John spent much of his early life in Africa and was the last recruit to join the Colonial Service in West Africa. He served in Northern Nigeria and the Cameroons and spent four years on the remote and roadless Mambilla Plateau travelling throughout the mountainous district with head carriers by foot or on horse. He was involved in Plebiscites, elections, census campaigns and inter-tribal strife and after independence was seconded to the Nigerian Government to carry on his work as a District Officer.
He later followed a career with the BBC and in publishing before returning to Africa to work for the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi. While in Kenya he undertook many safaris with camels into the remote Northern Frontier Districts before being selected to join a joint Russian/Mongolian Scientific expedition to the Mongolian Gobi. This led to his current preoccupation with the wild camel in the Gashun Gobi, one of the most hostile and little-known regions on earth. He has written over thirty children’s readers, mostly for Africa. His first non-fiction book for adults, THE LOST CAMELS OF TARTARY: A JOURNEY THROUGH FORBIDDEN CHINA, hardback edition of which spearheaded Little, Brown’s new travel list, August 1998. An eBook edition has been agreed with Little, Brown and this and new print version will be issued in April 2015.
The paperback was published, Summer 1999, and the German language edition has been published by Scherz Verlag AG. A Chinese edition has also been published, and Estonian rights have been sold. Other rights currently available.
Mr Hare’s work has attracted worldwide interest, and the Chinese Government has now, uniquely, set aside a large area of the Gobi as a sanctuary for the Bactrian camel.
John Hare, still pursuing his adventurous bent, followed the Saharan footsteps of his hero, Hanns Vischer, who, in Edwardian times, trod this same inhospitable terrain and who was subsequently knighted.
And his experiences are encompassed in a further book comparing Vischer’s expedition with his own, entitled, SHADOWS ACROSS THE SAHARA WORLD English Language rights sold to Constable. Publication June 2003.
His book, THE MYSTERIES OF THE GOBI is published by I. B. Tauris.
John received the honour of being asked to speak to the Royal Geographical Society about his voyages of exploration. (March 2003).
On November 15 2004, John received The Royal Society for Asian Affairs Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal.