Christian Caryl is reviewing Colin Thubron’s “Shadow of the Silk Road.” Mr. Caryl's first two sentences are delightful: “I could tell you a lot of potentially useful things about Colin Thubron's latest travel memoir—for example, that he's a gifted linguist, a dogged reporter, and an elegant writer. For a start, though, perhaps it's enough to point out that his shoes fell apart in the course of his trip from China to Turkey.”

I’m not familiar with Colin Thubron’s work, but these two sentences convinced me that I should buy his book. I have a weak spot for shoes.