In Secret Mongolia (Mystic Traveller) (Paperback)

~ Henning Haslund (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The first book in Henning Haslund's Mongolia series, this book was originally published in 1934. This rare travel book has been out-of-print for 50 years but is now back in print. Haslund was a Danish explorer who also accompanied the Sven Hedin expedition in Central Asia. Haslund takes us into the barely known world of Mongolia, a country isolated from the world for centuries. Haslund's camel caravan takes him across the Gobi Desert where he meets with renegade generals and warlords, god-kings and shamans. Haslund is captured, held for ransom, thrown into prison, battles black magic and portrays in vivid detail the birth of a new nation. Meet the reincarnated gods: the 'Mad Baron' Ungern-Sternberg and Dambin Jansang, the dreaded Tushi Gun Lama of the Black Gobi, trek across the Gobi Desert, and go back in time to Shamanic Mongolia. Mongolia is a country which has only recently opened up to the world. 001

Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Adventures Unlimited Press (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932813275
• ISBN-13: 978-0932813275
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,324,785 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a Jack London story except its real!, June 16, 2007

By	Cwn_Annwn (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This book is one mans recollections of his time spent in Mongolia during the 1920s. Haslund was part of a group of Danes who set out to Mongolia in order to set up a farm in remote Mongolia. During this time period it was similar to the wild west with tribal warlords of various ethnicities as well as communist Russians on one side, and the Chinese on the other.

Haslund recounts his various adventures and interactions with warlords, Shamans, his short stay in a Siberian prison after a case of mistaken identity, dealing with the harsh climate and environment of that part of the world, the setting up of the farm. Lots of great observances of the culture, customs and the nature in Mongolia.

This book reads like a Jack London story except its for real. It really is amazing how tough and self sufficent these guys had to be to pound out an existence in that part of the world. Haslund doesn't slip into any corny tough guy semantics though. He is very matter of fact about the dangers and hardships that he dealt with. To me this book is one of the great unknown books. I currently live in Denmark and I've yet to meet a Dane who has even heard of Haslund or this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Personal Account of Another Culture, October 30, 2001

By	Chris E McKee (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This book is comparable to the stories told by explorers of the Americas of how hard it was to survive outside of one's own culture in a time without our modern amenities like a phone, a translation dictionary, or a guide to local customs. I read it while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia in 1996 and it helped me understand how much life had changed there in the past ninety years.