Kazakhstan

In Search of Kazakhstan: The Land that Disappeared, by Christopher Robbins (2007). Before venturing to Kazakhstan, Robbins could only associate the country with a few rehearsed details: Genghis Khan, the Silk Road, miles of steppe. But on his journey to a country the size of Western Europe, Robbins eats sushi and sheep's head with the president, and listens to the "Kazakh Beatle" play guitar. Robbins stuffs his travelogue with history and unusual facts—like Kazakhstan's claim to be the home of both King Arthur and the apple—and his story is told with true appreciation of a little-known country.