Book info

• Title Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know
• Author Ranulph Fiennes
• Year 1993
• Genre Memoir

Ranulph Fiennes has travelled to the most dangerous and inaccessible places on earth, almost died countless times, lost nearly half his fingers to frostbite, raised millions of pounds for charity and been awarded a polar medal and an OBE. He has been an elite soldier, an athlete, a mountaineer, an explorer, a bestselling author and nearly replaced Sean Connery as James Bond. In his autobiography he describes how he led expeditions all over the world and became the first person to travel to both poles on land. He tells of how he discovered the lost city of Ubar in Oman and attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole - the expedition that cost him several fingers, and very nearly his life.

Thoughts

Ranulph Fiennes has written many books across his exploring career, in fact as he details in this one, that’s how he makes a lot of his living - that and public speaking. This one chronicles all of his many adventures in limited detail, so it’s quite a nice overview of what has been an incredible career.

The details of all the trips are interesting enough but what I found really fascinating was the decision making process behind each expedition. What frame of mind Fiennes was in, why he felt motivated to attempt each feat, and just exactly how it all came together is endlessly interesting.

There are moments of sadness of course, with the death of his beloved wife and the awful moment of losing some of your fingers to frostbite, but overall it’s a very pragmatic and positive piece about exploring the natural world and constantly challenging yourself. Good work.

Rating: 3 / 5