In Search of the Nomads : An English Obsession from Hester Stanhope to Bruce Chatwin

John Ure has travelled with the Bedouin of the Arabian peninsular, the Moors and Tuareg of the Sahara, migratory pastoral tribes of southern Iran, and the Mongol horsemen and Tartar descendents of Central Asia. He also writes of the eccentric Europeans who sought out nomads - exiles from high society, like Lady Hester Stanhope and the Hon Jane Digby; adventurers Richard Burton and T. E. Lawrence; and, distinguished figures like Vita Sackville-West, Freya Stark and Bruce Chatwin, and oddities - a tetchy Consul Abbot in Persia, or two missionary ladies in the Gobi Desert. Often stranger than the exotic peoples they visited, John Ure brings them to life with practised skill and humour. From Time Immemorial 'the Tradition Of The Camp-fire Has Faced That Of The Pyramid': Settled Communities Have Contemplated Nomads With Fascination And Envy, Or With Disdain And Fear. English-speaking Peoples Seem To Have Had A Particular Obsession With Certain Nomadic Peoples, Stemming Often From Their Own Wanderlust And Admiration For The Unfettered Life Of Those Who Roam The Deserts And Mountains Of The World's Remotest Corners. John Ure Has Chosen Four Regions That Are Rich In Nomadic Culture: The Arabian Peninsula With Its Bedouin, The Sahara With Its Moors And Tuareg, The Mountain Ranges Of Southern Iran With Their Migratory Pastoral Tribes, And The Steppes Of Central Asia With Their Mongol Horsemen And Tartar Descendants. He Has Travelled With All Of Them And Introduces The Different Sections Of His Book With A Brief Account Of The Special Characteristics And History Of Each Nomadic Group.--book Jacket. Preface: Legacy Of A Sandstorm -- Bk. I. The Migratory Tribes Of Southern Persia -- The Bakhtiari -- The Qashqai -- Bk. Ii. The Bedouin Of Arabia And The Levant -- The Bedouin Of Arabia: An Exotic Appeal -- Bk. Iii. The Mongol Horsemen Of Central Asia -- Mongolia -- Afghanistan -- Bk. Iv. The Tuareg And The Moors Of The Sahara -- The Tuarag And The Mauritanian Moors Of The Sahara. John Ure. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 223-225) And Index. From time immemorial settled people have contemplated nomads with a mixture of fascination, envy, disdain and fear. In this work, John Ure looks at four regions of the world that are rich in nomadic culture and explains their special characteristics and what he has learnt about their past From time immemorial settled peoples have contemplated nomads with a mixture of fascination, envy, disdain and fear. This book looks at four regions that are rich in nomadic culture: the Arabian peninsular; the Sahara; the mountains of Southern Iran; and the steppes of Central Asia. The author has travelled with the Bedouin of the Arabian peninsular, the Moors and Tuareg of the Sahara, migratory pastoral tribes of southern Iran, and the Mongol horsemen and Tartar descendents of Central Asia. This title discusses the eccentric Europeans who sought out nomads. , xvi, 232 pages, illustrated with black & white photographic plates and maps, SIGNED by John Ure on the front free endpaper