First published: Great Britain : Harper Press, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 501-510) and index.

Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003), the last of the great gentlemen explorer-adventurers, journeyed for sixty years to some of the remotest, most dangerous places on earth from the mountains of western Asia to the marshes of Iraq. The author of Arabian Sands, The Marsh Arabs and The Life of my Choice, he was a legend in his own lifetime but his character and motivations have remained an intriguing enigma. In this authorized biography--written with Thesiger's support before he died in 2003 and with unique access to the rich Thesiger archive--Alexander Maitland investigates this fascinating figure's family influences, his wartime experiences, his philosophy as a hunter and conservationist, his writing and photography, his friendships with Arabs and Africans amongst whom he lived, and his now-acknowledged homosexuality.--From publisher description.

The Emperor Menelik's 'new flower' -- Hope and fortune -- Gorgeous barbarity -- 'One handsome rajah' -- Passages to India and England -- The cold, bleak English Downs -- Eton: lasting respect and veneration -- Shrine of my youth -- The mountains of Arussi -- Across the Sultanate of Aussa -- Savage Sudan -- The Nuer -- Rape of my homeland -- Among the Druze -- The flowering desert -- Palestine: shifting lights and shades -- Prelude to Arabia -- Arabian sands -- Marsh and mountain -- Among the mountains -- A winter in Copenhagen -- Camel journeys to the Jade Sea -- With nomadic tribes in other lands -- Kenya days.

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