The Silk Road and Beyond covers the career, adventures and anecdotes of Ivor Whittall, one of the early pioneers of long distance trucking to the Middle East. Written in an engaging style, the book encompasses stories from the beginning of Ivor’s career, from qualifying as an articulated-truck driver, his first overseas trip to Kuwait, the desert trek between Jordan and Saudi Arabia and the journey over the infamous Tahir Pass in Eastern Turkey, which claimed many trucks and the lives of some of their drivers.

The book is edited and revised by Paul Rowlands, himself an experienced trucker and published book author, and includes many amusing and hair-raising tales. It covers subjects such as the recovery of broken down trucks and trailers and the delights of custom formalities and cross-border negotiations, not only providing a fascinating insight to this important period in transport history, but demonstrating the important qualities of determination and self-reliance, applied by the author to many challenging situations.