Product Description

Over the course of three decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sven Hedin traveled the ancient Silk Road, discovered long-lost cities, mapped previously uncharted rivers, and saw more of "the roof of the world" than any European before him. Written in the exuberant, enthusiastic style of Richard Halliburton's The Royal Road to Romance, this epic memoir captures the splendor of nowvanished civilizations, the excitement of unearthing ancient monuments, the chilling terrors of snow-clogged mountain passes, and the parching agony of the desert. Hedin climbs accursed mountains in China, infiltrates Tibet, outwits Torgut bandits, and of course becomes close friends with royalty from Peking to London, including the rulers of both the Russian and British empires. A worldwide bestseller in the 1920s, it today introduces a new generation to a man of exceptional daring and accomplishment. The book is illustrated with 160 of Hedin's own drawings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #328911 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 500 pages

Customer Reviews

My Life as an Explorer
Close to brilliant!
Xinjiang now has, alas, lost some of its romantic aura, and Hedin's book is one of the few ways to feel it even in modern world.
I'd recommend the book not only to those interested in China, Tibet or Asia at large but also to those who delight in adventure. In this book Hedin has not so much dwelled upon his really great geographical or archeological input than in a surprisingly light and interesting way - and language - told about the region, its people and nature as well as shown his daredevil side in bending and breaking the laws he wouldn't comply with.
However, I do not recommend the book to people who truly love animals. It gets difficult somewhere at the middle of the book to read on to the next adventure knowing that the biggest part of horses, donkeys and camels will not reach the goal but fall dead because of cold or thirst.