his journals [...] give a real and unadorned taste of life in the jungle” —Church Times
“Celebrating Borneo's biodiversity and cautioning against its degradation, Hanbury-Tenison captures some of the beauty before its almost certain disappearance.” —Publishers Weekly
“Finding Eden is a record of a pristine world at the moment of its discovery, a loving portrait of a people and a place, a superb primer on leadership, and a call to arms, demanding that we relish and protect what is left of the wild world. I absolutely recommend it.” —The Spectator
“This book is an eye-opening and beautifully written and illustrated book. Finding Eden, ells the extraordinary story of Nyapun's life and what has happened since to the Penan and the Borneo rainforests. It is a story of our time that explores discovery, friendship and reminds us of the fragility of our planet and of the urgent need to preserve the last untamed places of the world.” —The Travel Magazine
“Robin Hanbury-Tenison is champion of indigenous populations everywhere. This is an inspiring book, an evocative, enchanting account of his life among the nomadic Penan tribe of Borneo and how he changed our attitudes towards such tribal peoples for ever.” —Redmond O'Hanlon, author of 'Into the Heart of Borneo' and 'Congo Journey'
“In this elegant memoire Robin Hanbury-Tenison reveals the world of the Penan for he was there as a naturalist and explorer long before industrial logging ravaged the forests of Sarawak. It is at once an elegy and a testimony to the folly of greed, and a reminder of just what is at stake in the struggle to protect the remaining tropical rainforests of the world...” —Wade Davis, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic
“a fascinating book. You will see what a beautiful, magical and scientifically outstanding place Mulu is. And you will see how much was achieved by the scientists of the Royal Geographical Society's expedition. It led directly to the designation of this unique habitat and ecosystem as a protected reserve and World Heritage Site.” —John Hemming, author of 'Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon'
10/30/2017
In this straightforward account, British explorer Hanbury-Tenison (Land of Eagles) recalls an expedition he led four decades ago to Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo, which would eventually help to launch the global rainforest-protection movement. Describing Mulu as “one of the most diverse and interesting places on earth,” Hanbury-Tenison bemoans the destruction that has occurred in places like it over the years. He shares details of his experiences in Borneo, where, for example, among bats in darkened caves, he stood “still in absolute pitch blackness, listening to the sounds of the underworld.” Hanbury-Tenison meets Nyapun, an indigenous Penan nomadic hunter-gatherer, and makes a lasting connection. Revisiting excerpts from diaries he kept in the field, Hanbury-Tenison finds depictions of “the excitement and passion we all felt at the time.” He concedes that other entries are little more than a “boring chronicle of the logistics of the day.” Hanbury-Tenison concludes with a look at ways in which Mulu has changed since he first visited: trees have been “ripped out over vast tracts of country, leaving behind logging roads,” and rivers that were once filled with fish have turned brown. Celebrating Borneo’s biodiversity and cautioning against its degradation, Hanbury-Tenison captures some of the beauty before its almost certain disappearance. (Jan.)
"The 288-page book also addresses the folly of greed and raises the question of who the real savages are. Finding Eden reads like a cross between an adventure yarn and an exposé.. evokes life's essential poetry, magic, mystery, joy and wonder..."
"...a truly eye-opening tale of exploration and conservation..."
"My star read of the year – an unlikely one perhaps – is Finding Eden by Robin Hanbury-Tenison (Taurus, £17.99). Borneo, somewhat hackneyed these days as travel terrain, is made fresh here not least because the author recounts an expedition-cum-exploration he made 40 years ago. We follow him into a lush and gothic darkness. The dangers are real, but paradoxically it's the bond of trust and affection he forms with his guide that comes to express the special spirit of the forest, and the spell its casts upon writer and reader alike."
Finding Eden is a fount of marvels, wisdom and replicable successes. [It] is a record of a pristine world at the moment of its discovery, a loving portrait of a people and a place, a superb primer on leadership, and a call to arms, demanding that we relish and protect what is left of the wild world. I absolutely recommend it.
"...a fascinating book. You will see what a beautiful, magical and scientifically outstanding place Mulu is. And you will see how much was achieved by the scientists of the Royal Geographical Society’s expedition. It led directly to the designation of this unique habitat and ecosystem as a protected reserve and World Heritage Site."
"Throughout the traditional homeland of the Penan, one of the most extraordinary nomadic cultures in the world, the sago and rattan, the palms, lianas, and fruit trees lie crushed on the forest floor. The hornbill has fled with the pheasants, and as the trees continue to fall, a unique way of life, morally inspired, inherently right, and effortlessly pursued for centuries, has been assaulted in a single generation. In this elegant memoire Robin Hanbury-Tenison reveals the world of the Penan for he was there as a naturalist and explorer long before industrial logging ravaged the forests of Sarawak. It is at once an elegy and a testimony to the folly of greed, and a reminder of just what is at stake in the struggle to protect the remaining tropical rainforests of the world.."
