Among the Mountains: Travels Through Asia
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Thesiger has been called the last of the great British “gentlemen explorers.” Born in 1910 and educated at Eton and Oxford, he has been praised for his books on the Arab world (Arabian Sands, The Marsh Arabs) and on East and North Africa. This account presents edited portions of journal entries written during trips to remote mountain areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kurdistan between 1952 and 1965, as well as numerous black-and-white photographs that he took at the time. Some of these areas are more developed today than they were half a century ago, while others are even more inaccessible owing to political upheavals. Thesiger’s writing is sparse, as would be expected from diary entries, and consequently may disappoint those looking for more detail or seeking current travel information. Those wanting to know more about Thesiger’s remarkable life should read his autobiography, The Life of My Choice (LJ 3/15/98), which ought to be an essential purchase even for small public libraries. This account is a rather mechanical afterthought to the autobiography and may be purchased by large public libraries.DHarold M. Otness, formerly with Southern Oregon Univ. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Wilfred Thesiger, this century’s greatest living explorer, recalls his travels among the mountain ranges of Asia. Eventful, interesting and remarkable achievements in their own right, the Asian journeys – among the Hindu Kush, the Karakorams and the Pamirs – have inspired many of the finest photographs Thesiger has ever taken and contribute significantly to his standing as a great traveller and explorer. Spanning a period of over 30 years (1951-1983) this book draws on Thesiger’s original diaries of his various journeys and his vivid memories of them, and includes some 80 or so previously unpublished photographs of the stunning mountain scenery he saw and the people he encountered.
From the Publisher
“I felt an uplift of the spirit. Never had I seen such country.” This was Wilfred Thesiger’s reaction when he first laid eyes on the snow-capped mountain ranges of Iraqi Kurdistan. The celebrated British explorer had always been drawn to mountains, and, over the course of thirty years, he fulfilled his dream of traveling the awesome ranges of the Karakorams, the Hindu Kush, and Ladakh. Drawing on his unpublished diaries, Thesiger brilliantly documents the hardships, dangers, and rewards of mountain travel. Each of his journeys has a singular quality, captured in some of the finest photos he has ever taken–images of startling beauty, many of which are reproduced here for the first time. Wilfred Thesiger is the author of such classic works as Arabian Sands, Marsh Arabs, and My Kenya Days.
# Paperback: 192 pages
# Publisher: HarperCollins UK (April 1, 2000)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0006551009
# ISBN-13: 978-0006551003
# Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
# Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces