Tales of the Silk Road describes one of the author's several journeys between Europe and the Orient. The trip sought routes taken by Marco Polo, Alexander the Great, and Papal emissaries. Beginning in Venice, as did Polo, the path led mostly overland through Anatolia and Central Asia and China before proceeding to Islamabad via the Karakoram Highway and the Khunjerab Pass. Tales of the Silk Road mixes travel descriptions of exotic lands with careful social assessments and intense personal experiences. Historical context supports the tales.