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).

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Hedin, Sven Anders 

Born Feb. 19, 1865, in Stockholm; died there Nov. 26, 1952. Swedish traveler.

From 1893 to 1902, Hedin explored Tibet and northwestern Central Asia. In 1905-08, journeying from Trebizond (Trabzon) across northeastern Iran and Kashmir, he reached the sources of the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers and discovered the Trans-Himalayas. In 1923 he traveled around the world by way of North America, Japan, Mongolia, and Siberia. Between 1927 and 1935 he studied China, Mongolia, western Tibet, and eastern Turkestan. During the latter part of his life he withdrew from exploratory activities. He collaborated with the Hitlerite authorities of Germany during World War II.

WORKS

Durch Asiens Wüsten, vols. 1-2. Leipzig, 1899.
Im Herzen von Asien, vols. 1-2. Leipzig, 1903.
Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia (1899-1902), vols. 1-6. Stockholm, 1904-07.
Southern Tibet, vols. 1-9. Stockholm, 1916-22.
Grand Canyon. Stockholm, 1925.
In Russian translation:
V serdtse Azii, vols. 1-2. St. Petersburg, 1899, 1913.
Tarim-Lob-Nor-Tibet. St. Petersburg, 1904.
Vos’moe chudo sveta (Bol’shoi kan’on). Moscow-Leningrad, 1928.