"David Abulafia's new book guides readers along the world's greatest bodies of water to reveal their primary role in human history. The main protagonists are the three major oceans-the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian-which together comprise the majority of the earth's water and cover over half of its surface. Over time, as passage through them gradually extended and expanded, linking first islands and then continents, maritime networks developed,...

A panoramic tour examining the world's most historic and inaccessible locations, Silk Road escorts the viewer on the ancient path travelled by Marco Polo, linking the riches of China with the European markets of the Middle Ages.

A relay of courageous adventure-seekers forms caravans to transport precious items including a special blue silk along the Silk Road in the year 100 A.D.