Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia

The exploreres, scientists, geographers, cartographers, adventurers and chancers who ranged across India's North West Frontier into Afhanistan and Tibet while the British and Russian Emprie faced off in ultimately futile advances and retreats and feints and skirmishes over the heart of Asia is an absoutely fascinating, if not always edifying, and all too often tragic tale. The men who ranged back and forth driven by fascination, obsession and ambition are not all admirable, but most of them had admirable qualities of endurance and courage and an affinity for the rugged terrain and its peoples, while the powers that be wrangled and manouvered and often as not worked hard to restrain them or just throw away their work. Also, there were Nazis.

Fascinating account of Central Asia and the conflict to control the area waged primarily by Great Britain and Russia.

Utterly gripping.

Central Asia and the Great Powers