The Lost Camels of Tartary: A Quest Into Forbidden China

by John Neville Hare

Book Overview

John Hare has made three expeditions to the Mongolian and Chinese Gobi deserts, the first in 1993 with Russian scientists and the second and third with Chinese scientists in 1995 and 1996. The book records the amazing adventures he has experienced on those expeditions and will record details of the 30-day walk on foot in the formidable Kum Tagh sand dunes in the spring of 1997. He is the first recorded foreigner to have crossed the Gashun Gobi from north to south. The expeditions were primarily concerned with tracking down the mysterious wild Bactrian camel 'camelus bactrianus ferus' which lives in the heartland of the desert and is the ancestor of all domestic Bactrian stock. There are under a thousand left in the world and the wild Bactrian camel is more endangered than the giant Panda. This is John Hare's magnificent account of a formidable feat of modern exploration.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0349111464
• ISBN13: 9780349111469
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

one hump or two?

I have this and other books by the same authors, describing their intrepid travels, and it is very interesting stuff, maybe slightly obscure, but fascinating. I listened to John Hare speak at the Hay festival, and none of the other authors, big names included, spoke with the same passion or intensity, which is why I walked out at the end of his speech and purchased his book in the book tent.

Actually quite a good book

Mr. Hare has written a pretty good book, actually. The information on the camels, was quite interesting, though left me wanting to know more. This could be in part due to the wild Bactrians endangered status and the wildness and hostility of the terrain that they live in - it's not easy collecting data in that kind of environment. Where Mr. Hare really shines though is his access to locales normally off-limits to foreigners (i.e. "Lop Nur" or "Lop Nor", the Chinese nuclear weapons testing ground) and insights given to historical events not commonly known to Westerners (i.e. Russian mass executions of Outer Mongolian peoples). This is scare information that shouldn't be so readily dismissed! Now, if the author has left you begging for more information on the ancient ruins in the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts, here are two other books which you might like: 1. "The Tarim Mummies", by J. P. Mallory and Victor H. Mair. The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West 2. "The Mummies of Urumchi", by Elizabeth Wayland Barber.The Mummies of Urumchi They don't discuss much about Bactrian Camels, but they do speak of the climate, ecology and history of the area, as well as the migrations of many different peoples. They would both tie-in nicely with Mr. Hare's book. All in all, a good read by Mr. Hare. Am hoping he'll write another with further information on the Bactrians, hopefully with good news on their status...

A wonderful account of an exciting adventure

I strongly recommend this book to those with an interest in travel, nature conservation and the history of central Asia. John Hare gives a detailed and clear account of his expeditions into the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts in Mongolia and China in serach of the wild Bactrian camel. Combining history, science and keen observation, John Hare brings the desolate wilderness of Central Asia to life.