Himalaya

A magisterial history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples, cultures, and adventures among the world’s highest mountains.

For many years, the unique and astonishing geography of the Himalaya has attracted those in search of spiritual and literal elevation: pilgrims, adventurers, and mountaineers seeking to test themselves among the world’s most spectacular and challenging peaks. But far from being wild and barren, the Himalaya has been home to an astonishing diversity of indigenous and local cultures, as well as a crossroads for trade, and a meeting point and conflict zone for the world’s superpowers. Here Jesuit missionaries exchanged technologies with Tibetan Lamas, Mongol Khans employed Nepali craftsmen, the East India Company grappled for dominance with China’s emperors, and independent India confronts Mao’s Communists and their successors.

Spanning millennia, from its earliest inhabitants to the present conflicts over Tibet and Everest, and populated by a cast of colorful characters, Himalaya explores the history, culture, climate, geography, and politics of the Himalaya for a soaring account of life at the “roof of the world.”

About the Author:     
Ed Douglas is an award-winning writer with a passion for the Himalaya. Author of a dozen books, including a biography of Tenzing Norgay, he has reported from the region for more than twenty-five years, covering the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and the Tibetan occupation. He lives in Yorkshire, England.