I brought this book because I was interested in getting my own TM and I wanted to know as much about them as possible. The history was fascinating, and it has given me an insight into the nature of the TM. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however, I would have enjoyed by colour pictures to show off to friends. But I guess when I have the real thing, that will be a much better way of showing off.

This is a terrific book about the Tibetan Mastiff. It provides an all encompassing look at the history of the breed. It covers the show standards, temperment, and common medical problems. It also contains many stories about the breed both in Tibet and outside of the dogs native land. I highly recommend this book to the avid dog lover or to the TM fancier.

This book, written by one of the breed's
earliest and most knowledgeable proponents,
is an excellent source of information for
both the Tibetan Mastiff owner, and those
considering the breed.

Written with emphasis on the breed's history
in the United States, it does cover some
background of the breed in Nepal and Tibet,
and mentions a few of the notable European
dogs.

Along with the excellent pictures of early
Tibetan Mastiffs, and prominent show dogs in
the US, are health and care tips - this is
a reference book that anyone with an interest
in the breed should not be without.

First off, it is important to note that you can find new copies of this book from various Internet sites for much less than the $38 used price. Look around and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I initially picked up this book on the advice of a friend. We're both heavily involved in search and rescue and we're one of a small group of people working on international search and rescue response capabilities.

Nepal particularly appealed to my friend for spiritual and travel purposes, and he found kindred spirits over there. He also found this book, and immediately sent it on to me.

Simply as a book about one person's adventures trapped in an extremely difficult situation, it's good. But it covers so much more - culture, search and rescue, spirituality, family ties, the changes that all of the participants go through.

I've been involved in several search and rescue missions in similarly difficult situations and this book accurately represents how they play out.

A must read, from my point of view.

-David

Upon lying at home, bored out of my wits, i picked up a book that had been laying on my dresser for as long as i could remember. I had no idea the profound change it would bring about in me...

This book was amazing. I found the entries by James and his sister insightful and realistic. I loved the fact that there was a total honesty about the way they told the story, which propels you to learn more. There was never a time when i felt that i was not a part of the story, i felt as if i was suffering along with the Ryans and the Scotts'. A lovely read!

It has trully inspired me. i would like to know it Andrew converted to Buddism, as the Lama predicted exactly where James was.

A facinating read of a little known history. The original explorers of these remote mountains were a motely collection of eccentrics. The author brings these characters to life with a dry sense of humour & an eye for detail as well as thouroughly researched history. It is however the description of this amazing landscape that steals the show. The description of Mt.Nangar Parbat "the true horror of the Himalays" with its 26,000 foot sheer cliff face is mind boggling. This is a must read for anyone interested in mountaineering & its history.

Zurick and Karan's book on the Himalaya is easily the best book in recent years focussing on the condition of the Himalayan environment. Instead of using evidence from a few small examples, usually villages scattered across the Himalaya from Pakistan to Assam, the authors invoke a meta analysis, an examination of many studies and especially data from the entire area. This technique avoids any instances of the universal fallacy, that is, generalizing from a few cases the characteristics of all.

The thematic focus is on what is called The Theory of Himalayan Degradation as it was constructed by the alarmists in the 1970s into the 1980s including the German ecologist H-C Reiger, earth scientists Bruno Messerli and Jack Ives, and journalists like Erik Eckolm, a sometime science editor of the NY Times. Much of this concern, that there is a widespread environmental catastrophe in the Himalaya, is still being promoted. Zurick and Karan, both human geographers who have have been studying the Himalaya for a total of sixty years, find in their analysis that the Himalayan environmental situation is highly variable, problems exist, but the basic scenario that overpopulation causes cultivated land expansion and deforestation of steep lands, thereby increasing erosion, and silt laden runoff deposited downstream, is overly simplistic.

The authors review a large number of field studies and data sets across the Himalaya and through cartographic analysis to demonstrate that the current status of the Himalayan environment is diverse. Through a series of seven intensive regional studies, in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan the authors demonstrate the contemporary environmental status. Factors such as historical land tenure systems, trading routes, border closings, road building and migration all play critical roles in influencing environmental perturbation.

For anyone interested in the Himalaya the book is well worth reading. The authors provide contextual photographs, copius notes to the chapters, and the very first published set of maps of Himalayan districts accompanied by tabular material on 100-year population, agricultural and forest data. The introductory chapters will provide the general reader with a good background to Himalayan habitat and society. I highly recommend it.

Nigel J. R. Allan, author/editor, Human Impact on Mountains; Mountains at Risk: Current Issues in Environmental Studies; Karakorum Himalaya: A Bibliography.

This beautifully-designed comprehensive book gives the reader an insight into the lives of the small Tibetan tribe and what it takes to make a film where most living things don't survive. A touching story filled with information about the life of the region and the human relationships in and outside the film.

I read this book a little while ago after becoming interested in Arisaema. The book explains about the past cultivation of these bulbs in their native area. It then describes the hardiness of the bulbs and the best places suited to growing the different varieties. There are tips on propogation also. The best bit of the book are the photographs of these wonderful plants. A must for anyone who has an interest in these bulbs.

This is a book for the knowledgeable gardener who loves to make the link between flowers native to exotic places and the home garden, and for the plantsman who will take immense trouble to grow specific plants.

In my experience it is an unique book because it combines the adventure and awe of the plant hunter in the Himalaya with practical advice about how to grow the plants that were discovered. The colour photographs of the Himalaya are impressive and help the reader to understand the natural environment of the plants described later.

The book has seven chapters. The first helps the reader understand the ecological divisions of the Himalaya and the different plant habitats. The second chapter takes a brief look at some of the plant hunters who ventured into the area and brought back new species to challenge our gardening skills. The next three chapters detail how to develop gardens to grow plants from the three main climate zones - temperate, subalpine and alpine. The final chapters cover propagation and pests and diseases. There is a list of sources for seeds and plants in both Europe and North America, a glossary, bibliography and index of plant names.

This book really added to my knowledge of plants. I'd never given much thought to the huge variety of plants from the Himalaya. If asked, I'd say primulas, rhododendrons and the blue poppy, Meconopsis. I had never realized how many species of Meconopsis there are. For a start you can find deep blue ones (M. x sheldonii), yellow ones (M. integrifolia)....
The primula species are even more numerous and some of the orchids take your breath away. The flower photography in this book is exceptional.

This is not a book for everyone, but it will be a joy to the serious plantsman. The author writes clearly and knowledgeably and his depth of experience and love for his topic come across to the reader.

This is a very accessible account of a second British attempt to summit Everest via the North East ridge organized by Malcolm Duff in 1985. A previous attempt in 1982 led by Chris Bonington (see Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge by Chris Bonington for more information about that attempt) had resulted in the tragic loss of two climbers, Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman. Since the author of the book, Andrew Greig, had only recently begun climbing, we are intiated into the inner world of the British mountaineering society at almost the same time that he is being initiated. This account focuses on the inter-relations among the diverse personalities of the climbers recruited for this attempt. In addition, to the authors first hand accounts and summaries of the various stages involved in organizing an expedition of this magnitude, we are given numerous journal entries from the other participants. I feel that this is an important dimension that is not always found in other books of this type. Typically, books on mountaineering are written by a single author even though numerous individuals have been involved in the climb. In this book, we are not limited to the author's opinion of how some of the other members were affected. Rather we can understand how they responded to the demands being placed on them in their own words. Another interesting aspect deals with how this diverse group of people come together to work as a team and how they are haunted by the memory of Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman. While no one in this group summited, personal bests for highest point attained were set by most of the participants. For those that climbed into the Death Zone (see Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Death Zone by Matt Dickinson), there was the realization that they were able to function at that level without supplemental oxygen. The book is very enjoyable and accessible. The commercialization of Everest has become a much debated topic since the tragic events of 1996 (again, see Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer). This book shows us what Everest was like prior to the hand-held guided tours that seem to be so favorable today.

The best book for : trekers, climbers and travellers.Im red this book before my first trip to Gharwal Himalaya, Gangotri region.If you budget will be 5$ dollars per day or 30$ this bok is for you. You can find here all the best interesting pleaces for sightseeing, trekking - the beautiful region in north of India.All essential information about trip,hotel, acomodation you can get in Lonely Planet, so you have to bay this excelent book and now you will make planing your trip with yours the best friends - the autors Lonely Planet Indian Himalaya.

the book presents a very focussed view for people interested in trekking in the indian region of the himalayas. it gives details of treks along with relevant maps. it is not for those looking for a general tourist guide for the region, but can be used by a variety of trekkers. usually one does not trust the trek details and advice given in such books and this might be very general at times. but it is different in this book. I am myself from one region in the himalayas and some of the facts and details about my region were also interesting and so accurate that this made me like and trust the book.i have also read the previous edition, and the author has built the book across regions. but the information is not very consistent across regions and one can easily make out some gaps for some regions. on the whole a good buy for people interested in specifics.