"Arabian Sands" is Wilfred Thesiger's record of his extraordinary journey through the parched "Empty Quarter" of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life-"the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets." In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.
Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
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"Following worthily in the tradition of Burton, Lawrence, Philby and Thomas, ["Arabian Sands"] is, very likely, the book about Arabia to end all books about Arabia."
-"The Daily Telegraph", London
"The narrative is vividly written, with a thousand little anecdotes and touches which bring back to any who have seen these countries every scene with the colour of real life."
-"The Sunday Times", London
-"The Daily Telegraph", London
"The narrative is vividly written, with a thousand little anecdotes and touches which bring back to any who have seen these countries every scene with the colour of real life."
-"The Sunday Times", London
From the Back Cover
With this book Wilfred Thesiger took his place among the few great Arabian travellers – not only as an explorer, but as a writer.
'Arabian Sands' covers the five years ending in 1950 which, with the exception of brief interruptions only, Thesiger spent in and around the Empty Quarter, the half million square miles of one of the cruellest deserts of the world. Before him, no othe trraveller European or Arab – apart from the Bedu who live there – had twice dared to cross those empty wastes. Travelling without European companions and living as an Arab, Thesiger's experience and knowledge of the desert life are unique – and will remain so, for the world he describes has vanished, succumbing to the invasion of technicians in search of oil.
Thesiger's account of the Arabian Sands and its people, its tribal warfare and ancient history, its daily life and landscape is widely hailed as a classic of Arabian travel literature.
'The crowning touches have been placed on this exploratory activity in Arabia by Wilfred Thesiger who is probably the greatest of all the explorers'
ST JOHN PHILBY
'This splendid book, magnificently illustrated with the author's photographs, is a feast.'
DAILY EXPRESS
'Wilfred Thesiger is perhaps the last, and certainly one of the greatest, of the British travellers among the Arabs'
LT GEN. SIR JOHN GLUBB, 'Sunday Times'
'A MJOR ADDITION TO THE LITERATURE OF EXPLORATION'
PETER WORSLEY, 'Guardian'
'THE LAST GREAT BOOK ON ARABIAN TRAVEL'
ECONOMIST
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A childhood in Abyssinia is followed by a journey in the Danakil country and service in the Sudan. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A childhood in Abyssinia is followed by a journey in the Danakil country and service in the Sudan. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
118 of 119 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book features in my top ten favourites of all time. Thesiger, a quintiessential eccentric English explorer describes in this book five years spent with the Bedu of the southern Arabian Peninsula. Thesiger lived as a Bedu, he adopted their dress, walked barefoot and learned to settle into their rigid, almost ritualistic patterns. Thesiger developed a very deep respect for the Bedu as he believes that the harder the life led the purer the man, and there are not many lives that come harder than those of the Bedu. After all T.E. Lawrence described their daily struggle as 'a death in life'. During his time with the Bedu Thesiger twice crossed the Empty Quarter (Rub 'al Khali) with camels by a longer and more dangerous route than that taken by Philby and Thomas previously. Thesiger and his companions were lucky to have survived as they found themselves without food and water and a long way from a well that none of the Bedu had been to before and that only appeared on Thesiger's notoriously inaccurate map of the region. Equally fortunate was Thesiger managing to avoid the search parties of Omani tribesmen intent on driving him out of their territory, perhaps even to kill him, because he was a Christian. This is an incredible book, describing unimaginable hardships as if they were mere inconveniences, and giving a fascinating insight to a way of life that has all but disappeared as the Bedu trade in their camels for 4 wheel drives. Read this book, it is brilliant.
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a difficult book to read if one is looking for excitement, but an absolute gem for anyone who wants to get inside the world of the Bedouin of over half a century ago. Thesiger's prose is spare and discerning and flows through the book like sand through an hourglass. He describes a world that no longer exists; indeed, was on the cusp of change as he made his travels in Arabia. The people he travels with are continuing a way of life that has remained unchanged for millenia but would not survive the following decades.
The life Thesiger describes is hard, unforgiving existence tempered by the bond he forms with his Bedu hosts. His descriptions of his Bedu friends are sympathetic without being effusive and his admiration of and love for them shines from every page.
Forget Lawrence and his silly posturing, if you only ever read one book about Arabia of old, this should be it. It left me inspired but, I must confess, somewhat ashamed that the god of oil and mammon should have destroyed a beautiful and unspoilt way of life.
The life Thesiger describes is hard, unforgiving existence tempered by the bond he forms with his Bedu hosts. His descriptions of his Bedu friends are sympathetic without being effusive and his admiration of and love for them shines from every page.
Forget Lawrence and his silly posturing, if you only ever read one book about Arabia of old, this should be it. It left me inspired but, I must confess, somewhat ashamed that the god of oil and mammon should have destroyed a beautiful and unspoilt way of life.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Traveller
Format:Paperback
As the reviewer above points out, anyone reading this book will not find excitement leaping from the pages but this is not the objective of the book. People reading it particularly from western countries should reflect on their own lives and how it is in such stark contrast to a way of life which has all but disappeared, for this is Thesiger's message. The book retells the authors' crossing of an inhospitable region of desert in southern arabia known as the empty quarter and his travels around the surrounding area. Full of small anecdotes which illustrate the points Thesiger makes perfectly, the way in which it was written should be commended. A truly magnificent book which has certainly made me think a little deeper.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
5* for a great read, but only 2* for the Kindle edition
Wonderfully evokes life and landscape in the "Empty Quarter" (ie empty of Europeans) of the Arabian peninsula at the dawn of the era of oil exploration. Read more
Published 2 days ago by weegiebored
1.0 out of 5 stars
very poor editing
This is one of the great classics of travel. It gets one star here because of the unbelievably slovenly careless editing in this edition - so many spelling and other mistakes. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Patrick Hornby
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic
Magnificent historical document into the life of Dhofaris, their traditions and hardships. All made realer by the most wonderful photography. Read more
Published 2 months ago by karen phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book
What an original man. I can't believe his travels and great tribute to the Bedu tribe, a wonderful people to know.
Published 2 months ago by Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting book
It was a present for my husband and he loved it, it came quickly and I am very pleased with how it was packaged so that it was not damaged in any way. Well done
Published 4 months ago by Rhiannon Magenta
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book to end all books on Arabia
The late Wilfred Thesiger was perhaps the last of the great British explorers. He spent his entire life travelling in the most remote areas of the world. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Senroc
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good book but don't get the kindle version
There are two problems with the kindle version. First, the maps are unreadable. This destroys the whole purpose as the maps are essential for reading this book and there's not... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Roland Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recognisable history
I have called this review, 'recognisable history' as many aspects of what was once a far-off, highly alien civilisation have reached well into the day-to-day of Western societies... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Dr John N Sutherland
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arabian Sands
The book was as it was described. The book was rapidly despatched and it arrived promptly. I was pleased with the good service. Thank you.
Published 17 months ago by Pauline
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ultimate Travel Writing
I've been meanig to read this book for quite a while and really glad I got round to it. Wilfred Thesiger is one of the last of the great English gentlemen explorers, in the same... Read more
Published on 18 April 2011 by christo
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