River Dog - by Mark Shand (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A charming story of a journey along the phenomenal Brahmaputra river, south from the Indian border with Tibet to its conclusion in the Bay of Bengal.

'Old-fashioned, ripping stuff' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

'A rare blend of humour, humanity and eloquent description. At its heart is Shand himself, an adventurer with strains of brilliant madness running through his veins' LITERARY REVIEW

'Travel writing at its best. RIVER DOG takes us on a journey where the tempo never flags' MAIL ON SUNDAY

The Brahmaputra is one of the world's great rivers. Beginning as a tiny glacial stream in Western Tibet it flows through India and Bangladesh before gushing out into the Bay of Bengal.

Unable to reach the northern part of the river due to Chinese intransigence, Mark Shand nonetheless set out to attempt what no foreigner had ever done: complete the huge journey from the unexplored jungles of the Indo-Tibet border to the largest river delta in the world.

RIVER DOG is a chronicle of that journey, a remarkable story encompassing sublime landscapes - in Assam where the River begins to broaden into its full majesty - and rather odd encounters - including a bizarre group of identical-looking monks in Majuli (the largest river island in the world). But it is also a celebration -- of a river that flows with mystery and legend, the men who have set out to discover it and a rather charming canine travelling companion called Bhaiti.

Review Quotes

A rare blend of humour, humanity and eloquent description. At its heart is Shand himself, an adventurer with strains of brilliant madness running through his veins--LITERARY REVIEW

Old-fashioned, ripping stuff--TLS

Shand finds comic potential in every situation. Utterly readable--HARPERS & QUEEN

Travel writing at its best. RIVER DOG takes us on a journey where the tempo never flags--MAIL ON SUNDAY

About the Author

Mark Shand has worked at Sotheby's and as a jackaroo in Australia, has completed the London-Sydney motor-race and been shipwrecked in the South Pacific. In 1991 he received the accolade Travel Writer of the Year at the British Book Awards for TRAVELS ON MY ELEPHANT.