STEIN, Marc Aurel, Sir (1862?1943). Sand?Buried Ruins of Khotan: Personal Narrative of a Journey of Archaeological & Geographical Exploration in Chinese Turkestan. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1903. 8vo. Frontispiece, numerous illustrations in text from photographs and drawings, large folding map at end. Contemporary half calf, marbled sides, spine gilt, top edge gilt (few tiny spots of rubbing at extreme ends and corners with some minor splitting at joints). Provenance: Ellis G. Hughes (library label). FIRST EDITION of this popular account of Stein?s first expedition to Central Asia in 1900?01. ?Stein?s great achievement, during this and two subsequent expeditions? was to establish the existence of a hitherto lost civilization along the Silk Route in Chinese central Asia? Stein was the first archaeologist to discover evidence of the spread of Graeco?Buddhist culture of north?west India across Chinese Turkestan and into China itself? (ODNB). Yakushi S32a.