As the Gutenberg Age cedes to the Google Age, the survival of the Silk Road’s greatest treasure is testament to the endurance of the written word.
Review
"A high-velocity tale of epic adventure." --Sydney Morning Herald
Synopsis
A literary thriller-meets-travel adventure-meets-popular history rife with a fascinating cast of characters that includes a misfit explorer named Aurel Stein, a cunning abbot, and a fox terrier named Dash the Great, all set against the land of dunes, sandstorms, and the mysteries of the East.
Synopsis
When a Chinese monk broke through a hidden door in 1900, he uncovered one of historys greatest literary secrets: a 1,000-year-old time capsule of life along the ancient Silk Road. Inside the chamber on the edge of the Gobi Desert, documents were piled from floor to ceiling. The gem among them was the Diamond Sutra of 868 A.D., now recognized as the worlds oldest printed book. The books journey—by camel through treacherous deserts, by boat to London scholars, by train to evade the bombs of World War II—merges an explorers adventures, and political intrigue. Its path from East to West has coincided with the growing appeal of Buddhism in the contemporary world. As the Gutenberg Age cedes to the Google Age, the discovery of the Silk Roads greatest treasure is an epic tale of survival, a literary detective story, and an evocation of the travelling power of the book.
About the Author
Joyce Morgan's work has appeared in The Australian, The Guardian, The Bangkok Post, and The Sydney Morning Herald. She has also worked as a producer with ABC Radio. Conrad Walters is a feature writer and book reviewer at The Sydney Morning Herald. They live in Sydney, Australia. Visit their website at http://journeysonthesilkroad.com/content/media.html.