Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
by Wilfred Thesiger
List Price:
Our Price: $7.70
You Save: $8.30 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Wilfred ThesigerIntroduction: Rory Stewart
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-02
ISBN: 0141442077
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: The magnificent obsession
Summary: 4 Stars
The Rub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter, or as the Arabs called it, The Sands, is one of the most inhospitable places on earth, and one of the least populated as a result. Like Mt. Everest, or the South Pole, each of which became the obsession of some men, sometimes costing them their lives, the Empty Quarter became an obsession of Wilfred Thesiger. He was not the first Westerner to cross it, Bertrand Thomas was, in the `30's, and then Harry (Abdullah) St. John Philby after him, but Thesiger is deservedly the most famous, due to this wonderful account that is difficult to put down. His birth and childhood in Abyssinia, in 1910, the son of the first British Ambassador, seems to have marked him for the "path less traveled." To fully appreciate "Arabian Sands,' it helps to have read "The Life of My Choice," his autobiography.
The first part of "Arabian Sands" covers his youth in Africa, and his initial desert trips in Dhaufar, and in the Danakil country. The end of the book involves his travels in then "forbidden" Oman. The heart of his story though, is his two epic crossing of The Sands. Unlike other Westerner explorers, he was unsupported in his efforts, by other Westerners, save for the financial support of the British Anti-Locust Board. He had to live by his wits, establishing firm and trusting relationships with his beloved Bedouin (Bedu) who were the essential element in his success. In so doing, he developed an understanding of the conditions of their very harsh life, and enthusiastically emulated them. In addition to coming to terms with the "ship of the desert," the camel, and adapting to the rhythms of desert travel with such transport, he also had to stay one step ahead of central authorities, and deal with the tribal politics, which invariably meant that some tribes would be hostile to both him, and his traveling companions solely for tribal reasons. Furthermore, since he was not a Muslim, he had to deal with those individuals and tribes who were hostile due solely to his non-adherence to their religion and beliefs, but Thesiger was wise enough to realize that much of the hostility resulted from the fact that all the other Westerners who were exploring were looking for oil, and the natives feared a loss of their land - it was hard for them, or even most Westerners to understand his motives of doing it solely "because it was there." After his second crossing he was arrested in the town of Sulaiyil by adherents of the Ikhwan, the fundamentalist brotherhood that very well may have made an "example" of him, "to encourage the others", and executed him. It was only the direct intervention of his friend, Philby, with the Saudi king, Abdul Aziz, which secured his release.
The book contains numerous excellent maps, which outline his trips, as well as the tribal areas. It also includes some excellent black and white photographs, many of them of his traveling companions. On a personal note, he inspired a passion to visit Yabrin, on the northern edge of the Empty Quarter, and I was able to see it develop into a significant town, over a 23 year period, a far cry from the absolute absence of people at this oasis when he passed through in 1948.
I couldn't give the book a 5-star however. As one other reviewer indicated, it would help if we looked a bit at the man himself, and his reference frame. The book was written around 12 years after the events, and he admits to not maintaining accurate notes, so how much was changed in his memory? Certainly he experienced "comradeship," like men do in war, but does that mean we should have wars for this experience? It seemed that he unduly romanticized the hardship, and bemoaned that the bedu would loose their remarkable way of life with the coming impact of the modern world. And there is no question that there are only a few real bedu left on the Arabian peninsula, as they have enthusiastically embraced the conveniences of the modern world in the subsequent 60 years. It should be noted that Thesiger carefully picked the timings of his travels, to do so only in the winter. If he had spent a couple of summers with the bedu, I strongly suspect that much of his romanticism would have evaporated, and the hum of an air-conditioner would be much appreciated. Also, there may have been more than an aversion to the modern material world behind his passion for the remote areas of yore - throughout his life, including his days in Kenya at the end, there was always a youthful companion with him.
Setting aside these caveats, and realizing that the prism may be distorted, his achievements are remarkable, and we are fortunate to have an enthralling narrative of this vanished way of life.
Summary of Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger's record of his extraordinary journey through the parched "Empty Quarter" of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life-"the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets." In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.
Scandinavian Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Scandinavian Books
Before Columbus: The Leif Eriksson Expedition (Landmark Books)by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Random House Books for Young Readers; Published: 2004-07-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1,668.61
The Man Whom Women Loved: The Life of Bror Blixenby Ulf Aschan
St. Martin's Press; Published: 1988-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $101.78
History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremenby Adam of Bremen, Francis Joseph Tschan, Timothy Reuter
Columbia University Press; Published: 2002-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
The Secret Life of Wallander: An Unofficial Guide to the Swedish Detective Taking the Literary World by Stormby Stafford Hildred
John Blake; Published: 2011-06-20; Kindle Edition; eBooks
Price in other shops:
"Som Perler paa den historiske Musas Snor": Romantic Self-Representation and Aesthetics in Adam Oehlenschlager's Ungdomserindringer.: An article from: Scandinavian Studiesby Helene Hoyrup
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study; Published: 2000-12-22; Digital; Book
Best price: $5.95
St. Augustine: Bishop of Hippo - Father of The Church (Heroes of Faith and Courage Series)by Ben Alex
Scandinavia; Published: 1995-03-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
Selected Letters (Series A: Scandinavian Literary History and Criticism)by Georg Brandes
Norvik Pr; Published: 1990-12-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $35.95
Cervantes and the Pictorial Imagination: A Study on the Power of Images and Images of Power in Works by Cervantesby Ana Marķa G. Laguna
Bucknell University Press; Published: 2009-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $27.81
Price in other shops:
Proverbs from the North: Words of Wisdom from the Vikings (Proverb Series)by Joanne Asala
Penfield Pr; Published: 1998-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Theophrastus Paracelsusby W. P. Swainson
Kessinger Publishing; Published: 2003-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.38
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
In Patagonia (Penguin Classics)by Bruce Chatwin
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.51
Price in other shops:
The Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics)by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Penguin Classics; Published: 2006-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.20
Price in other shops:
Slowly Down the Gangesby Eric Newby
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2011-01-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.32
A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube (New York Review Books Classics)by Patrick Leigh Fermor, Jan Morris
NYRB Classics; Published: 2005-10-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.28
Price in other shops:
Tent Life in Siberiaby George Kennan
CreateSpace; Published: 2011-04-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops:
The Road to Oxianaby Robert Byron
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2007-05-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.06
Price in other shops:
The Marsh Arabs (Penguin Classics)by Wilfred Thesiger
Penguin Classics; Published: 2008-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.70
Price in other shops:
When the Going Was Goodby Evelyn Waugh
Back Bay Books; Published: 1985-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Wind, Sand and Starsby Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Mariner Books; Published: 2002-12-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.78
Price in other shops:
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kushby Eric Newby
Lonely Planet; Published: 2008-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.01
Price in other shops: