Product Description

A humorous overview of Eric Newby's travels from Mayfair to the mountains of the Hindu Kush, north-east of Kabul, offering insight into the numerous eccentric characters and adventures he met along the way, and descriptions of the spectacular wilderness of Afghanistan. Last published in 1981.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21087 in Books
• Published on: 1981-12-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
An American reader criticized this book for being 'too English'. It is its Englishness, of course, that makes it what it is - a witty account of a great and noble failure. Together with the diplomat Hugh Carless, the young Newby sets out for the Hindu Kush. They make an odd couple. Carless speaks Persian, can fix the jeep and knows the names of all the butterflies they see. It's Newby who drops the candle while Carless is endeavouring to fix the underside of the engine and it's Newby who gets food poisoning. And Newby who comes across as likeably inept. The two bump into Wilfred Thesiger - even more English than they are - who looks on in amazement as they pump up their airbeds. 'God', says the great explorer, 'you must be a couple of pansies.' (Kirkus UK)

Sunday Times
'Newby is easily the best of the bunch and was the subject of the first programme.'

Times
'All the lyricism, and spirit of adventure and discovery [in] Newby's work...'

Customer Reviews

A very English Adventure
A very readable account of two amateur mountaineers (their training comprised of a weekend of instruction in Snowdonia) as they set of to conquer the lofty peaks of Mir Samir in the Hindu Kush.

At time the trials and tribulations endured by Eric Newby and his climbing partner Hugh Carless on their journey read like a Noel Coward farce - Wilfred Thesiger they are not ! A very English sense of humour shines through the principal characters' often strained relationship.

A shame there aren't more photographs to accompany the text (the result of a bungled river crossing) but the 50th anniversary edition features an epilogue written by Hugh Carless.

An enjoyable read.

A real adventure story to enjoy
This incredible story dates back to 1956, when two very English gentlemen decided on a whim to go into one of the most inaccessible corners of the planet. This book will amuse and surprise you on at least two levels: firstly, the challenges they happily take on and endure are terrifying by modern outdoor travel standards (they undertook just one session of mountain climbing practice in Wales and brought along brand new hiking boots, not yet worn in, for example) and secondly, their unshakeable "Englishness" above all, at all times, almost comes across as something out of a Noel Coward play. Several times, the trip might have come to an end, but they lived to tell the tale, and Mr. Newby has told it very well. I would agree this is by far his best book. Enjoy.

The Best Travel Book of All
From the pathetically inadequate preparations to the cooking of Eric Newby`s watch to the meeting with Thesiger...One absurd incident follows another as the two brave and foolish climbers fail to achieve their declared aim. It is such a funny book, every page is a joy. It is the kind of book you hope will never end. Sadly it does. Nothing to do but read it again...but, alas, I lent my copy to someone, and then it went out of print.
Luckily I managed to find a replacement in a second hand book shop.
So glad its in print again,now I can lend my copy without risk of being unable to replace it if it strays..