Customer Reviews
A very English Adventure - By: Mr. H. F. Murden, 17 Oct 2008 
A very readable account of two amateur mountaineers (their training comprised of a weekend of instructionin Snowdonia) as they set of to conquer the lofty peaks of Mir Samirin the Hindu Kush.
At time the trials & tribulations endured by Eric Newby & his climbing partner Hugh Carless on their journey read like a Noel Coward farce - Wilfred Thesiger they are not ! A very English sense of humour shines through the principal characters' often strained relationship.
A shame there aren't more photographs to accompany the text (the result of a bungled river crossing) but the 50th anniversary edition features an epilogue written by Hugh Carless.
An enjoyable read.
A real adventure story to enjoy - By: Lazy Lee, 17 Oct 2008 
This incredible story dates back to 1956, when two very English gentlemen decided on a whim to go into one of the most inaccessible corners of the planet. This book will amuse & surprise you on at least two levels: firstly, the challenges they happily take on & endure are terrifying by modern outdoor travel standards (they undertook just one session of mountain climbing practicein Wales & brought along brand new hiking boots, not yet worn in, for example) & secondly, their unshakeable "Englishness" above all, at all times, almost comes across as something out of a Noel Coward play. Several times, the trip might have come to an end, but they lived to tell the tale, & Mr. Newby has told it very well. I would agree this is by far his best book. Enjoy.
The Best Travel Book of All - By: Penny Turner, 29 Jul 2007 From the pathetically inadequate preparations to the cooking of Eric Newby`s watch to the meeting with Thesiger...One absurd incident follows another as the two brave & foolish climbers fail to achieve their declared aim. It is such a funny book, every page is a joy. It is the kind of book you hope will never end. Sadly it does. Nothing to do but read it again...but, alas, I lent my copy to someone, & then it went out of print.
Luckily I managed to find a replacement in a second hand book shop.
So glad itsin print again,now I can lend my copy without risk of being unable to replace it if it strays..
Excellent, light hearted, down to Earth - but not frivolous. - By: C. Foster, 17 Oct 2006 As per the other user reviews, this tells the story of a trip to the Hindu Kush takenin 1956 - apparently on no more than a whim.
Eric Newby was workingin the fashion industry for some years before the journey & the opening chapter covers some of his time here.
As with other parts of the book, this can be a little confusing. Mr Newby also neglects to mention his timein the SBS & his earlier endeavours before & during the 2nd world war.
This book worked well on 2 levels for me -
Firstly, a charming travelogue chronicling the adventures & mishaps of 2 supposedly entirely inexperienced climbers going from a 2 day crash coursein the Welsh mountains to the Hindu Kushin the space of weeks.
Bearin mind this liesin Afghanistan - "Kafiristan" - or Nuristan - is a region of that country rather than a countryin its own right.
Secondly, many of the places mentioned on the way to the mountains are also mentionedin Rory Stewart's excellent book - "The Places In Between". In this book, Mr Stewart describes his walk across the mountains of Afghanistanin 2002.
The differences (or lack thereof)in the near half century gap are fascinating.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interestin either travel or the current situationin this region. On one level it is a simple & often funny story, on another an insight into a culture & way of life which must surely be living on borrowed time.
The Hindu Kush and the British Upper Classes - By: P. Miller, 17 Mar 2005 this book was written years ago, before tourism was common. the travellers are completely clueless & ill-equipped - compare them to Dervla Murphy on the same area - & consequently you are pulled into how they are going to survivein this brutal landscape. A good read, & an eye-opener about the upper class adventurers of the past.
