The Amur River
€13.19
The Amur River is almost unknown. Yet it is the tenth longest river in the world, rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific. For 1,100 miles it forms the tense border between Russia and China. Haunted by the memory of land-grabs and unequal treaties, this is the most densely fortified frontier on earth. In his 80th year, Colin Thubron takes a dramatic journey from the Amur’s secret source to its giant mouth, covering almost 3,000 miles. Harassed by injury and by arrest from the local police, he makes his way along both the Russian and Chinese shores, starting out by Mongolian horse, then hitchhiking, sailing on poacher’s sloops or travelling the Trans-Siberian Express. Having revived his Russian and Mandarin, he talks to everyone he meets, from Chinese traders to Russian fishermen, from monks to indigenous peoples.
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'Thubron on top form. Richly detailed, immaculately written and full of insights and encounters that bring a complex corner of the world to life' MICHAEL PALIN
'A masterpiece' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE 'Unforgettable' ANTONY BEEVOR
As read on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week
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A dramatic and ambitious new journey from our greatest travel writer.
Rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific, the Amur River forms the tense border between Russia and China. This is the most densely fortified frontier on Earth.
In his eightieth year, Colin Thubron takes a dramatic and often treacherous journey from the Amur's secret source to its giant mouth, covering almost 3,000 miles. Harassed by injury and by arrest from the local police, he makes his way along both the Russian and Chinese shores. By the time he reaches the river's desolate end, a whole, pivotal world has come alive.
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'An epic journey along a frozen, fraught frontier... Fascinating' The Times
'This book is a triumph' Daily Telegraph
A Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph and Spectator Book of the Year
Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award 2022
Additional information
| Weight | 500 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 19.8 × 12.9 × 3.5 cm |
| Book_author | Thubron, Colin |
| Publisher | VINTAGE |
| Imprint | Vintage |
| Cover | Paperback |
| Pages | 304 |
| Language | English |
| Dewey | 915.77 (edition:23) |
| Readership | General – Trade / Code: K |