A 50th anniversary edition of one of the most outstanding travel books of the last century.

With a companion, Newby, at that time employed in the fashion industry, spent a month wandering among the beautiful but extremely remote mountains of the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.

His lively style and eye for detail immediately placed him in the top rank of travel writers. But while the book has lost none of its freshness, this anniversary edition, in small type on poor quality paper, is unworthy of the late Newby’s memory.

Still, hopefully its pluses – previously unpublished photos and an epilogue by Newby’s companion – will help the book gain the new readers it deserves.