Dr. Susan Whitfield has a number of publications dealing with the Silk Road. Aurel Stein on the Silk Road is an enjoyable, light introduction to one of the leading figures in the development of Silk Road studies during the early twentieth century. Dr. Whitfield’s clear prose is injected with moments of dry humor, such as the chapter entitled, “The Cook, The Thief, His Dog, But No Lover,” which encapsulates Stein’s difficulties finding a decent chef, his encounter with a prolific forger, his love for his dogs (all named Dash), and his confirmed bachelorhood.