Beyond The Bosphorus

BKSHB

The Middle-East has always been one of
the most challenging destinations for
lorry drivers. In the 1970s and 80s,
many drivers may not have even heard of
the destinations they were sent to
before heading out eastwards. Along the
way they endured extreme weather
conditions, bureaucratic nightmares,
and the physical trials of keeping
themselves and their trucks operational
over many thousands of miles of poorly
maintained and dangerous roads. Their
adventures have become legendary within
the trucking world.

In this book Dave Bowers tells with
humour and insight the amazing stories
of people driving to Middle-East
destinations, battling against all the
odds to deliver their loads. The
inspiration comes from his own
experience through those routes and in
particular on one adventurous journey
homewards from Tehran in 1975, when he
happened to be stranded in Iran, with
no cash to speak of and spending many
nights sleeping in abandoned trailers
along the way. Dave travelled homewards
after he was given lifts in trucks
returning to Europe. These were driven
by drivers who had many tales to tell,
and this book was motivated by the need
to keep these fascinating stories
alive.

Illustrated with photographs of the
drivers and vehicles taken at the time,
Beyond the Bosphorus records what it
was like for ordinary HGV drivers to
get involved in something so
dramatically different from their
everyday working lives in the UK. It
will be of interest to lorry drivers,
general vehicle enthusiasts and also
those with a historical and social
interest in the Middle-East alike.

• 237 pages
• Black & white and Colour Photographs Throughout
• Hardback book
• 285mm x 225mm