author

Rollo Gillespie Burslem

An army officer turned travel writer, he left behind a vivid firsthand account of Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush during the First Anglo-Afghan War. His best-known book offers a rare Victorian-era glimpse into Central Asia from someone who had actually crossed it.

1 Audiobook

A Peep into Toorkisthan

A Peep into Toorkisthan

by Rollo Gillespie Burslem

About the author

Born in Java in 1813, he served as a British Army officer and took part in the First Anglo-Afghan War. Contemporary and historical sources connect him with the storming of Ghuznee in 1839 and with a later survey journey through parts of the Hindu Kush.

Those experiences shaped A Peep into Toorkisthan (1846), the work for which he is best remembered. The book stands out as a firsthand travel and military narrative, mixing observation, geography, and the perspectives of a 19th-century officer moving through regions that were little known to many British readers at the time.

Later in life, after leaving active regimental service, he was appointed a Military Knight of Windsor. He died in 1896, and today he is chiefly of interest to readers of imperial history, travel writing, and early English-language accounts of Afghanistan and Central Asia.