My Life As an Explorer

In this classic memoir and travelogue, the Swedish explorer shares the story of his epic journey along the ancient Silk Road.

After a childhood spent reading tales of adventure in far-off places, Sven Hedin knew by the time he was twelve years old that he wanted to be an explorer. He lived in an age when maps still contained uncharted territories and he wished to travel to these mysterious destinations. By the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, he traveled along the Silk Road in Asia for three decades.

In My Life as an Explorer, Hedin recounts his journeys along the ancient route. He discovers long-lost cities, maps unfamiliar rivers, and finds himself in many life-threatening situations. He makes a perilous trek through the Taklamakan desert in China where his party runs dangerously low on water. He climbs treacherous mountains and evades ruthless bandits. He infiltrates Lhasa, the Tibetan city restricted from Westerners by penalty of death. And while he lives to tell the tale, his journey is not without sacrifice . . .

Originally published in 1926, Hedin’s story of real-life adventure was a worldwide bestseller. It delighted audiences then and continues to do so.
“A fascinating period piece as well as a nail-biting read.” —The Guardian