The Last Barbarians: The Discovery of the Source of the Mekong in Tibet [Hardcover]

Michel Peissel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1997

Seizing the barest of opportunities to explore deep into occupied Tibet, Michel Peissel accomplished what scores of Western explorers had tried and failed to do for more than 100 years: to find the source of the Mekong River, in the ice-strewn fields on the "roof of the world." This immensely readable account chronicles his successful endeavor in 1994. of color photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Peissel (Dangerous Environments, Chelsea House, 1993) is a British-educated French authority on Tibet, which he has visited frequently. This book recounts his 1994 expedition to "discover" the headwaters of the Mekong River. There is much description of the more hidden parts of this remote land and the Khamba people who inhabit it. To get permission to enter the area, Peissel claimed his purpose was to do research on the remarkable native horses. An incurable romantic, he often rails against the modern age and the Chinese intrusions and at times gives the reader more of himself than of Tibet. Yet he is informed and interesting, and this book is an important contribution for general readers and specialists. Americans learned much about the mouth of the Mekong River during the Vietnam War: here we are shown the other end. A recent, more political book is Barbara Erickson's Tibet: Abode of the Gods (LJ 4/1/97). Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon Univ. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Peissel's account of his 1994 expedition into Qinghai Province is so intrinsically exciting that this story cannot fail to grip the reader's imagination.... The Last Barbarians certainly has its moments; it ought to be read, but one always feels that he missed many of the chances his experience gave him to have made it far better. -- The New York Times Book Review, Richard Bernstein

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805045341
• ISBN-13: 978-0805045345
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,364,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Peissel -Tibetian authority, terrible writer., May 6, 1998

By 

Ernest (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Barbarians: The Discovery of the Source of the Mekong in Tibet (Hardcover)

Just about the only redeeming thing about this book is that it deals with Tibet. Peissel is a complete bore through most of the text. He spends way too much time bitching and moaning about how he wished he was a true Victorian explorer and hardly discribes the scenary or the people he encounters. He spends over 200 pages whinning about his lot in life, intertwined with his trip to the head waters of the river, then in only 12 pages he recounts a later trip to Tibet to study native horses. It's sad to say but I much preferred the 12 pages to the 200.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wasted Possibilities....., March 26, 2002

By 

Ford Jones "just4clix" (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Barbarians: The Discovery of the Source of the Mekong in Tibet (Hardcover)

Traveling to the source of the Mekong River - and in Tibet no less. The premise of this book (and its cover) offered the potential of an intriguing account of exploration in a (largely) undiscovered and exotic land.

Sadly, reading (and finishing) the book became a chore. Occasional lapses into "stream of consciousness" writing - where one had to connect the dots between the thoughts, personal opinions on historical events, and the continual ruminations on horses and their origins, served to rob the book of the depth that the author craved.

The deficit was exacerbated by the lack of contact that the author had with the "Barbarians" referenced in the title, and that potentially humorous situations and relationships (his recalcitrant Chinese guide, for instance) were left virtually un-mined.

That said, I did not mind his repeated reference to the Victorian explorers of yesteryear. If one has to hang their story off a hook that is as good as any for me - just make sure the hook doesn't work itself loose in the process....