Account of two journeys in Central Asia in 1927-9 & 1930-1

Schomberg, Colonel R.C.F: Peaks and Plains of Central Asia. With colour photographs by Captain George Sherriff. Martin Hopkinson Ltd [London] 1933. 1st edition 8vo.

Folding map, 8 coloured photo illustrations, 288pp. Original blue cloth gilt, rather brighter than usual, mark where an old spine label has been removed, hinge paper cracked after the front free endopaper, internally clean, a manuscript presentation on the front free endpaper reads: Presented to the Regimental Museum Seaforth Highlanders Fort George by W M Thomsen, March 7th 1958. The Seaforth Highlanders was Colonel Schomberg’s regiment. The author’s journeys in Chinese Turkestan, visiting Khotan, Kashgar, etc across the Tien Shan and northwards into Dzungaria. This is the only one of Schomberg’s four books to be entirely illustrated from colooured photographs.  Yakushi S 81.   jan5/1

Colonel Reginald Charles Francis Schomberg, D.S.O., C.I.E. [1880-1958] was commissioned into the Seaforth Hughlanders. He served in India from 1902, in the Malay States Guides 1910, Mesopotamia 1915, Palestine 1919, India 1922, Ladakh 1923, retiring from the Army in 1927. British Consul General for the French Indian possessions at Pondicherry between 1936=38 , then for the Portuguese possessions 1939, consular liaison officer on the Indo-Persian border, 1943-44, in Force 136 of SOE in Chinese Turkestan 1944-45. His books reflect his travels, explorations, and photography in Central Asia. His complicated military career, seldom with his regiment, has led some to suspect he was a spy or at least a late participant in the Great Game. He later trained for the Roman Catholic priesthood.