Black Dragon River is a personal journey down one of Asia's great rivers that reveals the region's essential history and culture. The world's ninth largest river, the Amur serves as a large part of the border between Russia and China.
Dominic Ziegler isThe Economist's Asia editor. He was the founding author of "Banyan,"The Economist's weekly column on Asian affairs. He has previously served as the magazine's Tokyo bureau chief and as its Greater China correspondent. In that role, he openedThe Economist's first mainland bureau in Beijing in 1994. He has been with the magazine since 1986.
“In his ambitious Black Dragon River: A Journey Down the Amur River
at the Borderland of Empires, Dominic Ziegler makes the
powerful case that this Asian Russia has been wrongly overshadowed
by the country’s much smaller European component . . . As the
book’s subtitle indicates, Mr. Ziegler uses one of the world’s
great rivers as a vehicle to pursue this story—and what a vehicle
it is. . . . [He] writes beautifully, and with the fervor of a
naturalist.” —The Wall Street Journal
“[Black Dragon River] is almost as sprawling as its title . . .
[It] presents Ziegler as both an amiable traveling companion
and formidably erudite professor, serving up well-spiced
anthropology . . . In this overexamined world, it's nice to know
there are outer reaches that we can discover afresh.” —NPR.org
“Strong in terms of background, authority and seamlessness of
prose.” —The New York Times Book Review
“The writing is superb . . . a true labour of love, Black Dragon
River is a triumph.” —The Spectator
“Highly rewarding for those with a sense of adventure . . .
Ziegler’s writing [leaps] and sparkles in all directions like the
salmon, fireflies and other Siberian fauna he delights in
describing. As he travels, Ziegler stirs up an enthralling mix of .
. . travelogue, history and anthropology.” —The Telegraph
“In this absorbing travelogue and history, Economist editor Ziegler
ranges along the 2,826-mile Amur river from its Mongolian
headwaters to its Pacific mouth on what proves to be a grand
adventure . . . Ziegler happily loses himself in the twisting
tributaries of the river and its lore and weaves in gorgeous
evocations of the landscape and piquant reportage on the odd and
vibrant characters who people it. This is a fascinating portrait of
the Amur and its enduring appeal as a symbol of Russia’s tarnished
present.” —Publishers Weekly
“[Ziegler] weaves the colorful history of the region into his
travel narrative along the Amur . . . an area that is particularly
fascinating because of its location between the empires of Russia
and China and its development and history being shaped by tsars,
Soviets, and the Ming and Qing dynasties, to name but a few.
Readers curious about the history of Sino-Russian relations and
Russia’s Eastward expansion will find this account of particular
interest.” —Library Journal
“[Ziegler’s] journey, which he made by horse, Jeep, and train, took
him through difficult yet unforgettable landscapes and brought him
into contact with a host of intriguing individuals. [He] is
exceptionally knowledgeable about the Amur region and its
relationship to the current tensions that define the China-Russia
relationship . . . Rich in history.” —Kirkus
“A superb book that marvellously melds high-class travel writing on
one of the world’s least known regions with fascinating history of
explorers, emperors, freebooters, revolutionaries and
larger-than-life characters—all in a landscape that begs to be
explored by traveller as intrepid and determined as Ziegler.”
—Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China
“If you think you understand the modern world, think again. Dominic
Ziegler takes us on a magical journey to an extraordinary part of
the globe—a river that snakes through history and possibly all our
futures. It is a story of cruelty, mystery, beauty and wilderness
that leaves you smiling at your previous ignorance.” —John
Micklethwait, co-author of The Fourth Revolution
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
