Arabian Sands

There is no doubt in my mind that this is top of the shelf travel/adventure narrative. Thesiger could arguably be one of the last great explorers that this ever smaller world has seen. His journeys into the unmapped areas of the Empty Quarters of the Arabian peninsula are told in this well written b......more

I like to browse through my books on a Sunday morning for some strange reason and came across this book that I read when I was working in Saudi Arabia and, as I had also met the bedouin and taken tea with them, I was interested to hear about Thesiger's travels in that country. It's such an interesti......more

The Last of the Barefoot Explorers When I was a kid I dreamt of being an explorer. Never mind that I had never been out of New England and had no possibility of doing so. Discovering new lands and peoples seemed such a great job. What I couldn't figure out was how you got BE an explorer ? What, did y......more

Thesiger’s book is about a time, right after many people thought most of the great adventures had already been had and right before the frontiers of the desert sands were truly closed off. The book was one man’s love affair with the hardship of desert sand and the people who had called it their home......more

The Arabist Tradition of Wildred Thesiger “In the desert I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization; a life unhampered by possessions, since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance.” "The tragedy was the choice would not be theirs. Economic forces beyond their control would eve......more