Phoenix, 2001, $19.95, ISBN: 1-84212-407-2, 182 pages, trade softback

Originally published in 1929, here's an uninteresting narrative of a British expedition into present-day Pakistan-India area. Stein (1862-1943) was a Hungarian archaeologist/cartographer who mapped lots of places away from civilization.

The title is more exciting than the content. He's supposed to be on a side mission to find a site for a battle by "The Rock." This narrative, replete with photos, tracks his course. I'm not saying it wasn't difficult, only that it isn't very exciting.

I can't say if he found it or not, he certainly believes so, but I can say that I tended to skip pages to move his 1926 expedition along. He starts in Kashmir and heads towards the Jhelum River, mapping terrain and ruins along the way. Then he comes back to civilization. And there you have it.