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)
Among Warriors, A Woman Martial Artist in Tibet  •  Pamela Logan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES The account of an aerospace scientist turned adventurer and her quest to reach Kham, a remote region of Eastern Tibet largely closed to outsiders. Logan mixes Buddhism, martial arts, philosophy and history into her traveler's tales. (TBT51, $13.00)
Below Another Sky, A Mountain Adventure in Search of a Lost Father  •  Rick Ridgeway BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 321 PAGES A touching account of a return after 20 years to the site where Ridgeway had lost his friend, National Geographic photographer Jonathan Wright, the 28-year-old victim of an avalanche. Accompanied by Asia Wright, a young woman in search of the father she never knew. Ridgeway, a celebrated climber, has written memorably of his adventures in the Himalayas. (TBT55, $25.00)
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)
Cave in the Snow, A Western Woman's Quest for Enlightenment  •  Vicki MacKenzie TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES The absorbing tale of a young English Buddhist and her experience as a hermit in Lahoul, a Tibetan stronghold in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. It's a fascinating overview of the allure and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. The book is divided into three sections: the life of Diane Perry until she became a Buddhist nun; her time in seclusion in the 1970s, first in at the Tayul monastery and then on a mountain ledge; and her life back in the England. She was not lonely. (HML61, $15.95)
Circling the Sacred Mountain  •  Tad Wise  •  Robert Thurman TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman's account of his journey, both physical and spiritual, to the sacred graveyards, monasteries, and meditation caves around Mount Kailas with Tad Wise and students. (TBT54, $18.00)
The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs  •  Robert Beer RELIGION •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 400 PAGES An encyclopedic reference exploring the symbols found in the sacred Tibetan art of the thangka. 169 illustrated plates feature several thousand pieces intricate line art by the author. Entries are arranged thematically. Beer, while British, has devoted decades to the study of thangkas, a meditation device used by monks. (TBT66, $65.00)
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)
Himalayan Enchantment, An Anthology  •  Frank Kingdon-Ward EXPLORATION •  1990 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES An anthology of writings by the great Himalayan explorer and plant-collector Frank Kingdon-Ward, who undertook 25 expeditions to the region from 1909 to 1953. The selections balance his interest in plants with his interest in geography, birds, beasts, insects and its variegated inhabitants, not only Tibetan and Chinese, but also the hill tribes -- Abors, Darus, Dulengs, Kachins, Lisus, Lutzus, Marus, Mishimis, Nungs and others -- in whose life he took such an affectionate interest. (HML03, $19.95)
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)
A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State  •  Melvyn C. Goldstein HISTORY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 936 PAGES An even-handed survey of the history of Tibet from 1913 to 1951, when the country was taken over by communist China. Goldstein draws on diplomatic records, as well as historical accounts and interviews with monastic leaders, soldiers and Tibetan officials to unravel the complex history of the Buddhist kingdom during this critical period. (TBT56, $45.00)
In the Land of the Blue Poppies, The Collected Plant Hunting Writings of Frank Kingdon-Ward  •  Frank Kingdon-Ward  •  Tom Christopher  •  Jamaica Kincaid ANTHOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES An anthology of the plant hunting adventures of the intrepid Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958) as presented by Tom Christopher. The collection communicates all Kingdon-Ward's excitement of discovery at the turn of the century in Tibet, China, Burma and Southeast Asia. A geographical explorer as well as horticulturist, Kingdon Ward writes of the people, landscapes and experiences trekking in the Himalayas. (ASA35, $19.00)
Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness  •  Robert Thurman  •  Dalai Lama RELIGION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 356 PAGES In this popular book, partly a memoir, Thurman brings his range of experience, scholarship and wit to the task of living as a Buddhist in contemporary America. Founder of Tibet House in New York, Thurman is a Buddhist monk, scholar and translator of Tibetan texts. (TBT73, $15.00)
Into Thin Air, A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster  •  Jon Krakauer EXPLORATION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 360 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. (HML13, $14.95)
It's Easier Than You Think, The Buddhist Way to Happiness  •  Sylvia Boorstein RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 145 PAGES Boorstein -- a practitioner of Buddhist meditation, psychotherapist and Jewish grandmother to boot -- here relates the basic tenets of Buddhism in her warmly engaging, anecdotal style. It's a good introduction to Buddhist teachings by a self-deprecating master. (GEN264, $13.00)
Kailash Trekking Map  •  Gecko Maps 1999 •  MAP A detailed topographic map (1:50,000) of the trekking route circling Mount Kailas. (TBT64, $16.95)
Lonely Planet Tibet  •  Bradley Mayhew  •  John Vincent Bellezza  •  Tony Wheeler  •  Chris Taylor GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A practical guide to Tibet with new and revised maps, features on Tibetan and Mandarin language, notes on Buddhism, Tibetan culture and its rich history. Included also are the process of acquiring visas and documents when traveling from Nepal to Tibet, as well as the political situation in the region. (TBT50, $26.99)
Lonely Planet Tibetan Phrasebook  •  Sandup Tsering LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2008 •  PAPER  • 254 PAGES A brief guide to Tibetan with transliterations of place names, pronunciation guide and common phrases. (TBT52, $8.99)
On Top of the World, Five Women Explorers in Tibet  •  Luree Miller EXPLORATION •  1985 •  PAPER  • 222 PAGES A profile of Victorian women in Tibet, three British, an American and a French woman. Miller includes the well known adventures of Alexandra David-Neel and Isabella Bird Bishop in addition to the less-known exploits of Nina Mazuchelli, Ann Taylor and Fanny Bullock Workman. (TBT28, $12.95)
Pilgrimage, Twenty Journeys to Inspire the Soul  •  David Souden CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES An illustrated account of journeys to sacred places around the world, including Santiago de Campostela, Lourdes, Jerusalem, Kyoto, Mecca, Rome, Mount Kailas, Salt Lake City and the battlefields of WWI. (GEN247, $29.95)
Red Dust, A Path Through China  •  Ma Jian  •  Flora Drew TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES An astounding, thoughtful memoir of an urban poet, painter and writer on the road to Tibet in the mid-1980s. At low ebb personally, and censured by his propaganda work unit, 30-year-old Ma Jian abandons his disintegrating life in Beijing for a remarkable three-year trek south and west to Guizhou province, Burma and Tibet. This first-rate account offers a vibrant portrait of Deng's People's Republic of China, and an extremely useful testimonial to the plight of Chinese artists therein. With kudos by Barbara Crossette, Jonathan Spence and others, this first book by Jian, who now lives in London, is drawing a lot of attention. (CHN150, $15.00)
Red Poppies  •  Alai  •  Howard Goldblatt  •  Sylvia Li-Chun Lin LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 433 PAGES This family saga unfolds among the warlords of eastern Tibet in the 1930s before the Chinese occupation. (TBT61, $14.00)
The Search for Shangri-La, A Journey into Tibetan History  •  Charles Allen TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Both travelogue and straight-ahead religious history. With a set of color photo plates. (TBT67, $14.95)
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)
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)
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)
The Spirit of Tibet, Portrait of a Culture in Exile  •  Alison Wright CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A handsome pictorial essay on Tibetan culture and people in exile in the monasteries, nunneries and towns of Dharamsala and surroundings in the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Indian Himalayas. (IDA159, $34.95)
Tibet's Sacred Mountain, The Extraordinary Pilgrimage to Mount Kailas  •  Russell Johnson  •  Kerry Moran TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 126 PAGES In this handsome illustrated journal, two Americans record their trek around 22,000-foot Mt. Kailas. With 100 color photographs, map and accompanying text, the book documents the landscapes, rituals and traditions of the sacred mountain. The photographs of pilgrims are particularly affecting. (TBT41, $25.00)
Tibet, The Roof of the World between Past and Present  •  Maria Antonia Sironi Diemberger ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES A captivating photographic portrait of Tibet, its monasteries, people and landscapes. (TBT49, $45.00)
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)
Tibetan Buddhist Life  •  Don Farber RELIGION •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES A beautiful and informative celebration of Tibetan Buddhist culture. An in-depth text complements over 200 photographs, many by Don Farber. Farber has been photographing Buddhist life for two decades and is the special photographer for the Dalai Lama. (TBT70, $30.00)
Tibetan Folk Tales  •  Fredrick Hyde-Chambers  •  Audrey Hyde-Chambers LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 186 PAGES A collection of two dozen folk tales and legends, handed down by generations of Tibetan storytellers. The anthology, first published in 1981, includes the Tibetan myth of creation, some tales from Buddhist mythology, and the famous epic of King Gesar of Ling, a national hero. (TBT59, $21.00)
War at the Top of the World, The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Tibet  •  Eric Margolis HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Margolis, a veteran correspondent in the region, presents a detailed overview of the ongoing struggle over the high Himalayas, showing their strategic importance to Pakistan, India and China. Updated throughout for this second edition, including a new chapter on the Taliban. He sorts out confusing religious differences, complex geographies and politics with clarity, explaining -- for example -- the strategic value of the 16,000-foot Siachen Glacier where oxygen-starved Indian and Pakistani soldiers have been fighting for years. (PKN09, $25.95)
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)
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)