Overview
The view was colossal. Below us on every side mountain surged away it seemed forever; we looked down on glaciers and snow-covered peaks that perhaps no one has ever seen before, except from the air.'
Feeling restless in the world of London's high-fashion industry, Eric Newby asked a friend to accompany him on a mountain-climbing expedition in the wild and remote Hindu Kush, in north-eastern Afghanistan. And so they went - although they did stop first for four days of climbing lessons in Wales - becoming the first Englishmen to visit this spectacular region for more than half a century. Newby's frank and funny account of their expedition to what is still amongst the world's most isolated areas is one of the classics of travel writing.
Synopsis
Feeling restless in the world of London s fashion industry, Newby decides to go mountain climbing with a friend in the desolate Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. After the novices make a brief stop in Wales for mountain climbing instruction, they head for Asia and begin a journey punctuated by linguistic misunderstandings, vehicle problems, and unanticipated trekking challenges. Newby s witty, engaging narrative is a gem, treasured by readers for over 40 years.Preface by Evelyn Waugh, Afterword by Joe Kane, black & white photographs, new map by Victor and Maria Lazzaro
Library Journal, March 2002 - Library Journal
Readers will admire his (Newby) perseverence, intriguing personality, and outstanding descriptions.