Wilfred Thesiger in Africa

Born in Scotland in 1940, Alexander Maitland studied at the Glasgow School of Architecture and School of Art. He later worked intermittently for architectural practices in London and Edinburgh while continuing to write and paint. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has contributed to newspapers, magazines, radio and television programmes. Alexander Maitland now lives mainly in London. He is married, with three children.

Reviews for 'Wilfred Thesiger: The Life of the Great Explorer' by Alex Maitland 'Meticulous research is illuminated by Maitland's evocations of Thesiger's affinity with a world characterised by desert romance.' Sunday Telegraph 'This book is a worthy testament to an exceptional life - and as an authorised biography it is also the last cry of Thesiger himself, someone who evoked complete worlds of brutal majesty now denied the rest of us forever.' Independent on Sunday 'Masterly.' The Times 'In his long and extraordinary life Wilfred Thesiger was compared to the greatest travellers of the Victorian age...Maitland captures that strange attractiveness, his undoubted love and understanding of a now-vanished world.' Financial Times 'What makes Maitland's book so worthwhile are the letters which Thesiger wrote home to his devoted mother Kathleen.' Spectator 'This thorough biography will be fascinating to Thesiger aficionados.' Mail on Sunday 'Maitland has done justice to an extraordinary subject.' Scotsman