Seven League Boots: Adventures Across the World from Arabia to Abyssinia

by Richard Halliburton, Tahir Shah (Foreword)

'I had been commissioned to go anywhere in the world I wished and write whatever pleased me. My only orders were to move fast, visit strange places, to meet whomever was interesting - and to start at once, ' Richard Halliburton's fifth and last book, Seven League boots illustrates how he followed these orders with passion and abandon. America's favorite adventurer dined with Haile Selassie and rode the Rhinoceros Express in Ethiopia; he had an audience with King Ibn Saud outside the gates of Mecca (which he had tried to sneak into) and finally rode an elephant over the Alps in the tracks of another great adventurer, Hannibal. This is Halliburton at his best: reckless and romantic. It is also the last chapter of a life that had, at its end, grown tragic. Nearing forty, physically exhausted, and in financial trouble, Halliburton thought to roll the dice once again, hoping that the charm which had always saved him in the past would materialize one more time. But it was not to be. His last journey was fatal. Soon after finishing this book, he attempted to sail a junk across the Pacific, but never returned.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Geography, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Writer, Lecturer, and World Traveler, Richard Halliburton published numerous books during his short lifetime. During his world travels, he visited exotic locales such as the Taj Mahal in India, climbed the Matterhorn, flew across the Sahara desert in a bi-winged plane, and swam the entire length of the Panama Canal. He also roamed the Mediterranean Sea retracing the route followed by Ulysses in Homer's Odyssey and crossed the Swiss Alps on the back of an elephant in a recreation of Hannibal's expedition. Halliburton died (or, more accurately, disappeared) in March 1939 as he and his crew attempted to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to San Francisco as a publicity stunt. The vessel was unseaworthy and went down in a storm around March 23-24, 1939. His body was never recovered

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Halliburton was a travel writer and reporter who went on an epic adventure around 1935. He visited Fort Jefferson, a federal prison way off the Florida coast; Santiago de Cuba; Sans Souci, the castle of King Christophe of Haiti and Santo Domingo to see Christopher Columbus's grave.

Once in Europe he ventured to Russia to meet Peter Ermakov, one of the people who killed Czar Nicholas and his family. From there he went to Moscow and then the Caucasus to meet some of the oldest people in the world. He also met the people called the Khevsoors, decedents of Crusaders.

In Greece he went to Mount Athos, a monastery where no females, even female animals are not allowed. From there he went to Crete to see Knossos the home of the Minotaur. Then he went to Spinalonga, a leper colony just off Crete.

In the Middle East he went to Machaerus, the home of King Herod and Salome. He also tried to sneak into Mecca but failed, although he did get to interview Ibn Saud, King of Arabia.

Next he went to Ethiopia just as the Italians were invading but still got to have an audience with Haile Selassie.

Halliburton finished off his adventure by fulfilling a life long dream of taking an elephant across the Alps just like Hannibal.

Certain attitudes may offend some people but considering the time the book was written in may be closer to the attitudes of the day.

[Amerynth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad that "Seven League Boots" is the last book by Richard Halliburton I hadn't read. I've mostly enjoyed the stories of his stunts and travels and "Seven League Boots" showed more maturity than his other works... it's a shame he died so young.

I particularly like Halliburton when he is traveling Europe & North America, as his attitude toward people of color is pretty grating. What was fascinating in this book was his interview with Ermakov, one of the men who slaughtered Tsar Nicholas II and his family -- he was apparently the first non-Russian to hear the story from Ermakov's lips and most details have been backed up as true.

Other stories focus on Fort Jefferson, a Haitian fort, the ruins of the castle where Salome had her famous dance, a leper colony in Greece and of course, a final stunt -- traipsing across the Alps on the back of an elephant, a la Hannibal.

This book is really Halliburton at his best.

[Wednesday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Read this book in 6th grade. It's difficult to find a copy, but such a great adventure story, non-fiction, beautiful language. Intriguing.

[Ian Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I oddly find him a bit too full of himself on this one, seems to be showing off then experiencing the culture. Still great read, but least favorite.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just doesn't have the same sparkle as Halliburton's earlier books. Halliburton's publisher told him that he could go anywhere and write about it for his next book. He interpreted that to mean that he could go everywhere and, as a result, the book reads like a collection of unrelated magazine articles. The promise of the elephant on the front cover is only realized near the end of the book and I felt that it was given short shrift.

My comments:

In chapter 11 Halliburton interviews one of the men who shot the Romanovs who supposedly gives Halliburton an accurate, first-person account of the murders and disposal of the bodies. He describes the total destruction of all of the bodies down to fine ash, including the skulls and all the bones. This contradicts both the reports of the recovery of the remains in 1991 and what actually happens during a cremation.

After his visit to Russia, Halliburton predicted that the U.S. and Russia would evolve towards each other. Russia's people would eventually gain more personal and intellectual freedom and the U.S. would have Russia's magnet schools, Russia's work for all at a living wage and Russia's equal rights for women. There may have been a little crack in Halliburton's crystal ball.

Harel, the mahout, was French so surely he called Elysabethe Dalrymple "petit choux" and "petite chérie." Richard Halliburton was claiming to be a journalist so whatever happened to accuracy in reporting?

When he reviewed Seven League Boots for The Michigan Daily Dec. 1, 1935, Arnold S. Daniels wasn't much impressed that Halliburton hopped, skipped and jumped around the world. “Readers of Seven League Boots will not be a whit surprised or taken aback to hear some day that he is following the footsteps of Aeneus into the land of the dead, or has at last discovered the lost cities of Atlantis.” On his next expedition, 4 years later, Richard Halliburton was lost at sea.

[Jeanine Malarsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Halliburton's books when I was young and didn't have a penny. Often as I travel as an adult my thoughts return to his books that captivated my imagination and dreams back when I didn't dare dream of the future I found. In addition to his actual adventures, you get a glimpse of global elements back in his youth. The interview with the soldier who assisted in the assassination of the Czar and his family is spell-binding.
How wonderful would it be today if young people read more books like these and had their curiosity about the world and history encouraged.
I have culled my extensive book collections over the years, but I will never let go of the two used copies I bought by Halliburton back in the sixties.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes geography come alive. I use discretion for readers as his descriptions of what he learns about the Romanoffs is beyond disturbing and he doesn't filter.

The rest though- loved his journey on an elephant following Hannibal's path.

Learned about pieces of history I had no idea and he makes you want to know more.

[Briggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super cool! Just couldn't find reason to finish.

[Dj Macartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Fantastic book another great journey from Halliburton like all good journeys you don't want it to end. I would highly recommend any of his work

[Jaeger Winckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent tale of a different time.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, Halliburton died in the midst of his next adventure, so this fifth book is the last of his travel tales. All fun reads.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Halliburton book was a bit more disjointed than the others I have read and that choppiness was somewhat disturbing. Much of the book was spent on his visit to Russia and his read on the Bolshevik revolution. As always, you learn a lot, especially through the filter of time as this book was written in the thirties. Still recommend this as entertaining and, at times, surprising. His interview with King Saud was particularly enlightening in terms of today's relations with the Middle East.

[Jiří Burant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halliburton once again sets off for a series of unbelievable adventures all over the world. To me, he is the symbol of a proper adventurer, living stories that would be considered too far fetched even in for a Hollywood movie. Who else would rent an elephant from the Paris zoo and ride on his back across the Alpes to Italy, in the footsteps of great Hannibal. Who else would visit the island of the leprose in Greece, in times when an effective cure for this disease was just being developed.
Gotta love this crazy American.

[Neil Munday · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my most favourite writers. A boys own tale of adventure from 1936. from talking to the assassin of the Czar's family to meeting, in Abyssinia, Haile Selassie on the verge of the Italian invasion, to taking an elephant over the St Bernards Pass,.
Stories of things i should have done.Wonderful.