Reviews
"This brief but tightly packed book is a wonderful counterweight to romanticized notions of the so-called Silk Road . . . Foltz masterfully deals with disparate histories from one point of the compass to its seeming opposite, while weaving a wonderfully lucid story of merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries." -- The Journal of Asian History "Professor Foltz excels at concise explanations of the development of the many religions scattered throughout the central Asian area of the Silk Road . . . Throughout this excellent book Professor Foltz makes clear the importance of trade and cultural exchanges in the unfolding of history." -- Journal of World History "Foltz takes us on an instructive journey through time and space, revealing the fluidity of barriers, geographical and otherwise, on the historical trail and bypaths of the 'Silk Road,' which stretches from China in the East and across Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean in the West." -- History: Reviews of New Books ". . . an absolute gem . . . well researched and well written, it brings together a huge amount of information in an attractive package." --Jerry H. Bentley, Editor, Journal of World History, "An absolute gem...well researched and well-written." - Jerry H. Bentley, Editor, Journal of World History "The first comprehensive description of the presence and interplay of various religions in Central Asia." - Hans. J. Klimkeit, Bonn University, "This brief but tightly packed book is a wonderful counterweight to romanticized notions of the so-called Silk Road . . . Foltz masterfully deals with disparate histories from one point of the compass to its seeming opposite, while weaving a wonderfully lucid story of merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries." -- The Journal of Asian History "Professor Foltz excels at concise explanations of the development of the many religions scattered throughout the central Asian area of the Silk Road . . . Throughout this excellent book Professor Foltz makes clear the importance of trade and cultural exchanges in the unfolding of history." -- Journal of World History "Foltz takes us on an instructive journey through time and space, revealing the fluidity of barriers, geographical and otherwise, on the historical trail and bypaths of the 'Silk Road,' which stretches from China in the East and across Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean in the West." -- History: Reviews of New Books ". . . an absolute gem . . . well researched and well written, it brings together a huge amount of information in an attractive package." --Jerry H. Bentley, Editor, Journal of World History, ". . . an absolute gem . . . well researched and well written, it brings together a huge amount of information in an attractive package." -Jerry H. Bentley, Editor, Journal of World History "Foltz takes us on an instructive journey through time and space, revealing the fluidity of barriers, geographical and otherwise, on the historical trail and bypaths of the 'Silk Road,' which stretches from China in the East and across Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean in the West." -History: Reviews of New Books, "This brief but tightly packed book is a wonderful counterweight to romanticized notions of the so-called Silk Road . . . Foltz masterfully deals with disparate histories from one point of the compass to its seeming opposite, while weaving a wonderfully lucid story of merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries." --The Journal of Asian History "Professor Foltz excels at concise explanations of the development of the many religions scattered throughout the central Asian area of the Silk Road . . . Throughout this excellent book Professor Foltz makes clear the importance of trade and cultural exchanges in the unfolding of history." --Journal of World History "Foltz takes us on an instructive journey through time and space, revealing the fluidity of barriers, geographical and otherwise, on the historical trail and bypaths of the 'Silk Road,' which stretches from China in the East and across Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean in the West." --History: Reviews of New Books ". . . an absolute gem . . . well researched and well written, it brings together a huge amount of information in an attractive package." --Jerry H. Bentley, Editor,Journal of World History "This was an extraordinary book when it first came out a decade ago; it is an even more impressive work in its revised second edition. What makes Richard Foltz'sReligions of the Silk Roadso unusual and valuable is that, despite its concise, compressed form and highly readable style, it is packed with an astonishing wealth of fascinating information based on a judicious combination of primary sources and secondary literature. For someone who wishes to learn about the transmission of religious culture along the Silk Road during the past two millennia -- including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, Judaism, and Islam -- there can be no more convenient and illuminating guide than this extraordinary volume."--Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania
