This is that rarest of books, the one you grab when the house is on fire, or you're about to be marooned on a desert island with nothing else to read. Sven Hedin was not only one of the greatest explorers of the nineteenth century, he was also a brilliant storyteller. Nowhere does the Swedish author tell a tale of excitement, adventure, danger, travel, and hair-raising escape like he does in "My Life as an Explorer". Written in an engaging anecdotal...