Thread: Books that might be worth a read...all feature Land Rovers of course.

1 First the old favourite (my copy needs replacing as it is disintegrating)
First Overland : London-Singapore by Land Rover
Why not? After all, no-one had ever done it before. It would be one of the longest of all overland journeys-half-way round the world, from the English Channel to Singapore. They knew that several expeditions had already tried it. Some had got as far as the deserts of Persia; a few had even reached the plains of India. But no-one had managed to go on from there: over the jungle-clad mountains of Assam and across northern Burma to Thailand and Malaya. Over the last 3,000 miles it seemed there were "just too many rivers and too few roads". But no-one really knew...In fact, their problems began much earlier than that. As mere undergraduates, they had no money, no cars, no nothing. But with a cool audacity, which was to become characteristic, they set to work-wheedling and cajoling. First, they coaxed the BBC to come up with some film for a possible TV series. Then they gently "persuaded" Rover to lend them two factory-fresh Land Rovers. A publisher was even sweet-talked into giving them an advance on a book. By the time they were ready to go, their sponsors (more than 80 of them) ranged from whiskey distillers to the makers of collapsible buckets. In late 1955, they set off.Seven months and 12,000 miles later, two very weary Land Rovers, escorted by police outriders, rolled into Singapore-to flash-bulbs and champagne.
Now, fifty years on, their bestselling book, First Overland, is republished-with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. After all, it was he who gave them that film.
First Overland : Tim Slessor : 9781909930360

2 The Impossible Takes a Little Longer
This is a true account of an incredible journey across the world, driving a Land Rover. The year is 1957, and the intrepid Eric Edis has an expedition planned on scraps of paper. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of others, Eric decides to follow his dream and do something that had never been done before; he is going to drive from London to Australia!and back again. After bringing together a team, he sets off on his massive adventure. But there is one thing he can't plan for: Entry to the famous Burma/Ledo Road. Burma was in the grip of conflict, and would not grant land-travel visas to anyone, it was too dangerous. Eric decides to cross that bridge when he comes to it, twice! How do his team get through Burma? Well, on a wing and a prayer mostly, and with an illegal manoeuvre that would make James Bond proud! And remember, these were the days before GPS, SATNAV, and any of the modern aids we take for granted today. All Eric had in Burma was a sketched map and sheer, cussed, unwavering determination
https://www.bookdepository.com/Impos...1_sims_b_p2p_1

3 Crossing the Congo : Over Land and Water in a Hard Place
In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told was impossible: the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin, from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan.
Traversing 2,500 miles of the toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year-old Land Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people. Through imagination and teamwork -- including building rafts and bridges, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle and playing tribal politics -- they got through. But the Congo is raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them all.
Crossing the Congo is an offbeat travelogue, a story of friendship and what it takes to complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile states, told with humor and sensitivity
Crossing the Congo : Mike Martin : 9781849046855

4They Found Our Engineer : The Story of Arthur Goddard, the Land Rover's First Engineer
The British Land Rover 4x4 has grown from 1948 to become one of the world's leading automotive brands. Exactly how it all came together back in the late 1940's and early 50's has been the topic of interest and debate for many years. This was until two Australian enthusiasts, Michael Bishop and Alex Massey quite literally stumbled across senior member of the original Land Rover development team, Arthur Goddard living in Brisbane, Australia in 2009. The discovery led to many of the myths and tales surrounding the early vehicles to be heard as it happened from Arthur's point of view. Then to a trip by Arthur to visit his old work place in Solihull and to the vehicle that he helped bring to life back in 1948. The book contains both a technical and human side to this incredible story as well as a great reunion between Arthur and his old colleague Spen King who went onto design the Range Rover in the 1960's. This is truly a unique story from the time of post War World two Britain to modern day Australia and how the iconic 4x4 grew up so quickly in the 1950's to become the world leader that it is today.
show less
They Found Our Engineer : Michael Bishop : 9781456777586

I had the pleasure of meeting mike Steel in innaminka and Len Beadell in Birdsville on the original Variety bash in 85! Also met Malcolm Douglas at rowing regatta @ Penrith in the late 80’s. Had the opportunity to have a good chat with all them. Very interesting folk!