Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment, How to Stay Healthy at Altitude  •  Stephen Bezruchka REFERENCE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES A pocket reference to both preventing and the treatment of altitude sickness. Bezruchka, a mountaineer, M.D. and wit, includes case studies, a section of frequently asked questions, and simple methods of diagnosis and treatment when things go wrong. Travelers to high altitudes will devour this little book, dedicated "To all those who have died of altitude sickness." (REF02, $8.95)
Among Flowers, A Walk in the Himalaya  •  Jamaica Kincaid TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES An atmospheric account of celebrated writer and gardener Jamaica Kincaid's journey to Nepal and the Himalayas with a small team of botanists. A volume in the National Geographic Directions series. (HML62, $10.95)
Among the Mountains, Travels through Asia  •  Wilfred Thesiger EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 174 PAGES A classic account of intrepid British explorer Wilfred Thesiger's travels through the mountain ranges of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Karakorams, the Hindu Kush, and Ladakh. Half of the book is devoted to Thesiger's journeys through Hazarajat and Nuristan in Afghanistan. Drawn from the author's diaries, 1952-1956. With 80 photographs by Thesiger. Each chapter opens with a useful relief map of his route. (ASA28, $17.99)
Annapurna Map  •  Nelles MAP A map of the Annapurna hiking region at scale of 1:100,000 with major features, color shading and contour lines. (NPL32, $13.95)
Annapurna, A Woman's Place  •  Arlene Blum EXPLORATION •  1998 •  PAPER  • 247 PAGES This account of the historic 1978 climb celebrates the first American ascent of Annapurna by a team of 13 women. The climbers were also, notably, the first women to scale any of the world's 8,000 meter-peaks. Two of the women died in the process. This illustrated 20th anniversary edition, with a preface by Maurice Herzog, includes an afterword. Much of the book takes the form of an illustrated journal. (HML30, $16.00)
The Buddhist Handbook  •  John Snelling RELIGION •  1992 •  PAPER  • 345 PAGES Subtitled, "The Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice and History, " this even-handed book is a concise primer covering the history, philosophical foundation and practice of Buddhism. It gives a basic overview of the teachings and practice of Buddhism, including a who's who of contemporary teachers and list of useful addresses around the world. (ASA08, $16.95)
Classic Hikes of the World  •  Peter Pottersfield TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES Pottersfield features 23 treks in this beautifully illustrated volume. Each trip gets an extended photographic essay with a route description, maps and practical details. (WLD52, $39.95)
The Climb, Tragic Ambitions on Everest  •  Anatoli Boukreev EXPLORATION •  1998 •  PAPER  • 297 PAGES An eyewitness account of the 1996 tragedy on Everest by the Russian mountaineer Boukreev, in part a response to criticism by John Krakauer in the best-selling Into Thin Air regarding climbing safety and ambition. Boukreev, an experienced guide, defends his actions on that day. (HML29, $7.99)
Epic, Stories of Survival from the World's Highest Peaks  •  Clint Willis ANTHOLOGY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 342 PAGES A greatest-hits collection of mountaineering literature, Willis excerpts 15 stories, including Mathiessen's classic "The Snow Leopard," and harrowing passages from Everest, the West Ridge, K2, The Savage Mountain, Annapurna and others. Not just the Himalayas, he also includes the tale of the first-traverse of South Georgia by Shackleton. Each excerpt is satisfying long, as interesting for the quality of the writing as the adventure depicted. (HML37, $17.95)
Essential Tibetan Buddhism  •  Robert Thurman RELIGION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES A collection of recently translated texts by the foremost Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. Thurman has chosen well from the vibrant sacred literature of Tibet, and helpfully includes suggested further reading, explanatory notes and a directory of sacred sites. (TBT15, $14.95)
Everest, A Trekker's Guide  •  Kev Reynolds GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 255 PAGES A brief pocket guide to seven treks in the Everst region (including one in Tibet) with sketch maps, good general information and a few photographs. (NPL45, $22.95)
Everest, Mountain Without Mercy  •  Broughton Coburn NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Spectacularly photographed, this book is an account of the making of the IMAX film on Everest, including an account of the 1996 disaster. (HML20, $24.00)
Everest, the West Ridge  •  Thomas F. Hornbein EXPLORATION •  1980 •  PAPER  • 194 PAGES A vivid account of the 1963 American expedition to Everest, a classic of mountain climbing literature. Long thought out of reach, by Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld make a first ascent on the mountain via the spectacular West Ridge, which involved -- among other things -- an emergency bivouac at 28,000-feet. (HML10, $19.95)
The Far Pavilions  •  M. M. Kaye LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 960 PAGES An sweeping tale of love, adventure and war set during the British Raj. A monumental historical romance, the book follows the life a young British soldier who takes part in actual events leading to the Second Afghan War. Ben Cross played Ashton Pelham-Martyn in the 1984 mini-series. The book is better. (IDA195, $19.95)
A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent  •  Krys Kazmierczak  •  Ber Van Perlo FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES A compact field guide to 1,300 species with 96 color plates by bird artist Ber van Perlo, covering Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. With distribution maps and concise information on identification, voice and habitat by the author of "A Birdwatcher's Guide to India." (FG40, $50.00)
Ghosts of Everest, The Search for Mallory & Irvine  •  Jochen Hemmleb  •  Eric Simonson  •  Larry Johnson EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES You may have seen the pictures. This is one of several accounts of the 1999 expedition to determine the fate of George Mallory, who disappeared on Mt. Everest in 1924 (and who may or may not have been the first on Everest 29 years before Norgay and Hillary). Hemmleb, Johnson and Simonson, respected climbers all three and participants in the expedition, contribute to this book as told to hired-hand William Nothdurft. Conrad Anker wrote his own book, "The Lost Explorer (Item no. NPL35)," (HML39, $24.95)
The Great Hill Stations of Asia  •  Barbara Crossette TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A modern tour of the mountain enclaves of colonial Asia -- appreciative, magnificently researched and engaging. Crossette, an Asia correspondent for the "New York Times," criss-crosses the continent visiting Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. (ASA13, $16.00)
A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives  •  Richard Grimmett  •  Carol Inskipp  •  Tim Inskipp FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 888 PAGES Beautiful, comprehensive and up-to-date, this is the definitive field guide to birds from Bhutan to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It covers 1300 species -- and weighs 5 pounds. With 150 color plates and a detailed map for each species. Also available in a field edition (FG43). A major book, essential to serious bird watchers. (FG31, $132.00)
High Frontiers, Dolpo and the Changing World of Himalayan Pastoralists  •  Kenneth Michael Bauer CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Bauer's ethnography of the people of Dolpo, covers the history and environment of this isolated region, their culture, ways of life and transformation in the 20th century in scholarly, straightforward detail. Bauer conducted field research in Nepal between 1995 and 2002 and is the founder of DROKPA (meaning "nomad" in Tibetan), a nonprofit organization that provides development assistance to pastoralists in the Himalayas and Central Asia. (NPL57, $43.50)
Himalaya  •  Eric Valli  •  Anne de Sales CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 432 PAGES A handsome collection of breathtaking photographs of the landscape and people of the Himalayas. (HML64, $50.00)
Himalaya Map  •  Nelles MAP A colorful regional map of the Himalayas at a scale of 1:1,500,000, including Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Sikkim. (HML09, $10.95)
Himalayan Hermitess, The Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun  •  Kurtis Schaeffer BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES The vivid account of the life of Orgyan Chokyi (1675-1729), who spent her life in Dolpo. Illiterate and expressly forbidden by her master to record her life, Orgyan Chokyi is said to have received divine inspiration to write this tale. Scaeffer gives an overview of regious traditions and a history of this early autobiography in part one of the book. (NPL56, $30.00)
Himalayan Passage, Seven Months in the High Country of Tibet, Nepal, China, India, & Pakistan  •  Jeremy Schmidt TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES The story of two adventurous young couples who travel by bike, truck and foot across the Himalayas strong on the culture and people of the region. With 32 pages of color photographs. Starting in Lhasa, Tibet, in the spring of 1987, they headed west along the north slope of the mountains into China and Pakistan and returned on the south side through India and Nepal. (HML05, $18.95)
Himalayan Quest, Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants  •  Ed Viesturs EXPLORATION •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES In 1986, Austrian Reinhold Messner became the first man to scale all 14 peaks which stand above 8,000 meters, all of which are located in the Himalayas. Seventeen years later, Ed Viesturs became the first American to accomplish this daunting feat. This appealing photographic guide chronicles Viestur's journey, complete with breathtaking images of the Himalayan landscape (made more impressive when one imagines how difficult it must have been to take them while climbing!) as well as informative maps of the region. (HML63, $32.00)
In Exile from the Land of Snows, The Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Occupation  •  John Avedon CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1994 •  PAPER  • 391 PAGES The lives of the Tibetan people at home and in exile since the Chinese takeover in 1950. Avedon (who accompanied the Dalai Lama on his first American tour) interviewed over 100 people in Dharamsala and Tibet for this new classic. After introductory sections on ancient Tibet and the Chinese occupation, Avedon tackles how the nation was thrust into the 20th century by the loss of its sovereignty. It's a masterful, passionate tribute to the people and culture of Tibet. It's also useful in understanding Nepal today. (TBT04, $16.95)
Into Thin Air, A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster  •  Jon Krakauer EXPLORATION •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES In this bestseller, climber and journalist Krakauer reconstructs a minute-by-minute account of what went wrong on the great mountain in 1996. He captures the immediacy of those few hours on Everest when disaster struck -- and the psychological complexity of surviving a tragedy. (HML08, $26.95)
Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism  •  John Powers RELIGION •  2007 •  PAPER  • 591 PAGES A comprehensive study of the history and philosophy behind Tibetan Buddhism, suitable for the general reader. Powers (a professor of religion at Wright State University and a Tibetan Buddhist himself) clarifies the festivals, doctrines, schools and symbolism associated with the devotion, all within its historical and cultural context. Divided into four sections, it covers: the Indian origins of the religion; Tibetan religious history and culture; doctrines and practices; and the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. (TBT40, $22.95)
K2, Triumph and Tragedy  •  Jim Curran EXPLORATION •  1997 •  PAPER This is a tense account of disaster on the world's second highest mountain in 1986. The author was on the mountain when 13 climbers in 9 different expeditions died. (PKN05, $15.00)
Khumbu Himal (Everest) Map  •  Nelles 1999 •  MAP An excellent topographic map of the Mt. Everest hiking region at a scale of 1:50,000 with contour lines, color shading, popular routes and features. (NPL33, $13.95)
Lonely Planet Nepal  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A comprehensive, practical guide to Nepal featuring 50 sketch maps, a section of color photographs and the usual Lonely Planet attention to detail. (NPL28, $24.99)
Man-Eaters of Kumaon  •  Jim Corbett BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1993 •  PAPER  • 214 PAGES These are the memoirs of a turn-of-the-century hunter-turned-conservationist who was much loved in India. Corbett has a park named after him and this book will help you to understand why. It is intelligently written, respectful, and great fun -- an excellent portrait of the Indian hill stations of Uttarakhand. (HML12, $19.95)
Mt. Everest  •  National Geographic 1998 •  MAP A gloriously detailed, bird's-eye view of Everest by the cartographers at National Geographic, this 23 1/2 x 38 poster map shows the glaciers, valleys and peaks of the Mt. Everest region in beautiful shaded relief. The price includes shipping in a sturdy tube. (NPL36, $19.99)
My Land and My People, The Original Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet  •  Dalai Lama BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 238 PAGES The Dalai Lama recounts his life and struggle for an independent Tibet. It's one of the most remarkable stories of our time, simply and compassionately told by the Lama himself. (TBT22, $13.95)
A Naturalist and Other Beasts, Tales from a Life in the Field  •  George B. Schaller BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES In this absorbing memoir the eminent zoologist writes with authority and affection of his many field expeditions over a long career in conservation, including his time among the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, snow leopards in Nepal and his groundbreaking work on giant pandas in Sichuan. (NAT119, $24.95)
A Plantsman in Nepal  •  Roy Lancaster NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES A magnificently illustrated account of a three-month-long botanical expedition to the Upper Aran region of Eastern Nepal. With extensive color photographs, descriptions of the many plants he found and brought back for western gardens, and riveting tales of people and places he met along the way. (CHN59, $79.50)
Reaching the Summit: Edmund Hillary's Life of Adventure  •  Alexa Johnston BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 419 PAGES Deftly written and richly illustrated, this lively biogaphy draws on Hillary's personal archives. Johnston was guest curator of an exhibition in 2002 on Hillary at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. (HML87, $30.00)
Religions of Tibet in Practice  •  Donald S. Lopez, Jr. RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES A collection of 36 essays and translated texts by scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, including selections on prayers, pilgrimages, death and ritual. It is a scholarly overview of the culture and religion of Tibet, organized thematically and accessible to the general reader. (TBT16, $37.95)
Road to Katmandu  •  Patrick Marnham TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Marnham's classic account of an overland journey from Istanbul to Nepal via Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India in 1968. Originally published in 1971, Markham was one of many souls seeking enlightenment (and drugs) on the Hippie Trail. (ASA47, $21.95)
Sherpas, Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal  •  James Fisher CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1990 •  PAPER  • 205 PAGES A study of Sherpa society and the change that mountaineering and trekking have brought, which combines the qualities of a memoir and anthropological study. Fisher, who participated in a 1964 expedition to build schools in the region, quotes extensively from interviews, letting the Sherpas speak for themselves. well chosen photographs document change in the region. Fisher concludes it was the airstrip that the team constructed which has had the greatest impact on tourism and, by extension, Sherpa society. (NPL13, $26.95)
So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas  •  Barbara Crossette TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 297 PAGES • FAVORITE A "New York Times" Asia correspondent writes of Bhutan and neighboring kingdoms of Ladakh and Sikkim in the Himalayas, strongholds of Tantric Buddhism in an increasingly homogenized world. It's part travelogue and part history -- a personal portrait of the region. (NPL04, $16.00)
Something Hidden Behind the Ranges, A Himalayan Quest  •  Daniel Taylor-Ide TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 298 PAGES Mixing travelogue, personal adventure and excellent writing on the environment and nature of the Himalayas, the author takes us on a journey through the mountain kingdoms. (HML22, $14.95)
The Soul of the Rhino, A Nepali Adventure With Kings and Elephant Drivers, Billionaires and Bureaucrats, Shamans and Scientis  •  Hemanta R. Mishra NATURAL HISTORY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 232 PAGES This is the first book about saving the Asian one-horned rhinoceros, and the only one to delve into the multi-layered political labyrinths of wildlife conservation in South Asia. (NPL59, $24.95)
South Asia  •  Sumit Ganguly HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A scholarly history of modern South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Sumit Ganguly is the Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian cultures and civilizations and professor of political science at Indiana University. (IDA308, $18.00)
Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, A Practical Approach for Modern Life  •  B. Alan Wallace RELIGION •  1993 •  PAPER  • 214 PAGES A straightforward primer on the essentials of Buddhism as practiced in Tibet. The book is the result of a lecture series introducing the practice of Buddhism to the general public. (TBT19, $15.95)
Tiger Moon, Tracking the Great Cats in Nepal  •  Mel Sunquist  •  Fiona Sunquist TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES An account, rich in anecdote and natural history, of a two-year investigation of tigers, leaopards and their prey in Royal Chitwan National Park. With black-and-whote photographs throughout. Originally published in 1988. (NPL46, $18.00)
Tigerland, and Other Unintended Destinations  •  Eric Dinerstein NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES Dinerstein, chief scientist with WWF, chronicles his globe-trotting adventures in this series of seven enjoyably engaging essays. Our reluctant hero lucks into the Peace Corps in Nepal, has a grand time with some of the greats in tropical ecology in Costa Rica, heads out to Ladakh to study snow leopards, finds himself in New Caledonia, East Africa, Galapagos, the plains of Montana and then back in Nepal. Dinerstein is a wise and witty writer, combining stories of his own transformation into a conservation biologist with deft portraits of key researchers and some fine observations about place. (CON30, $16.95)
Touching My Father's Soul, A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest  •  Jamling Tenzing Norgay  •  Broughton Coburn  •  Dalai Lama BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES A personal account of the business of Everest, the 1996 IMAX Expedition and, most significantly, of a son who is grappling with the legacy of a famous father. The son of the man who reached the summit of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, Norgay has spent his entire life immersed in the culture, rituals and religion of the Sherpas. (NPL42, $15.95)
Trekking in the Everest Region  •  Jamie McGuinness GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 303 PAGES • COMING IN JANUARY A compact guide to treks in the Everest region featuring route maps, village plans and concise information on preparations, what to see and do. With an overview of Nepal and the region. Excerpts from the book and others in the British series are online at www.trailblazer-guides.com. Aimed at the do-it-yourself market, this handy guide also has much to offer anyone planning to trek in the region. 4th edition. (NPL31, $22.95)
The Wheel of Life, The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist  •  John Blofeld TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES Blofeld's (1913-1987) enchanting account of Buddhist worlds now largely vanished, including his life and travels in China, Tibet, Mongolia, India and Burma. He describes the worlds of remote mountain monasteries, sacred chambers of lamas and yogis, and the everyday lives of ordinary people. Originally published in 1959. (HML76, $30.00)
The Wisdom of the Buddha  •  Jean Boisselier RELIGION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 191 PAGES A pocket-size primer of Buddhism, this book is an illustrated history of the sixth-century Indian prince and his quest for enlightenment. With 207 illustrations, 160 in full color. (IDA55, $12.95)
A Woman's Asia  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. Featuring selections from Jan Morris, Pamela Logan and Alison Wright. (ASA49, $17.95)
World Religions: Eastern Traditions  •  Willard G. Oxtoby RELIGION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 515 PAGES A clear and insightful introduction to Eastern religions by a team of scholars. It's a handsomely produced concise overview of Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, and East Asian traditions, as rewarding for the general reader as the student. This second edition features additional suggested reading, photographs, glossary and thought-provoking review questions. (ASA07, $64.95)