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From Utmost East to Utmost West: My life of exploration and adventure
For over 60 years John Blashford-Snell has been exploring some of the planet's most remote, inaccessible and dangerous places; his name is known globally for his daring adventures and intrepid journeys of discovery. Now, well into his eighties (and still planning future trips), he has gathered together in a single volume a collection of tales from Africa, Asia and the Americas, a mix of mostly new writing combined with some old favourites, extracts from some of the 100 or so expeditions he has led in pursuit of archaeological, anthropological, botanical, biological and zoological objectives.
From the Blue Nile to the Darien Gap, the Kalahari to Colombia, Blashford-Snell is one of the most experienced explorers in the world. He has met with royalty and presidents, travelled with Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery, been on a quest to find a giant pachyderm in the forests of West Nepal, led investigations into Atlantis and even delivered a grand piano to a remote tribe in Guyana! Mountains, rivers, forests and jungle have been his domain and he has seen some of the most extraordinary places known to man.
If meetings with dangerous wildlife, stories of navigating rapid-filled rivers and tales of encounters with bandits are your thing, this new collection from a man who has become an institution in his own right is an essential read.
John Blashford-Snell is the founder of Operation Raleigh and of the Scientific Exploration Society. He has been awarded an MBE, OBE and CBE for exploration and has received multiple awards from countries and organisations around the world. For 20 years he chaired the British Chapter of the Explorers Club of America. Films of his expeditions have been broadcast worldwide.
From the Blue Nile to the Darien Gap, the Kalahari to Colombia, Blashford-Snell is one of the most experienced explorers in the world. He has met with royalty and presidents, travelled with Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery, been on a quest to find a giant pachyderm in the forests of West Nepal, led investigations into Atlantis and even delivered a grand piano to a remote tribe in Guyana! Mountains, rivers, forests and jungle have been his domain and he has seen some of the most extraordinary places known to man.
If meetings with dangerous wildlife, stories of navigating rapid-filled rivers and tales of encounters with bandits are your thing, this new collection from a man who has become an institution in his own right is an essential read.
John Blashford-Snell is the founder of Operation Raleigh and of the Scientific Exploration Society. He has been awarded an MBE, OBE and CBE for exploration and has received multiple awards from countries and organisations around the world. For 20 years he chaired the British Chapter of the Explorers Club of America. Films of his expeditions have been broadcast worldwide.
541 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 20, 2022
Memoir set around the world
This is the memoir of a traditional, old-school adventurer, who founded Operation Raleigh (a youth expedition organisation in the UK) and The Scientific Exploration Society. The stories he has to tell are colourful and informative, riddled at times with danger, and a swashbuckling dimension to add an extra frisson of tension.
The book opens on the Blue Nile in Africa and already there are tales of a sturdy “leviathan of a crocodile” heading for the party of travellers, shots are fired and pith helmets are an actual thing. There are subsequent encounters with further very large Nile crocodiles, causing much consternation. Brigands and bandits, rogues and ruffians hamper their progress, stretchers have to be made from handy components, and wildlife in all its terrifying glory assails the party.
Delightful detail threads its way through the book. Who knew of the existence of Osgood’s Swamp rat? (The group was tasked to track it down by The Natural History Museum). A small desert tortoise saves a life and thus the adventures unfold.
The stories he has to tell then go on the Americas, where he alights on archaeological projects and historical exploration and he introduces his readers to Xingu, the double nosed tiger hound. The chapters set in the countries of the Americas form the bulk of the narrative. The final chapters move to Asia / Pacifica.
There is wonderful attention to detail and much learning to be had. There is precision and a real sense of the different cultures and terrains that he and his party encounter.
At the end of some chapters there are QR codes that take you to You Tube videos for an extra dimension and in the text there are occasionally small maps to aid comprehension of routes taken.
The author has quite a formal way of writing, a sense of order, derived perhaps from his army experience. I think the publishers will know exactly who their target audience is and the book cover will appeal to that cohort – it would seem to be a photo depicting the author and his team, clearly setting it in the second half of the 20th Century: I suspect that the cover will not encourage younger readers to pick up the book, as it has a bit of an old fashioned vibe about it. It is a book that is very much of its era and hopefully appealing to a new generation of readers.
This is the memoir of a traditional, old-school adventurer, who founded Operation Raleigh (a youth expedition organisation in the UK) and The Scientific Exploration Society. The stories he has to tell are colourful and informative, riddled at times with danger, and a swashbuckling dimension to add an extra frisson of tension.
The book opens on the Blue Nile in Africa and already there are tales of a sturdy “leviathan of a crocodile” heading for the party of travellers, shots are fired and pith helmets are an actual thing. There are subsequent encounters with further very large Nile crocodiles, causing much consternation. Brigands and bandits, rogues and ruffians hamper their progress, stretchers have to be made from handy components, and wildlife in all its terrifying glory assails the party.
Delightful detail threads its way through the book. Who knew of the existence of Osgood’s Swamp rat? (The group was tasked to track it down by The Natural History Museum). A small desert tortoise saves a life and thus the adventures unfold.
The stories he has to tell then go on the Americas, where he alights on archaeological projects and historical exploration and he introduces his readers to Xingu, the double nosed tiger hound. The chapters set in the countries of the Americas form the bulk of the narrative. The final chapters move to Asia / Pacifica.
There is wonderful attention to detail and much learning to be had. There is precision and a real sense of the different cultures and terrains that he and his party encounter.
At the end of some chapters there are QR codes that take you to You Tube videos for an extra dimension and in the text there are occasionally small maps to aid comprehension of routes taken.
The author has quite a formal way of writing, a sense of order, derived perhaps from his army experience. I think the publishers will know exactly who their target audience is and the book cover will appeal to that cohort – it would seem to be a photo depicting the author and his team, clearly setting it in the second half of the 20th Century: I suspect that the cover will not encourage younger readers to pick up the book, as it has a bit of an old fashioned vibe about it. It is a book that is very much of its era and hopefully appealing to a new generation of readers.
October 20, 2023
Reading this book made me laugh out loud, reminisce about many of the countries I've been too, learn about so many different parts of the world and how we have come to learn about the various species of wildlife, flora and fauna, as well as different cultures.
It was also lovely to enjoy a level of British humour that is fast disappearing in this over sensitive world that we are entering into.
To follow the various different expeditions of John and his comrades from the last 50 / /60 years around the world, and the wonderful impact they have had in the most remote parts of the world, from building wells to bringing fresh drinking water to communities, as well as treating ailments, removing teeth, correcting eyesight, raising much needed funds for lifesaving surgeries of members of the communities they have visited, is nothing short of inspiring.
Many of us do not get to travel the world, and for those of us who do travel, we don't have the opportunity or the means to explore the remotest parts of the countries we travel to, so to know there are organisations such as the Scientific Exploration Society which allows ordinary individuals to reach these unknown areas whilst making a positive impact in the world is wonderful.
Reading of the great work John has done around the world, the discoveries made and the exhibits we see in museums will not only provide you with joy, but also teach you much about the world.
A great book full of great stories - buy it, enjoy it and be inspired to travel the world!
It was also lovely to enjoy a level of British humour that is fast disappearing in this over sensitive world that we are entering into.
To follow the various different expeditions of John and his comrades from the last 50 / /60 years around the world, and the wonderful impact they have had in the most remote parts of the world, from building wells to bringing fresh drinking water to communities, as well as treating ailments, removing teeth, correcting eyesight, raising much needed funds for lifesaving surgeries of members of the communities they have visited, is nothing short of inspiring.
Many of us do not get to travel the world, and for those of us who do travel, we don't have the opportunity or the means to explore the remotest parts of the countries we travel to, so to know there are organisations such as the Scientific Exploration Society which allows ordinary individuals to reach these unknown areas whilst making a positive impact in the world is wonderful.
Reading of the great work John has done around the world, the discoveries made and the exhibits we see in museums will not only provide you with joy, but also teach you much about the world.
A great book full of great stories - buy it, enjoy it and be inspired to travel the world!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews