'A wonderful find ! this book is a treasure' -- South China Morning Post 'The cast reads like something out of The Canterbury Tales ! brings to life the history and also the great variety of people, languages, religions, interests and behaviour along this most remarkable of migratory routes' -- Sunday Times 'Examines the famous central Asian trade route through the life of ten separate individuals' -- Contemporary Review 20040801 'A trail-blazer, vividly recreating the life and times of this great cultural highway' -- Scotsman 20040801

Susan Whitfield runs the International Dunhuang Project at the British Library, providing Internet access to over 50,000 pre-eleventh century Silk Road manuscripts now in collections worldwide. She has written several books and articles on the Silk Road and China, including China: A Literary Companion, and travels there regularly.

The merchant's tale; the soldier's tale; the horsemen's tale; the monk's tale; the courtesan's tale; the nun's tale; the widow's tale; the official's tale; the artist's tale.