The Tigris Expedition: In Search of Our Beginnings

London, UK: Harper Collins: Flamingo. Very Good+. 1993. First Edition Thus; First Printing. Paperback. First Edition Thus (1993) . First Printing thus indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Very Good+ in Wraps: shows the expected light tanning to the text pages due to aging; the binding leans somewhat but remains secure; the text is clean. Free of creases to the panels. Free of creases to the backstrip. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing little to no wear at all but a couple of minor, unobtrusive imperfections. Bright and clean. Corners sharp. Close to "As New". NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (7.75 x 5.15 x 0.8 inches). Illustrated with 79 duotone photographic plates. Index. Language: English. Weight: 11.5 ounces. First published in hardcover 1980. Trade Paperback. Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (1914 – 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl gained fame for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people could have made long sea voyages, creating contacts between societies. This was linked to a diffusionist model of cultural development. Heyerdahl made other voyages to demonstrate the possibility of contact between widely separated ancient peoples, among them the Ra II expedition of 1970, when he sailed from the west coast of Africa to Barbados in a papyrus reed boat. Along with his companions from nine nations, Heyerdahl set sail in a boat made of reeds in search of the sea routes which he was sure must have been used by the Sumerians in vessels like his own, 5000 years ago. In 'The Tigris Expedition', Heyerdahl recounts the many discoveries and hazards that occurred on his journey down the Tigris, through the Gulf and on to the Indian Ocean - tales of modern shipping, bandits, reefs and the political dispute which finally led to the ceremonial burning of the boat. This was to be the last of the Great Expeditions in reed ships that Heyerdahl made on the ocean and it makes for an exciting read. Thor and his 10 multi-national companions built and sailed again together in a reed ship - a ma-gur- from models based on Middle Eastern antiquity. It was to be the last of the sea explorer series that started with Kon-Tiki, and then through Ra I and Ra II - all voyages made in reed ships that the author and his international crew built in the ancient manner and sailed in the old way to modern versions of ancient ports in their quest to prove sea routes of ancient man viable. ; Small 8vo 7½" - 8" tall; 379 pages .