Svat Soucek's book offers a short and accessible introduction to the history of Inner Asia. The narrative, which begins with the arrival of Islam, charts the rise and fall of the different dynasties right up to the Russian conquest. Dynastic tables and maps augment and elucidate the text. The contemporary focus rests on the seven countries which make up the core of present-day Eurasia, that is Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Sinkiang and Mongolia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, renewed interest in these countries has prompted considerable political, cultural, economic and religious debate. While a divergent literature has evolved in consequence, no comprehensive survey of the region has been attempted. Soucek's history promises to fill this gap and to become an indispensable source of information for anyone studying or visiting the region.

作者简介：

斯瓦特·苏塞克，美国中亚研究学者，出生于捷克布拉格，毕业于美国哥伦比亚大学，在突厥学和阿拉伯学专业获得博士学位，先后在普林斯顿大学，纽约公共图书馆东方部工作。主要作品为 《哥伦布之后皮瑞雷斯与土耳其地图绘制》（Piri Reis and Turkish Mapmaking After Columbus）（1996），《内亚史》（A History of Inner Asia）（2000），《波斯湾的往事今昔》（The Persian Gulf: Its Past and Present）（2008）和《土耳其海战史》（The History of the Maritime Wars of the Turks）（2012）。

译者简介：

袁剑，1981年生，江苏苏州人。中央民族大学世界民族学人类学研究中心副教授、硕士生导师。《海外民族志研究通讯》编委、《全球史评论》（CSSCI集刊）编委、《亚洲现代思想》编委、中国蒙古史学会会员。

程秀金，安徽马鞍山人，毕业于复旦大学史地所，获得历史学博士学位，现为新疆大学人文学院历史与民族学系副教授，硕士研究生导师，研究方向为边疆史地和北方民族史。