What do you think?
Rate this book
The Heart of a Continent: A Narrative of Travels in Manchuria, across the Gobi Desert, through the Himalayas, the Pamirs, and Chitral, 1884-1894
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1880 edition by the Clarendon Press, Oxford.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionTravel
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1896
17 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Francis Younghusband
106 books14 followersSir Francis Edward Younghusband was born on 31 May 1863 in Muree on the North-West Frontier of British India (now in Pakistan), the son of Major-General John W. Younghusband and Clara Jane Shaw. Younghusband married Helen Augusta Magniac, with whom he had two children, a son who died in infancy and a daughter, Eileen Younghusband. Their daughter went on to become a prominent social worker. He died on 31 July 1942 in Dorset, England.
Younghusband attended Clifton College, Bristol, before entering the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1881. After his time at the Academy he was commissioned as a Subaltern in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards where he began his military career. He rose through the ranks and in 1902, due to fears of Russian expansion, the now Major Younghusband, was promoted to the position of British Commisioner to Tibet, a post he held until 1904. He was an explorer of the Gobi Desert and Manchuria. In 1906, he became British Resident in Kashmir.
He returned to Britain in 1909 and became involved and interested in religious/spiritual matters. He was a member of the India Society and became friends with many Indians in Britain.
Younghusband was elected President of the Royal Geographic Society in 1919, and two years later became Chairman of the Mount Everest Committee which was set up in 1921 to co-ordinate the reconnaissance of Mount Everest. He actively encouraged climbers, including George Mallory, to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and they followed the same initial route as the earlier Tibet Mission.
In 1933 he attended the Second Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He then became involved in the organization and leadership of the World Fellowship of Faith's congress in London, to be held in 1936. Subsequent congresses were held in places such as Oxford in 1937, Cambridge in 1938, Paris in 1939, in which Younghusband continued to take a leading role.
Younghusband wrote twenty-six books between 1895 and 1942 on topics ranging from exploration and mountaineering to philosophy and politics.
Younghusband attended Clifton College, Bristol, before entering the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1881. After his time at the Academy he was commissioned as a Subaltern in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards where he began his military career. He rose through the ranks and in 1902, due to fears of Russian expansion, the now Major Younghusband, was promoted to the position of British Commisioner to Tibet, a post he held until 1904. He was an explorer of the Gobi Desert and Manchuria. In 1906, he became British Resident in Kashmir.
He returned to Britain in 1909 and became involved and interested in religious/spiritual matters. He was a member of the India Society and became friends with many Indians in Britain.
Younghusband was elected President of the Royal Geographic Society in 1919, and two years later became Chairman of the Mount Everest Committee which was set up in 1921 to co-ordinate the reconnaissance of Mount Everest. He actively encouraged climbers, including George Mallory, to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and they followed the same initial route as the earlier Tibet Mission.
In 1933 he attended the Second Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He then became involved in the organization and leadership of the World Fellowship of Faith's congress in London, to be held in 1936. Subsequent congresses were held in places such as Oxford in 1937, Cambridge in 1938, Paris in 1939, in which Younghusband continued to take a leading role.
Younghusband wrote twenty-six books between 1895 and 1942 on topics ranging from exploration and mountaineering to philosophy and politics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 29, 2023
One of my all-time favorite memoir/adventure stories. As I recall, this book describes three (?) separate adventures; but the main one was Younghusband's 1887 solo overland trip from Manchuria across "Greater China" and ultimately back to India - basically just for the hell of it, since everyone else who had been a part of the same mission to Manchuria/Korea made the return trip by ship - you know, the way a normal person would.
But not our Sir Frank. Nope, he went the long way - by horse, camel and foot across both the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, Xinjiang and ultimately the Karakoram Mountains, being the first European to cross via the treacherous Mustagh Pass.
Recommend this book with no reservations to absolutely everyone who loves old-school, 19th century British explorers - the only infuriating aspect of the whole thing being that Younghusband made this remarkable journey WHEN HE WAS JUST 24 YEARS OLD! Makes me feel like I have TOTALLY wasted my own life... :(
(You could - until recently - learn more about this strangely complex historical badass from many places, but one of my favorites was the adventure-journal.com article, appropriately titled "The Strange Complexity of Historical Badass Sir Francis Younghusband" - but sadly, it looks like this article is no longer available.)
But not our Sir Frank. Nope, he went the long way - by horse, camel and foot across both the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, Xinjiang and ultimately the Karakoram Mountains, being the first European to cross via the treacherous Mustagh Pass.
Recommend this book with no reservations to absolutely everyone who loves old-school, 19th century British explorers - the only infuriating aspect of the whole thing being that Younghusband made this remarkable journey WHEN HE WAS JUST 24 YEARS OLD! Makes me feel like I have TOTALLY wasted my own life... :(
(You could - until recently - learn more about this strangely complex historical badass from many places, but one of my favorites was the adventure-journal.com article, appropriately titled "The Strange Complexity of Historical Badass Sir Francis Younghusband" - but sadly, it looks like this article is no longer available.)
August 15, 2013
Written in 1904 with characteristic Victorian restraint, Younghusband details numerous expeditions of increasing complexity and military significance from 1884 to 1894, leading up to his game-changing invasion of Tibet. In this narrative, you will ride a bactrian camel across the Gobi, lodge in a Muslim inn in Kashgar, cross dangerous, uncharted passes in the Karakorum Range (of K2 fame), gaze upon the unsullied beauty of the Himalaya, and confront dangerous Hunza raiders.
Personalities you will meet along the way read like Central Asian version of Central Casting: opium-smoking Chinese caravan guides, Peter Lorre-like shady Eastern European tea merchants, the indomitable Drogpa, the Ladakhi Buddhist turned Muslim go-to guy who became the mainstay of many expeditions who took the name Mohammed Isa, the good-natured but doomed Colonel Grombchevsky, the ruthless and paranoid Mir of Hunza, Intelligence Chief M. Durand, the father of all Intelligence Chiefs, numerous Gurkhas, Pathans, Kirghiz, and other intelligence operatives who flit in and out of Younghusband's Great Game adventure. In that vein, veiled language creeps into the text, "Together we proceeded to Leh, and joined there two other travellers, Mssrs. Beech and Lennard, who were for sporting purposes, also proceeding to the Pamirs and Chinese Turkestan." Given what we know today about Mssrs. Beech and Lennard, we can read this sentence and many more with tongue held firmly in cheek. Overall, a great read.
Personalities you will meet along the way read like Central Asian version of Central Casting: opium-smoking Chinese caravan guides, Peter Lorre-like shady Eastern European tea merchants, the indomitable Drogpa, the Ladakhi Buddhist turned Muslim go-to guy who became the mainstay of many expeditions who took the name Mohammed Isa, the good-natured but doomed Colonel Grombchevsky, the ruthless and paranoid Mir of Hunza, Intelligence Chief M. Durand, the father of all Intelligence Chiefs, numerous Gurkhas, Pathans, Kirghiz, and other intelligence operatives who flit in and out of Younghusband's Great Game adventure. In that vein, veiled language creeps into the text, "Together we proceeded to Leh, and joined there two other travellers, Mssrs. Beech and Lennard, who were for sporting purposes, also proceeding to the Pamirs and Chinese Turkestan." Given what we know today about Mssrs. Beech and Lennard, we can read this sentence and many more with tongue held firmly in cheek. Overall, a great read.
June 10, 2024
Francis Younghusband was a prominent member of the British military which was involved in the Great Game, rivalry between the British and Russian empires over influence in Afghanistan and Tibet during the 1800's. He also carried out a number of amazing explorations demonstrating his fortitude as an explorer, which are described in this book. He crossed the Gobi desert, as the first European to cross Mustagh Pass.
At that time, Tibet was very much remote and untouched by other civilizations: "When I visited the secluded little state of Hunza, whose inhabitants were shut out by the mountains from contact with outside peoples and countries, I found they thought that the world only consisted of a few neighboring valleys, and that no higher race than themselves existed."
The best of the book are his descriptions of the countries he passes through, plus the people and their customs. While crossing the Gobi desert - at night, to avoid the heat of the day - he describes the beauty of the stars and the Milky Way. "Venus was a resplendent object, and it guided us over many a mile of that desert."
Many references to Marco Polo sheep (now Ovis ammon polii), often finding impressive horns of dead sheep.
Many of the passes he crossed were glaciated. In some, he was stopped as the glaciers had advanced since his guides had last been over the pass. Generally, he crossed the glaciated passes without alpine gear. In some cases, they rode yaks - "... the yak knows by instinct the parts that will not bear, and, snorting and sniffing along, he finds his way unerringly up a glacier."
It is interesting to read of his opinions, being representative of Europeans at the time. He had huge faith in the positive effect of missionaries on the local people. He was surprised that the Chinese do not take milk from cows, apparently being unaware of lactose intolerance.
The book closes with Younghusband's reflections on government, religion and life.
At that time, Tibet was very much remote and untouched by other civilizations: "When I visited the secluded little state of Hunza, whose inhabitants were shut out by the mountains from contact with outside peoples and countries, I found they thought that the world only consisted of a few neighboring valleys, and that no higher race than themselves existed."
The best of the book are his descriptions of the countries he passes through, plus the people and their customs. While crossing the Gobi desert - at night, to avoid the heat of the day - he describes the beauty of the stars and the Milky Way. "Venus was a resplendent object, and it guided us over many a mile of that desert."
Many references to Marco Polo sheep (now Ovis ammon polii), often finding impressive horns of dead sheep.
Many of the passes he crossed were glaciated. In some, he was stopped as the glaciers had advanced since his guides had last been over the pass. Generally, he crossed the glaciated passes without alpine gear. In some cases, they rode yaks - "... the yak knows by instinct the parts that will not bear, and, snorting and sniffing along, he finds his way unerringly up a glacier."
It is interesting to read of his opinions, being representative of Europeans at the time. He had huge faith in the positive effect of missionaries on the local people. He was surprised that the Chinese do not take milk from cows, apparently being unaware of lactose intolerance.
The book closes with Younghusband's reflections on government, religion and life.
November 18, 2017
If you attempted these travels today you either would be killed, ransom or imprisioned....
I would have loved to make these travels today.
I would have loved to make these travels today.
May 24, 2013
Stunningly vivid travel journal by the first European to cross the Gobi desert (perhapsNot. Marco Polo did it.). Typical quote:
"There was fortunately no sand about - we were on a gravel plain - but the small pebbles were being driven before the wind with great velocity, and hurt us considerably. The storm lasted for half an hour, and it was then as calm and bright as before, and much cooler."
"There was fortunately no sand about - we were on a gravel plain - but the small pebbles were being driven before the wind with great velocity, and hurt us considerably. The storm lasted for half an hour, and it was then as calm and bright as before, and much cooler."
May 30, 2020
A book like this has to flutter. Maps !
Maps make them flutter and bring them to life.
Without maps, it's a poor show. Publisher should have taken care of it.
Still, a fabulous endeavour, and a monument to human curiosity and energy . :)
Maps make them flutter and bring them to life.
Without maps, it's a poor show. Publisher should have taken care of it.
Still, a fabulous endeavour, and a monument to human curiosity and energy . :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews