ADVENTURER Ranulph Fiennes lists what he has learned from his incredible journey through life in this well-illustrated book.

Civilian life held little attraction for the former Scots Grey after the excitement of fighting for the SAS in Borneo and battling Marxist terrorists in Oman.

But after leaving the Army, his life has been one incredible adventure after another.

The list is breathtaking. His first "professional" expedition was in 1970 and involved parachuting into Norway to traverse giant ice-fields.

Other challenges included raising £29 million for the successful Transglobe Expedition, a circumnavigation of the world along the line of longitude, travelling through both Poles.

Or how about a 3,000-mile boat ride along the Yukon River in a rubber dinghy?

Some journeys ended in failure. Such as the agonising battle to reach the North Pole unsupported or the fight to cross Antarctica on foot. The South Pole journey, although ultimately unsuccessful, was the longest totally self-supporting polar sledge journey ever made - a mere 1,350 miles!

The physical agonies are vividly described, including sawing off the tips of his fingers with a fret saw after suffering severe frostbite in the frozen wastes of the Arctic.

Each chapter ends with the lessons learned from amazing experiences too numerous to mention.

Lessons learned the hard way.

Updated: 09:12 Wednesday, February 25, 2004