Henry Lansdell was one of the great travellers of the Victorian age. Unlike many explorers of the time, Lansdell was open to different cultures and his travels yielded detailed accounts that were free from the racial and religious prejudices typical of the period. Chinese Central Asia recounts Lansdell's 9, 000-mile journey across the Tian Shan Mountains and into Western China, and describes the peoples he encountered, their history and religion, crafts and customs, modes of dress, natural history, trade and medicine.

The two-volume set provides the first account in the English language of Chinese Turkestan, contains an extensive bibliography of more than 750 books and includes a new introduction by Irina Kantarbaeva-Bill.