Im Herzen von Asien. Erster Band.

The account records a 10,000-kilometer expedition through Central Asian deserts, river valleys and high mountain passes, presented as a large-scale travel diary. It follows preparations and caravan and boat journeys along the Tarim and other waterways, the construction and use of ferries, desert crossings including the Taklamakan and Lop Nur regions, extreme cold, frozen rivers and difficult marches, and a later approach toward the Tibetan plateau. Alongside daily practical challenges it notes local landscapes, graves and oases, encounters with guides and escorts, and brief references to scientific measurements and maps, while illustrations and preliminary maps accompany the narrative.