Something Lost Behind the Ranges - Softcover

John Blashford-Snell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006383831 ISBN 13: 9780006383833

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1995

Synopsis

The intrepid adventures of a real-life Indiana Jones - explorer extraordinaire and founder of Operation Raleigh - are described in this book. The greater the challenge, the more eager Blashford-Snell is to attempt it. Having learned the nuts and bolts of leadership at Sandhurst, the next 15 years were dominated by three epic expeditions: a scientific exploration of the Blue Nile through unmapped and unknown territory, which involved being shot at by natives, beaten by rapids and terrified by crocodiles 15 feet long; the carving of a route across the inhospitable Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia in the face of vicious wildlife; and the coursing of the Zaire River from the middle of Africa to the Atlantic in giant inflatable boats in pursuit of a cure for the terrible disease known as "river blindness". In the wake of these expeditions, John set up Operation Drake for young non-Army men and women. Endorsed by the Prince of Wales, it became Operation Raleigh, and is still exploring today. So is Blashford-Snell - his latest trip was the much publicized search for the giant elephants of Mongolia.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

It is not difficult to see why Royal Engineer Colonel John Blashford-Snell has been called the British Indiana Jones. His expeditions are the stuff of legend, except that they are true...

Whatever terrain you care to think of – rain-soaked jungle, snake-filled swamp, scorching desert or raging torrent – Blashford-Snell has paddled, hacked, ploughed or dynamited his way through it. It was Blashford-Snell who led the first descent of the Blue Nile, who forced the first vehicular passage of the jungles of the entire Darien Gap between North and South America, and who first navigated 2,700 miles of the Zaire river, combating exhaustion, stress, health crises, crocodiles, broken limbs and angry, rifle-toting tribesmen along the way. In the wake of these expeditions he set up Operation Drake and Operation Raleigh, and shows no signs of stopping yet – as his action-packed memoirs reveal, his team has recently tackled vital aid and conservation tasks in the Mongolian Gobi, and discovered giant elephants in a Himalayan valley...

Full of wit, thrills and excitement, 'Something Lost Behind the Ranges' enters a world of adventure and discovery, conjuring up a picture of a true-life 'Boy’s Own' hero.

“As incident piles on incident, and crocodiles, bandits and precipices tumble over each other in the pages of this remarkable soldier’s tale, it is impossible not to be impressed and enthralled”
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

“A stream of entertaining anecdotes...an unswerving display of humour and optimism”
CLARE FRANCIS

“A witty and exciting book”
DAILY TELEGRAPH

About the Author:

John Blashford-Snell started his career in the army and then set up Operation Raleigh. He has been on over 60 expeditions in almost every part of the world. He now organizes exploration projects with emphasis on conservation, environmental issues and wildlife.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0006383831
• ISBN 13: 9780006383833
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384