Monthly Archives: January 2021

Asia

A Conquest of Tibet

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A Conquest of Tibet by Svend Hedin is the amazing tale of a journey to the inner Tibet. The book was published in 1935 and was instantly a success. Hedin had the decades before published books from his fascinating and perilous adventures in remote and unknown areas of Asia. Every child knew his name in his homeland Sweden, and his books were translated into many languages. A Conquest of Tibet was his second adventure in Tibet and here he tells the story of everyday life in the forbidden country of the Dalai Lama. At that time only a very few Europeans had ever crossed the dangerous, and icy passes, fewer still had ever penetrated to the holy city of Lhasa. Svend Hedin had a sense of putting himself in dramatic situations and in the book you will find accounts of barbaric savages attacking, hordes of yaks charging and strange customs of the forgotten people at the top of the world. The books is richly illustrated by Hedin himself. From the book:

“I counted a dozen horsemen with bifurcated guns thrown over their shoulders. Islam, Parpi, Lobsang and I took a stand on the crest of a small hill eight feet high, back of which the other men and the caravan had cover. We were eight against twelve, three guns against a dozen. But ours were the better weapons. We threw off our fur coats. The men from East Turkestan were in fearful anguish, and as for myself I found the situation far from reassuring. The Tanguts could readily secure reinforcements from the nearby valleys and annihilate us, or in any event fleece us of everything even to the bare skin of our bodies. On the surface I indicated no apprehension, but calmly lit my pipe.”

Download the free PDF e-book here (398 pages/11MB):

 A Conquest of Tibet

Antarctic, Arctic

The South Pole by Roald Amundsen

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“Adventure is just bad planning!”

Captain Roald Amundsen did not fool around, but based his conquest of the South Pole on defining an elegant and simple plan – and sticking with it.

On December 14. 1911, the efforts were rewarded, when Amundsen and his four companions planted the Norwegian flag on the Pole, five weeks before the ill-fated British expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott.

In The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian expedition in the Fram, 1910–12 (Volumes I and II) he tells the whole story. The book is written in a dry, understated humoristic tone and clinically cleansed from any kind of self-praise. This makes for a very satisfying read.

Originally, everyone – even Amundsens crew! – believed that they were going for the North Pole. But as the rival Americans Cook and Peary each claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909, Amundsen set his sights on the South Pole instead. He kept his plans secret, though, and when his intentions were revealed, it caused international outrage. But Amundsen was on his way and did not care the slightest bit.

The Norwegian expedition used the same ship, The Fram, as Fridtjof Nansen in his attempt to reach the North Pole more than a decade earlier, and Nansen himself wrote the introduction to this extraordinary book:

“When the explorer comes home victorious, everyone goes out to cheer him. We are all proud of his achievement—proud on behalf of the nation and of humanity. We think it is a new feather in our cap, and one we have come by cheaply. How many of those who join in the cheering were there when the expedition was fitting out, when it was short of bare necessities, when support and assistance were most urgently wanted? Was there then any race to be first? At such a time the leader has usually found himself almost alone; too often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties were those he had to overcome at home before he could set sail. So it was with Columbus, and so it has been with many since his time. So it was, too, with Roald Amundsen.”

Download the entire The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian expedition in the Fram, 1910–12 Vol I + II (986 pages / 55 MB) here:

The South Pole Roald Amundsen

Arctic, Greenland

The First Crossing of Greenland

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Men have tried to cross Greenland since the Middle Ages. But the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen finally succeeded in 1888 by traversing the island on cross-country skis.

This book is one of the best stories about polar exploration, and it is beautifully illustrated with maps, drawings, and photos all the way through.

Internationally, Nansen is known as the father of modern polar exploration and for reaching a record Northern latitude during his “Fram”-expedition (1893-96). But while crossing Greenland for the first time, he tried out many of his techniques for real. At the same time, he completed the first major goal of Polar exploration.

His innovations and ideas were widely used by many later Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. During his life, Fridtjof Nansen took many roles upon himself; as explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. In 1922, Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Download the entire book (460 pages / 24,9 MB) here:

 The First Crossing of Greenland