Through a Land of Extremes: The Littledales of Central Asia

by Elizabeth Clinch, Nicholas Clinch, Chris Bonington (Foreword)

On August 4, 1895, at a 19,000 foot pass on the north side of Goring La in Tibet, only 48 miles from Lhasa, a 43-year-old Englishman, his 55-year-old wife, and a fox terrier confronted over 150 Tibetans armed with primitive matchlocks. The Englishman was St. George Littledale. His wife, Teresa, had shared in all of his adventures. In the 19th century, Teresa and George Littledale were known as the greatest English explorers of their day, journeying further into the hidden lands of Asia than any Western explorer had previously achieved. Yet, because they never published their own account of their journeys, for more than a century their story has remained largely forgotten. Now, the authors, having discovered the Littledales' diaries and letters, have for the first time pieced together their remarkable, adventurous, and courageous lives.

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nashafitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book in a little bookstore. While the authors are total amateur biographers, this was an exciting book to read. First, it was interesting that the authors themselves had dedicated so much of their life to researching and uncovering the adventures of two Victorian travelers. And then, it was absolutely fun reading how these two nondescript people traveled through India, China, Central Asia, Tibet, on foot during the reign of the British Empire. I learned a lot about the politics of the day, but more importantly this book filled me with a sense of adventure and the joy of building an interesting life.

[Bruce Hesselbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some great explorers who wrote wonderful books, and others equally great who for one reason or other left no book behind. St. George Littledale and his intrepid wife Teresa belong to the latter group. St. George was a sportsman who loved the adventure of traveling to inaccessible places to hunt, and his wife simply enjoyed the adventure of travel.
Early in his career, St. George realized that he would be welcomed in more places if he did not publicize his travels. Additionally, he was recruited as a British spy, and therefore had another reason to eschew notoriety. Since the Littledales were quite wealthy, they had no interest in self-promotion. Nevertheless, they made some outstanding journeys in Central Asia and Tibet in 1890-1895. Because they left behind no book, they have been relegated to brief notices by other travelers.
That is now changed due to the extraordinary detective work by Elizabeth and Nicholas Clinch. Fans of travel and adventure books will already know Nicholas Clinch as the leader of the only American first ascent of a 25,000 foot peak. He told the tale of that feat in his wonderfully witty book, A Walk in the Sky.
With great perseverance, the Clinches were able to uncover Teresa Littledale's diary. This, along with many other sources, enabled them to bring the Littledales vividly to life. The cast of characters in the book includes a number of interesting personalities, including their intelligent and resourceful Ladakhi servant, whose name meant "Black Robber." All in all, a wonderful story saved from the abyss.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just now finished reading this, a book I happened upon quite randomly at the library. The authors are, as far as I can tell, amateur historian-biographers and they did huge and impressive amounts of research to write this book about Teresa and St. George Littledale and their extremely impressive and grueling adventures exploring Central Asia at the end of the 19th century. Lots and lots of detail, including occasionally excessive details like how many beast of burden they "lost" on a daily basis or all of the trophy and scientific hunting that St. George did. Teresa was the plant collector. In any case, it was a gripping series of adventures and does an admirable job of unearthing the story of what were apparently a really nice husband and wife team who treated the locals with respect and fairness and were so humble about their accomplishments that they were sort of lost in the mists of time. Lots of detail, but very readable. The story of their attempt to make it to Lhasa in the 1880s was particularly exciting.

[Tom Ryerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I bought this book September of 2021, I just got around to reading it this month when I rediscovered it on my bookshelf.

Teresa Harris, one of the subjects in this book, was my 2nd cousin, four times removed. It's pretty cool to have ties to Eldon House in London, ON, and it brought this story a lot closer to me.

The book was a very enjoyable read because it was such a well written book. I loved all of the detail, the painstaking research that went into this project. To think Teresa and St. George experienced these fantastic adventures and it hadn't been recorded anywhere. The authors corrected this oversight, and left behind a very tangible record.

The book also exposed a myth that had been repeated over the years in our family about Teresa. For years it had been believed that "Teresa was the first female to ever enter the forbidden Tibet City monastery of Lhasa. It is said that she was smuggled in, wrapped in a rug."

Now reading the book I know that Teresa and St. George got within 48 miles of Lhasa, and then were turned away, barely surviving the trip with their lives. Myth busted!

Highly recommended for those who like historical reads.

[Bengul · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Chris Bonington mentioned that this book "is particularly appropriate when the ruthless pace of modernization is penetrating the most distant valleys of this vast, once untamed, area." in 2007.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book since it was about a friend's cousin, but I loved reading about the courage and circumstances that allowed this couple to take expeditions across Central Asia.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an impressively researched book, continuously gathering momentum and full of impeccable details on expedition and ordinary life in Central Asia before European influence. Definitely worth the difficult read.