My brother sent me the one the most beautiful books on the Silk Road. Along the Silk Road by Alessandra Meniconzi and Bertram Job captures images across the ancient route. The composition, variety, and range is spectacular. After reading about this area for over ten years, the pictures, particularly those of the landscape the people helped me create mental image of the places and people I have been reading about. The large format lends itself exceptionally well to doing justice to these photographs. The images themselves are good quality; not the really high-end glossy images but more of a matte finish.