Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”)

In Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the British archaeologist, army-officer, diplomat, and writer T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) tells vividly and engaging about his service as a liaison officer with the rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in the latter part of the first World War.

Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence was based in Jordan as a member of the British Forces and helped organize, carry out and sometimes even lead attacks on the Ottoman forces from Aqaba in the south to Damascus in the north.

His dramatic adventures during the war earned him international fame and became the basis of the 1962 epic historical drama “Lawrence of Arabia” where the role of Lawrence was played by Sir Peter O’Toole; the movie won seven Oscars!

After the war, T.E. Lawrence wrote and translated several books, corresponded with writers, artists, and politicians while working as an ordinary aircraftsman for the Royal Air Force, where he participated in the development of rescue motorboats.

Unfortunately, Lawrence did not live to see old age, as he was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident at the age of 46.

Download Seven Pillars of Wisdom as a PDF for free here (63,6 MB):

Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Riddles of the Gobi Desert

Riddles of the Gobi Desert by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin. Sven Hedin’s fourth expedition from 1927 and 1935 to Asia led him to Mongolia, the Gobi Desert and Xinjiang. The goal was to map the areas, search for remains of ancient sites and to conduct meteorological research. Hedin’s mapping leter led to the construction of chinese roads to some of the isolated and mountainous areas. The expeditions took place in disputed areas and Hedin was attacked by villains and arrested by the Chinese General Ma Zhongying. When he was released he went to Beijing to meet with President Lin Sen.

The long travel was expensive and left Hedin in a difficult financial situation. After his return to Europe, he held 111 lectures in 91 German cities as well as 19 lectures in other countries. He met Adolf Hitler in Berlin before his lecture there on 14 April 1935.

Download the free PDF e-book here (422 pages/26MB):

 Riddles of the Gobi Desert

Travel in South Africa by O. Zachariah

Travel in South Africa by O. Zachariah was published in 1926. Zachariah was very enthusiastic about South Africa and especially the modern means of transport that makes it easy to travel far and fast by train. During a few months, he visited the entire country, and in this book, he praises what he saw.  He writes about everything from politics, history, and people to more poetic descriptions of the landscapes and views. From the book:

“As the steamer approaches Table Bay, and the mountains, which rise sheer from the sea, are seen in more detail, the scene is one to hold the attention. Foremost is Table Mountain, its summit sometimes further beautified by the familiar cloth of cloud. Surrounding ranges extend as far as the eye can see. And at the base of Table Mountain is Capetown.”

Zachariah was not the least keen of the food on the steamer back and forth from England. The book includes a typical dinner menu en-route:

He writes: “In the evenings there are concerts and dances, and the ship’s orchestra also enlivens the proceed-
ings. Travel to, and in, South Africa is no longer a hardship, it has become a pleasure.”

Download the free PDF e-book here:

 Travel in South Africa PDF

The Amateur Tramp – The man who walked around a continent

The Amateur Tramp – A Walk of Ten Thousand Miles Around Australia. Thousands of people have climbed the highest peaks of the Himalayas. Hundreds have visited all nations on UN’s list and 12 made it all the way to the moon. But this guy..!

In 1921, Aidan de Brune packed his backpack and walked around the entire continent of Australia by the coastline. We are (almost) sure he is the only person who ever did that. Even more impressive, he did it all alone and without assistance.

The amazing adventure was documented by himself along the way as he wrote articles about it for the Australian newspaper Daily Mail along the route.

The route around Australia

The walk took about two and a half year, and the accomplishment made Aidan de Brune famous. This book about the walk is written by Colin Choat, who kindly allowed us to post the book here.

Download ‘The Amateur Tramp’ here:

The Amateur Tramp

The Heart of Arabia – A Record of Travel & Exploration Vol I+II

The Heart of Arabia – A Record of Travel & Exploration Vol I+II (1923) is an exceptionally well-written and beautifully illustrated reflection on the travels and experiences of Harry St John Philby, also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah.

The author was a most unorthodox representative of Great Britain in Arabia – and for quite some time also the only British representative there.

He was the first Westerner who traversed Arabia from East to West, held a deep respect for the Arabian culture and learned himself Arabic. In time, he even adopted the Muslim faith and became close friends with and advisor to Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, however, Philby remained British to the core and maintained his British home. He was a remarkable adventurer, a man of the world, and a mapmaker extraordinaire. He was also in some ways a driven man, who often saw the world in black and white.

Harry St John Philby is mostly forgotten today or – if remembered – it is as the father of the infamous Soviet spy, Kim Philby. That is actually quite sad, as Philby Sr. is a much more interesting character, and his book is well worth reading.

It is a large file, primarily due to the many illustrations and the 814 pages. So make some coffee while downloading or have patience a minute or two 🙂

Download The Heart of Arabia – A Record of Travel & Exploration Vol I+II (67,2 MB / 814 pages)

 The Heart of Arabia vol I+II

Mount Everest, the Reconnaissance, 1921

Why risk your life climbing the world’s highest peak? “Because it’s there!”

Climber and WW1-veteran George Mallory coined the iconic explanation, and Mount Everest, the Reconnaissance is the epic recount of the 1921-expedition where he participated along with A. F. R. Wollaston and Charles Howard-Bury.

Sadly, Mallory died on an Everest-expedition three years later, but he might – or might not – have been the first on top of Everest. That is a fascinating story in itself, which you can read much more about in this really great story in National Geographic.

The goal of the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition was to explore how it might be possible to get to the vicinity of Mount Everest and to discover possible routes for ascending the mountain.

The mission was a success, as it secured valuable knowledge for future expeditions. For instance, by determining that a good route might be to approach the East Rongbuk glacier via the Rongbuk glacier and then follow the North Col route to the summit.

Download the free PDF e-book here:

Mount Everest, the Reconnaissance, 1921