Something Lost Beyond the Ranges

by John B. Snell

Something Lost Behind the Ranges. The Autobiography of john Blashford-Snell. Full of wit, thrills and excitement. Something Behind the Ranges enters a world of adventure and discovery, conjuring up a picture of a tru-life Boy's hero. Blashford-Snell has been called the British Indiana Jones.

Genres: Travel

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 1994

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the colonel doesn't possess the most sophisticated writing style, and some may raise an eyebrow at many an outdated turn of phrase, the sheer scale and variety of his explorations over thirty-plus years is impressive to behold.

Evoking the spirit of the great British Victorian explorers before him, Blashford-Snell is an inspiration to what can be achieved with daring spirit, creative thinking, hard work and unerring belief in the art of the impossible. Incredible contacts in the military royalty, diplomacy and business did no harm either.

But we also understand his social conscience. These expeditions were not simply for the sake of adventure. They were to further our understanding of science, the environment, archeology, anthropology and geography. Most importantly, with Operations Drake and Raleigh, Blashford-Snell did his bit to tackle searing social-economic problems and urban tensions in 1970s Britain by giving disadvantaged young people an opportunity to do extraordinary things. Raleigh, in particular, was arguably was the prototype for the modern gap year expedition experience. While these are today too much the preserve of the privileged, it's important to remember their potential to have transformative effects on the lives of those less so.