Dan,
There are several biographies of Sir Richard Burton (explorer not actor) published within the last ten years. He is one of the few infidels to make his way into Mecca undetected, faced incredible hardship while searching for the source of the Nile,travelled across the US into the frontier and wrote an amazingly bigoted diary of his travels. Fascinating reading. All of mine are out on loan so I have no titles. But search his name and you will find them. Also, see "Mountains Of The Moon" (1989) with Patrick Bergin.Graphic adventure movie. Burton is also famous for his unexpurgurated "Thousand and One Nights". Most of it banned or burned (supposedly) by his wife.