History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set

Christoph Baumer – a leading explorer and historian of Central Asia, Tibet and China – has written several well-received books in the fields of history, religion, archaeology and travel. These include The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity (2006, 2016), Traces in the Desert: Journeys of Discovery across Central Asia (2008) and China's Holy Mountain: An Illustrated Journey into the Heart of Buddhism (2011), all published by I.B.Tauris. He is President of the Society for the Exploration of EurAsia and is a member of the Explorers' Club, New York, and of the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, London. Dr Baumer was the recipient in 2015 of the prestigious Sir Percy Sykes Medal, awarded to him by the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. The four volumes of his magisterial four-volume history of Central Asia were released by I.B.Tauris, to much acclaim, in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

For any author, regardless of their field of expertise, writing a history of Central Asia from the first traces of Homo sapiens to the 21st century is an incredibly ambitious undertaking. Christoph Baumer dared to do it, and he succeeded-brilliantly … Baumer presents the areas of politics, society, and culture, with all their developments, in a focused but comprehensive, sometimes surprising, always scientifically profound, and always exciting way to the reader.