Did you ever study much history at school? Hours and hours were dedicated to the innumerable squabbles between England and France that went on for hundreds of years and accomplished little or nothing. Coupled with this went the almost complete absence of any mention of the great Chinese, Persian, and Indian Empires that were extant at the time and doing so many interesting and important things. Needless to say no one ever mentioned Africa or Japan.

It's no wonder that the current obsession with India and China and the globalization of the world economy seems like such a bolt from the blue to many. Yet, there was a type of global economy, intercultural and long-distance, two thousand years ago between the roman empire, many central Asian middlemen, and China. Silk went West, Western ornaments went East, and everyone along the this enormous trade route prospered. There were many other types of interactions as well, as Nayan's very interesting Bound Together points out. The volume's subtitle, "How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization," gives a good description of what in store for the reader. I would also add that the author has two fine qualities that serve him well. He is Indian by birth so there is little danger of overestimating the influence of the West, and he is a journalist who has had a very rich career all over Asia.

This is a wonderful book. It is filled with odd and fascinating stories all put into a frame that makes much sense -- the everpresent interactions between all cultures at almost all times. It would be a great gift to any young (or not so young) person starting out in our new, but also, ancient globalized world.

HARVARD BUSINESS ONLINE RECOMMENDS:
Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization (Hardcover)
Doing Business in China, (HBR Article Collection)
The Chinese Business Toolkit (Collection)