Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer

Sir Francis Younghusband was the last of the great imperialists and a dashing adventurer. In 1903 he single-handedly turned a small diplomatic mission into a full-scale military invasion of the last unexplored country on earth, Tibet. Yet he subsequently became an outlandish mystical philosopher and an Indian nationalist. Admired by Bertrand Russell, Lord Curzon, H. G. Wells and John Buchan, Younghusband held the world record for the 300-yard dash, was The Times correspondent during the siege of Chitral, became the first European since Marco Polo to find a new overland route from China to India, and organized the early assaults on Mount Everest. In a life that provides a rare glimpse into the spirit of his times, Younghusband embraced and personified, without apparent contradiction, the two cultures of late British imperialism. He spent much of his early life as a leading player in the Great Game - the battle of wits for control over the uncharted territory of High Asia - and his presumed death as a spy in the Pamirs almost sparked off a war between British India and Tsarist Russia. But despite being a classic Edwardian, full of pomposity and repression, in the post-First World War era he led the way in religious, philosophical and sexual free-thinking.

Biographies & Memoirs

French, Patrick

Historical

Harpercollins

Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division

History

Asia

In 1982, while he was still a schoolboy, Patrick French met the Dalai Lama for the first time. Ever since, he has been fascinated by Tibet's people, its history, and its recent plight. "Tibet, Tibet" is a combination of travel and history. The book offers an exploration of one of the most beautiful, isolated, mysterious and misunderstood countries on earth. It follows Patrick French's progress on a journey through Tibet, sidetracked on the way by a cascade of information, thoughts and reflections on such subjects as the correct method of travelling across a desert by night; the advisability of not naming your children until their sixth year; and events like the removal of a corrupt Regent's eyeballs by means of a yak's knucklebones in 1933.

Dreams and Memories of a Lost Land : A Personal History of a Lost Land

HARPER/COLLINS

Sir Francis Younghusband was the last of the great imperialists—a dashing adventurer, who in 1903 single-handedly invaded Tibet, wiped out its entire army, and then became a mystic. Admired by H.G Wells and Bertrand Russell, he launched early assaults on Mt. Everest, held the world record for the 300-yard dash, was the first European since Marco Polo to travel from Peking to Central Asia, discovered the source of the Indus, and, as a spy, his presumed death nearly sparked an Indo-Russian war. The quest to discover this man led Patrick French from the Himalayas to Kashmir and into Tibet in search of clues.

Leaders & Notable People

HarperCollins, UK

At midnight on August 14, 1947, Britain's 350-year-old Indian Empire cracked into three pieces. The greatest mass migration in history began, as Muslims fled north and Hindus fled south, over a million being massacred on the way. Britain's role as world power came to an end and the course of Asia's future was irrevocably set. Patrick French offers a reinterpretation of the events surrounding India's independence and partition, including the disastrous mistakes made by politicians and the bizarre reasoning behind many of their decisions. Exploring the interplay between characters such as Churchill, Mountbatten and Gandhi, it reveals a tale of idealism and manipulation, hope and tragedy. With sources ranging from newly declassified secret documents to the memories of refugees, Patrick French gives an account of an epic debacle, the impact of which reverberates across Asia to this day.

Tibet, Tibet A Personal History of a Lost Land

KNOPF

Patrick French's India: A Portrait tells the story of how India emerged from a turbulent struggle for independence to become a vibrant democracy with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. India is the biggest democracy on earth, a country of dynamic change, huge divisions and countless identities. Is there any way to discover the 'real' India? In this intimate biography of 1.2 billion people, Patrick French travels all over the country talking to everyone from political leaders to mafia dons, from chained quarry workers to self-made billionaire entrepreneurs, to tell the story of post-independence India as never before. 'Patrick French brings one of the globe's most dynamic nations springing to life ... he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the country, sensitivity to its subtler nuances and a wealth of research' Sunday Times 'It's gripping ... If you're Indian, reading the book is like learning the history of your country in four days' New Indian Express 'Fizzing with wit, insight and infectious curiosity ... a thoroughly enjoyable romp through six momentous decades' Wall Street Journal Asia 'Wide-ranging, clear-sighted, warm-hearted and immensely readable ... The human tales that French finds are engrossing' Evening Standard 'A rich colouring of contemporary characters and events, many of them sharply observed at first hand. Crammed with elegant portraits' Economist Patrick French is the author of Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division, which won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land, The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Hawthornden Prize, and India: A Portrait.

India: A Portrait

Penguin Uk

From the author of India: A Portrait, Patrick French's Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land has been acclaimed as the book that showed the real Tibet for the first time.  Tibet has long fascinated the West, but what really lies beyond our romantic image of a Buddhist mountain kingdom of peace and spirituality?  Travelling through the country, French meets warrior monks, nomads and a nun secretly fighting Chinese communist rule, but also young Tibetans with a more pragmatic attitude to their situation. Interweaving these encounters with little-known stories of war and turmoil from Tibet's past, he reveals a more nuanced, fascinating and surprising picture of this complex place than any other book has done.   'Mixes a compelling subject, magnificent prose and deep understanding'   The Times  'Inspired and heartfelt ... shows that Tibet was never the peace-loving paradise so many generations of well-wishers have longed for it to be'   Pico Iyer, Los Angeles Times  'Tibet, Tibet, so good they named it twice ... French is a writer of generous talents'  Sunday Times  'French has produced something very different from what he calls "Tibetophile" literature, something greatly superior in its honesty and lack of false sentiment'  Spectator  'A gripping mix of history, travel writing and personal memoir ... vividly told'   Observer  Patrick French is the author of Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division, which won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land and, most recently, The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Hawthornden Prize.

Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land. Patrick French

Penguin Group

From Calcutta to the snows of the Himalayas, Patrick French's Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer pieces together the story of a man who embodies all the romance and folly of Britain's lost imperial dream. Soldier, explorer, mystic, guru and spy, Francis Younghusband began his colonial career as a military adventurer and became a radical visionary who preached free love to his followers. Patrick French's award-winning biography traces the unpredictable life of the maverick with the 'damned rum name', who singlehandedly led the 1904 British invasion of Tibet, discovered a new route from China to India, organized the first expeditions up Mount Everest and attempted to start a new world religion. 'A story full of excitement and insight, humour and curiosity' Michael Holroyd 'Breathtakingly accomplished' Observer 'Beautifully written, wise, balanced, fair, funny and above all extremely original' William Dalrymple 'Dazzling' Niall Ferguson 'I found myself reading through the night. This is a rare gem of a book, one which so perfectly combines author and subject that it must set new standards for the future of historical biography' Independent on Sunday Patrick French is the author of Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division, which won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land, The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Hawthornden Prize, and India: A Portrait.

Younghusband

Liberty or Death is Patrick French's vivid and surprising account of the chaotic final years of colonial rule in India, acclaimed as the definitive book on this subject.    At midnight on 14 August 1947, Great Britain's 350-year-old Indian Empire was broken into three pieces. The greatest mass migration in history began, as Muslims fled north and Hindus fled south, and Britain's role as an imperial power came to an end.    Journeying across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Patrick French brings to life a cast of characters including spies, idealists, freedom fighters and politicians from Winston Churchill to Mahatma Gandhi. The result is a compelling story of deal-making, missed opportunities, hope and tragedy.  'A fine, lucid book ... vividly drawn with novel-like touches'   Hanif Kureshi    'Extraordinarily able and nuanced ... a brilliant book on an important subject ... French is the most impressive Western historian of modern India currently at work'   Herald  'Beautifully written'   Sunday Times   'French is a natural storyteller ... a delightful tale of intrigue, ham-handedness and just plain blundering'   India Today    Patrick French is the author of India: A Portrait, Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land, The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Hawthornden Prize.

Liberty Or Death

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by French, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by French, Patrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by French, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer

Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division

Dreams and Memories of a Lost Land : A Personal History of a Lost Land

Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer

Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division

Tibet, Tibet A Personal History of a Lost Land

India: A Portrait

Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land. Patrick French

Younghusband

Liberty Or Death