My life and travels : an anthology

An anthology of writings and photographs celebrating the contribution of one of the country's most distinguished and enduring travel writers, and the century's greatest living explorer.

At the age of 23, three years after attending the coronation of Haile Selassie, Thesiger made his first expedition into the country of the murderous Danakil tribe.

Since then he has traversed the Empty Quarter twice, spending five years among the Bedu, followed by several years living as no Westerner had in the strange world of the Marshmen of Iraq.

Later he made many mountain journeys in the awesome ranges of the Karakorams, the Hindu Kush, Ladakh and Chitral.

After these varied and often dangerous adventures among fast-disappearing cultures, Thesiger settled down to spend over 20 years living mostly among the pastoral Samburu in Northern Kenya, until 1994 when he finally returned to England permanently.

These experiences have, over the years, provided rich material for writings which express a romantic but austere vision, and for photographs which capture the spirit of a bygone era.As well as extracts from the eight books Thesiger published to great acclaim between 1959 and 1998, most notably "Arabian Sands", "Marsh Arabs" and "The Life of My Choice", this volume includes selections from articles, diaries and notebooks as well as previously unpublished personal letters.

The latter in particular reveal a much more intimate style and show a softer and hitherto unseen facet of Thesiger's character, especially in his relationship with his mother.

The text is complemented by 100 of Thesiger's photographs.