Hedin, Sven Anders

Hedin, Sven Anders (svĕn än`dərs hĕdēn`), 1865–1952, Swedish explorer in central Asia. Following soon after Przhevalsky, Hedin explored Tibet, Xinjiang, and the Kunlun and Trans-Himalaya ranges and discovered the sources of the Brahmaputra and the Indus rivers; his account was published in Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899–1902 (8 vol., 1904–8) and in Transhimalaya (3 vol., 1909–12). His explorations in Tibet were reported in Southern Tibet (12 vol., 1917–22). Hedin also wrote popular accounts of his travels, including Across the Gobi Desert (1931, repr. 1968); Jehol, City of Emperors (1931); The Conquest of Tibet (1934); and a trilogy, The Flight of the Big Horse (1936), The Silk Road (1938), and The Wandering Lake (1940), dealing with the Lop Nur of Xinjiang. He also wrote My Life as an Explorer (7th ed. 1942) and Great Men I Met (2 vol., 1952).