Abstract:
John Chappell and, before him, Lord Curzon have reminded us that much can be gained
from reviewing earlier writings and from listening to interruptions and silence.1 In January
2010, I discovered with amazement a wealth of unpublished observations while
scrutinizing the drafts of maps made by the productive and flamboyant Dr. Sven Hedin
(1865–1952). Secluded for decades in the National Archives of Sweden, Hedin’s precise
information on the vegetation types, soil and water qualities, animal tracks, former
shorelines, and abandoned settlements of Tibet and Xinjiang would have been valuable
for the elaboration of a theory on climate change in extreme environments...