Book excerpt: Written over a century ago by British tea planter and pioneer explorer Robert Shaw, this volume recounts Shaw's now celebrated journey into Central Asia. Shaw set out on his expedition in 1868--a time when Britain and Russia were aggressively vying for control over the uncharted terrain of Central Asia--in the hope of opening up the region as a market for Indian tea and becoming the first Englishman to visit the almost legendary towns of Chinese Turkistan. This lively and detailed account describes the course and events of Shaw's journey as well as the bloody warfare waged by Turkic autocrats and the elaborate social rituals of their elite.