Book Prospectus - SVEN HEDIN - THROUGH ASIA

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1 double leaf. Mild foxing, otherwise in Very Good Condition, seldom found in such original condition. Measuring 9 inches x 6 inches (23cm x 15cm), this leaflet is very well preserved.    A rare and lovely item to pair with the collector's copy of the book!

Between the years 1893 and 1935 Hedin made four expeditions to Central Asia, charting the first detailed maps of significant areas in Pamir, Taklamakan, Tibet, the ancient Silk Road, and the Himalayas. He was also the first to unearth the ruins of ancient Buddhist cities in Chinese Central Asia. In 1899 he discovered the ancient Chinese garrison town of Loulan (Lou-lan) in the Taklamakan desert, where he unearthed many important historical manuscripts.

The highly acclaimed Swedish explorer and geographer, Sven Hedin (1865-1952), travelled widely in Central Asia during several major trips and expeditions. His first major expedition in 1893-1897 was also his third trip to Asia. During this expedition he attempted to climb Mt. Mustagh Ata, nearly died crossing western Taklamakan Desert, discovered ancient settlements in the desert, studied the region around the "Wandering Lake," Lop Nor, and crossed northern Tibet, arriving in Beijing in March 1897. He published a popular two-volume book, Through Asia, and a volume of scientific reports.

During his second major expedition to Asia 1899-1902 he continued his studies of the Lop Nor area, explored and mapped in Tibet, but was prevented from reaching Lhasa. On return he was ennobled by King Oscar II, the last Swede to be so honored. He published results of his travels in the two-volume book "Central Asia and Tibet" and in several volumes of scientific results.

In 1906-1908 he crossed Iran (then Persia) to India and from there entered Tibet despite British opposition. He made detailed observations in SW Tibet and made disputed claims to have discovered a previously unknown Transhimalaya range and the sources of the major Indian rivers. Results of the expedition were published in a popular 3-volume account, "Transhimalaya", and a decade later a 9-volume collection of scientific results.

His last major expedition, 1926-1935, involved substantial German and Chinese participation and scientific studies across a variety of disciplines. He spent significant time in Mongolia and en route to the Tarim Basin, was held captive by the forces of the rebellious Dungan warlord General Ma, and studied the historic shift of Lake Lop Nor back into its former location. While the expedition was still underway he wrote several popular books on it and then launched publication of the scientific results, which appeared in 54 volumes down into the 1980s.

In the area at the very far eastern corner of China's Taklimakan Desert, Lop Nor Lake was located up until some years ago. Lop Nor, also called the "the heart of the heart" of Asia, was the place where the waters of the largest inner basin (i.e., not flowing into the sea) of the world-including the Tarim and Kum-daria Rivers-were collected. Depending on the balance between rainfall water yield and evaporation, both position and size of the lake were strongly variable, thus giving rise to the legend of the Wandering Lake. The Wandering Lake does not exist anymore. The combination of climate change and human exploitation of water resources for agriculture caused the disappearance of the lake.