Eastern Horizons: Shortlisted for the 2018 Edward Stanford Award

Description

Levison Wood was only 22 when he decided to hitch-hike from England to India through Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but he wasn't the conventional follower of the hippy trail. A fascination with the deeds of the early explorers, a history degree in the bag, an army career already planned and a shoestring budget of 750 - including for the flight home - he was determined to find out more about the countries of the Caucasus and beyond - and meet the people who lived and worked there. EASTERN HORIZONS is a true traveller's tale in the tradition of the best of the genre, populated by a cast of eccentric characters; from mujahideen fighters to the Russian mafia. Along the way he meets some people who showed great hospitality, while others would rather have murdered him...

Levison Wood is an award-winning author, explorer and photographer, whose books and documentaries have won critical acclaim around the world. Levison is the author of 7 books to date, including Walking the Nile and Walking the Americas, which were both Sunday Times bestsellers, and Walking the Himalayas which was voted Adventure Travel Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. His book Arabia was also chosen by Hudson Books as one of their Top Ten Non-Fiction Titles of 2019 in the USA. Levison's passion for adventure and discovering more about indigenous ways of life has taken him to over 100 countries. He served for several years as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, including an operational deployment to Afghanistan, where he fought Taliban insurgents in Helmand. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club and Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School. He has presented several documentaries, which have aired around the world, including 'Arabia with Levison Wood', which was shortlisted for Best Documentary Series at the Broadcast Awards 2020 and his latest series 'Walking with Elephants', which recounts a trek across Botswana following a herd of elephants to the Okavango Delta. Levison is a passionate conservationist and an ambassador for the charity The Tusk Trust.