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Himalaya: A Human History

Himalaya: A Human History

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  • Create Date：2021-07-16 03:41:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Ed Douglas
  • ISBN：1784704482
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Summary

'A scholarly yet entertaining synthesis of hundreds of years of history' Financial Times

This is the first major history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples， cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains。

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 DUFF COOPER PRIZE

An epic story of peoples， cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains: here Jesuit missionaries exchanged technologies with Tibetan Lamas， Mongol Khans employed Nepali craftsmen， Armenian merchants exchanged musk and gold with Mughals。

Featuring scholars and tyrants， bandits and CIA agents， go-betweens and revolutionaries， Himalaya is a panoramic， character-driven history on the grandest but also the most human scale， by far the most comprehensive yet written， encompassing geology and genetics， botany and art， and bursting with stories of courage and resourcefulness。

'Magisterial' The Times

'His observations are sharp。。。his writing glows' The New York Times

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Reviews

Vinoy Vijayan ，

500+ page book which is a messy assortment of stories and people from the long history of the Himalayan region。 The Himalaya region - Tibet， Nepal， Sikkim， Bhutan etc is clearly a fascinating and unique place。 They have a long history of being connected economically and culturally to all the surrounding regions of Asia。 The author clearly has a deep love for this place。 But sometimes the details are just so overwhelming。 Names and dates come at you fast。 It seems that he has collected all kinds 500+ page book which is a messy assortment of stories and people from the long history of the Himalayan region。 The Himalaya region - Tibet， Nepal， Sikkim， Bhutan etc is clearly a fascinating and unique place。 They have a long history of being connected economically and culturally to all the surrounding regions of Asia。 The author clearly has a deep love for this place。 But sometimes the details are just so overwhelming。 Names and dates come at you fast。 It seems that he has collected all kinds of stories of the Himalayas and is trying hard to squeeze all of them into one book。 Chapters veer from one person to another without only the a minimal attempt to connecting these into a common thread。 It got tiring after a bit。 But a good read about a place that deserves more attention。 。。。more

Paulo Adalberto Reimann ，

I had different expectations I expected something describing origins and lifestyle （plus a bit of adventure）。 The book focuses in geo-politics across several historical periods。 My mistake。 Anyway， after finishing the book one can be almost a specialist over the subject。

Ann Joyce ，

This is a very complete history of the Himalaya。 The history focuses primarily on Tibet and Nepal。 The chapters on the medieval era are， in my opinion， the most useful as much has been written about the Raj and the Great Game but not about the Tibetan empire of the middle ages。 The author does a nice job situatiating mountaineering （his principal interest in the Himalaya） in the context of the political situation in the Himalaya。 I found the portions of the book dealing with attempts to scale Na This is a very complete history of the Himalaya。 The history focuses primarily on Tibet and Nepal。 The chapters on the medieval era are， in my opinion， the most useful as much has been written about the Raj and the Great Game but not about the Tibetan empire of the middle ages。 The author does a nice job situatiating mountaineering （his principal interest in the Himalaya） in the context of the political situation in the Himalaya。 I found the portions of the book dealing with attempts to scale Nanga Parbat among the most engaging。 。。。more

Hadrian ，

A broad and sweeping survey of a region with a vast history and is often misunderstood。Douglas starts his book with the geography， with the collision of the Indian subcontinent with the rest of Eurasia some tens of millions of years ago。 And after that， the book is filled with as much information as Douglas can cram into five hundred pages。 That there was once a Tibetan Empire， which defeated the Tang Dynasty in battle and existed during the life of Charlemagne and the Abbasid Caliphate。 The boo A broad and sweeping survey of a region with a vast history and is often misunderstood。Douglas starts his book with the geography， with the collision of the Indian subcontinent with the rest of Eurasia some tens of millions of years ago。 And after that， the book is filled with as much information as Douglas can cram into five hundred pages。 That there was once a Tibetan Empire， which defeated the Tang Dynasty in battle and existed during the life of Charlemagne and the Abbasid Caliphate。 The book also includes discussions on the rise and fall of the Nepalese monarchy， and then a brief segment on the border clashes between India and China， and then on the brutality committed to the Tibetan people。 Far from being completely isolated from the rest of the world， the region was a hub of trade， a center of religious beliefs， and at times quite aware of the outside world。 Aside from the wealth of detail on this political history， a large segment of the book is on outside observers， many see the Himalaya as a blank slate for them to draw their plans on。 The British East India Company makes an appearance， as do missionaries who saw monasteries and priestly orders and made partial though incomplete comparisons to Christianity。 The locals had their own religion and were suspicious of outside motives。 Some of these are mystics or quacks like Helena Blavatsky; others are caliper-wielding 'race scientists' who saw the Tibetan aristocracy as evidence of an Aryan race。 The millions of people here are often misunderstood at best， or abused at worst。 Out of the cast of characters who come in to pay a visit， Douglas has a soft spot for the mountaineers。 Seeing as he is one himself， and has visited the region many times， it is very understandable。 And in the understanding the reverence of the task of climbing， and the cold persistent work of hauling yourself up and the brief and timeless moment at the summit。 。。。more

Matt ，

This is a poorly written book， which is disappointing given the amount of research that must have been required to write it。 There is no flow， nothing holding a narrative together， nothing beyond a recitation of facts and opinions that jumps geographically and temporally without any semblance of order。Further， at least in the Kindle version， all of the illustrations are at the end of the book， and there are no maps。 Given the jumbled mess of a narrative， the least the reader should have been aff This is a poorly written book， which is disappointing given the amount of research that must have been required to write it。 There is no flow， nothing holding a narrative together， nothing beyond a recitation of facts and opinions that jumps geographically and temporally without any semblance of order。Further， at least in the Kindle version， all of the illustrations are at the end of the book， and there are no maps。 Given the jumbled mess of a narrative， the least the reader should have been afforded is the regular presence of a @$ing map to locate the events being described。 。。。more

Clifford H。 ，

Unfocused but detailed。This was a tedious read。 The author has tried to cover too many subjects in one book: mountain climbing， Nepali history， Buddhist history， China/India relations and many more。 It is too long and complicated to be a fun read。 It is， however， an education in itself。

Peter ，

An in depth political and historical study of the Himalaya region。 The book contains lots of detail yet remains vrry readable

Subin Sahu ，

Himalaya: A human history is among the few good books about the people of Himalaya。 Most English books about the region are about Mountaineering and trekking。 Ed Douglas has done a brilliant job researching the history of the region: Nepal， Tibet， Bhutan， and northern India。 This book is a bit complicated as it discusses several historical figures， rulers， diplomats; regional wars， and other events that nevertheless had a big impact; and mentions several obscure places。 It was hard for me to gra Himalaya: A human history is among the few good books about the people of Himalaya。 Most English books about the region are about Mountaineering and trekking。 Ed Douglas has done a brilliant job researching the history of the region: Nepal， Tibet， Bhutan， and northern India。 This book is a bit complicated as it discusses several historical figures， rulers， diplomats; regional wars， and other events that nevertheless had a big impact; and mentions several obscure places。 It was hard for me to grasp those chapters that dealt with the history of Tibet。 I also mostly skimped through the chapters about mountaineering。 The chapters on the history of Nepal are the ones that I enjoyed the most。 It was a nice revision of my school history lesson and other stories I heard growing up in Nepal， but with a new and neutral perspective; the history I learned during our school year was written to glorify the Monarchy and the kingdom。 This is also the first book I read that acknowledge the role Gurkha's from Nepal has contributed in the expansion and maintenance of the British empire， particularly in Asia， which is a matter of pride for some and shame for others -- Bhupi Sherchan's poem at the beginning of the book is thus very relevant as he was one of the prominent critics of Gurkha's contribution to British imperialism。 。。。more

Abhishek Kona ，

I appreciate that the author wrote a book about the Himalayas that is not about discovering yourself in the Himalayas。 Instead the author is curious and wants to learn about the people and their history of the mountains。I found there is no central thesis to the book， it jumps from culture to culture and across time period。 Its gives you an overview of the different people there but was too boring for me。

Richie T。 ，

Really a history of Western exploration （and exploitation） of the region， as derived from Western sources。

Arun ，

Halfway through。 I really wanted to like this book but it's incredibly dry。 Even something as fascinating as Nepalese history is really convoluted and hard to follow。 I'm trying Jennifer。 Halfway through。 I really wanted to like this book but it's incredibly dry。 Even something as fascinating as Nepalese history is really convoluted and hard to follow。 I'm trying Jennifer。 。。。more

Sheri ，

This was not an easy read。 I picked it up because I knew nothing of the region and wanted to remedy the situation。 It took me several months to finish。 The sheer number of people and places often had me slightly confused。 I would say this is probably a great book for a term paper， but given the density of information， not something for a light read。 On the bright side， I know much more about the area than I used to。 I think I might need to pick up something about the ecoregion now， however， as n This was not an easy read。 I picked it up because I knew nothing of the region and wanted to remedy the situation。 It took me several months to finish。 The sheer number of people and places often had me slightly confused。 I would say this is probably a great book for a term paper， but given the density of information， not something for a light read。 On the bright side， I know much more about the area than I used to。 I think I might need to pick up something about the ecoregion now， however， as natural history was not a focus of this book。 。。。more

Marsha Altman ，

Excellent - if a little confusing - book on the history of the Himalayan region。 It's very helpful if you know something about the histories of Nepal and Tibet。 I've been to the region （I've been to Northern India and Kathmandu） so that helped a lot。 The book is long but it's worth it。 Excellent - if a little confusing - book on the history of the Himalayan region。 It's very helpful if you know something about the histories of Nepal and Tibet。 I've been to the region （I've been to Northern India and Kathmandu） so that helped a lot。 The book is long but it's worth it。 。。。more

Rhianna ，

This book was overly detailed which made it quite an exhausting read。 Interesting subject but poor execution。

Peter Munger ，

This book is the culmination of Ed Douglas’ 25-year project on what he calls “a human history” of the Himalaya。 The book was too much of a slog。 In an effort to leave nothing out， Douglas put too much in。 Too many minor characters。 Too many minor events。 Too many facts。 Too many thickets。 Douglas often introduces a main topic then almost immediately pulls you into too many thickets of minor facts and people tangentially related to the topic， and you’re left flailing about， trying to find your wa This book is the culmination of Ed Douglas’ 25-year project on what he calls “a human history” of the Himalaya。 The book was too much of a slog。 In an effort to leave nothing out， Douglas put too much in。 Too many minor characters。 Too many minor events。 Too many facts。 Too many thickets。 Douglas often introduces a main topic then almost immediately pulls you into too many thickets of minor facts and people tangentially related to the topic， and you’re left flailing about， trying to find your way back to the main topic， which can be many pages later。 He also takes you from one century to another in whiplash speed， leaving you dizzy。 One moment he’s talking about an event in the 20th century， then suddenly he takes you somewhere into the 18th。 Often there’s no obvious rhyme or reason for the transitions。 Many of the innumerable Asian and English characters introduced， major and minor， have multiple names that Douglas uses interchangeably， leaving you confused about who you’re reading about。 In short， too often in this book you lose sight of the forest for all the trees， bushes， plants， flowers， bears， and bugs Douglas feels compelled to mention。 The book poses as a “human history” of the Himalaya but is actually more of a political， military， and， to a lesser extent， religious history of Tibet， Nepal， and northern India。 Bhutan and Pakistan， also Himalayan countries， don’t make much of an appearance。 The book spends very little time on the sociological， cultural， or artistic history of the region。 You learn very little about the different groups of people who live in the Himalaya （e。g。， the Sherpas） and what their lives have been like over the historical periods covered in the book （mainly 18th through 20th centuries）。 This is not to say the political and military histories are not interesting。 They are， indeed。 Most of what I know about the Himalaya I’ve learned from reading dozens of mountaineering books。 The colonial and post-colonial history of the region was fascinating。 The religious history （principally Buddhism and Hinduism） was mildly interesting。 Douglas spends too much time， however， on religious myths and Hindu gods。 These sections are a grind。 The sections on mountaineering， which arrive later in the book and which I was looking forward to， focus less on mountain climbing than on the politics of mountain climbing， but these sections are quite interesting， nonetheless。 Much of the politics was familiar to me， but there was a good deal more I learned。 I give this book a “C。” The research behind it was most impressive。 Douglas writes well， but not always smoothly。 The organization of the book left something to be desired。 I suppose I would’ve preferred a linear history to a hopscotch approach。 Douglas， a mountain climber himself， had too little to say about the important mountain climbing expeditions in the Himalaya。 I regard this book as more of an academic tome than a fascinating story for the general reader。 。。。more

Mark Mills ，

Lots of interesting history that was new to me。 Would have benefited from losing most of the character portaits of Western expats and explorers as the book is at its most compelling talking about the people of the Himalayas themselves

Bill Amatneek ，

An epic history of the Himalaya， a monumental work。 THANK YOU， Ed Douglas。

Blair ，

“Himalaya: A Human History” is an incredibly well researched story of the geography， climate， people， cultures， history and adventures along the highest and arguably most majestic mountain range on the planet。 While the book’s stated purpose was to document the human history of the region， I found it to be more of a paean of the past 25 years of the author’s life in a region which he loves and where he is a clearly an authority。 According to geologists “Mountains are high energy environments”。 T “Himalaya: A Human History” is an incredibly well researched story of the geography， climate， people， cultures， history and adventures along the highest and arguably most majestic mountain range on the planet。 While the book’s stated purpose was to document the human history of the region， I found it to be more of a paean of the past 25 years of the author’s life in a region which he loves and where he is a clearly an authority。 According to geologists “Mountains are high energy environments”。 This is true from a geological perspective and from a human perspective。 To understand this one needs to consider that the Indian lithosphere extends into the Tibetan Plateau by more than 300 kilometers， as the Indian Plate pushes underneath the Eurasian Plate。 The high energy is also seen in the dynamics of people within the Himalayas。 To understand this， consider that this mountain range is sandwiched between the two most populous， and fastest growing， places on earth i。e。， India and China。 It’s also home to a unique blend of Buddhist cultures that span five different kingdoms - Bhutan， Ladakh， Nepal， Sikkim， and Tibet。 It’s difficult to narrow what was the most interesting part of the book， for it was so comprehensive in scope。 I found the breadth and depth to be a very rare combination for any book。 The first thing I was interested in was the geography that including 14 peaks over 8，000 meters in height and the source of some of the greatest rivers in the world – including the Indus， Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers rising in the West Himalaya to the Mekong and Yangtze rivers and in the East Himalaya。 The book also outlines in detail – sometimes too much detail – the various cultures and individuals who made the Himalaya what it is today。 This including the Buddhist， Hindus， Jains and others who traveled to “the most sacred mountain and lake in the world” – Mount Kailas and Lake Manasarovar。Further， “Himalaya” presents the region largely through the eyes of those involved rather than from a European perspective because it is written in English versus Hindu， Nepali Tibetan or Chinese。 Ed Douglas takes care to show us the weaknesses of the European perspective by pointing out that the Europeans would not have been able to progress with local people – from leaders， strongmen， traders， translators， to mountaineers such as Tenzing Norgay， who was with Ed Hillary the first pair on Everest and who was the subject of a biography by Ed Douglas， the author of this book。 It also shows that the Tibetans resisted British influence at least partly because they had to be careful of the Qing Chinese。 The author wrote extensively of the East India Company and its role in the Sub-continent from 1600 – 1857 when the British Raj took over control India from the Company。 I was particularly interested in the section on botany as it played such an important part of the British Empire。 The East India Company traded largely in plants – cotton， indigo， opium as exports and it brought plants such as potatoes – which sparked population booms as it did in Europe – and tea which put Darjeeling on the Map。 This was important to the British economy as 10% of its tax revenues came from tea。 It was interesting to read how Westerners and Tibetans seemed to view maps。 Westerners look more for direction， territory and empire while Asians and particularly Tibetans wanted maps to be spiritually enriching。 I’ll need to look into more research on maps and how they have shaped history。 Finally， the book also filled in a number of gaps in my understanding of the Himalaya， even though I had travelled extensively through Nepal， Bhutan and parts of India。 I didn’t know that the Dalai Lama was a Mongolian construct， nor did I know that he was the reincarnation of the Boddhisatva， or god of compassion， Avalokitesvara。 If there was anything I disliked from the book， it has to be the level of detail。 It was intense and perhaps just a bit more than I expected。 That said， I generally prefer it to be overly detailed than skimp on the detail。 Overall， Himalaya was an excellent book from a very knowledgeable and passionate author。 I highly recommend it and it is very deserving of a “Five Star” rating。 。。。more

Patricia ，

I admit I feel like I've climbed Everest finishing this tome。 It is an Everest in its own right， steeped （yes， that choice of verb is no accident） with facts and details that often made me leave the book at rest for a few days before gathering the mindset to pick it up again。 （I've read four books in the breaks I needed reading Himalaya）。But with that warning， I have to admit that it is not only excellent but in a class of its own， and a book that clearly deserves more than one reading。 I consid I admit I feel like I've climbed Everest finishing this tome。 It is an Everest in its own right， steeped （yes， that choice of verb is no accident） with facts and details that often made me leave the book at rest for a few days before gathering the mindset to pick it up again。 （I've read four books in the breaks I needed reading Himalaya）。But with that warning， I have to admit that it is not only excellent but in a class of its own， and a book that clearly deserves more than one reading。 I consider this first read akin to getting a feel for the terrain before the real trip is made。 My advice is to pace yourself。 Don't give up。 Find your own base camp in its depths and explore from there， whether it's the region's history， or politics， personalities， people， plants or， of course， the mountaineers。 。。。more

Peter ，

An incoherent historyA disappointing read about a fascinating topic。 The author skips from a a bird’s eye view to anecdotes about individuals with dizzying and disorienting speed。 He talks of the importance of Buddhism with little or no explanation of its meaning or how it has influenced the history of the region beyond the mere assertion that it has。 He is best in his history of mountaineering which is clearly his passion - a book focussed just on that subject would have been a far better subje An incoherent historyA disappointing read about a fascinating topic。 The author skips from a a bird’s eye view to anecdotes about individuals with dizzying and disorienting speed。 He talks of the importance of Buddhism with little or no explanation of its meaning or how it has influenced the history of the region beyond the mere assertion that it has。 He is best in his history of mountaineering which is clearly his passion - a book focussed just on that subject would have been a far better subject for this author。 History is a “story” not just a string of facts and， alas， there is no real story of the Himalaya here。 。。。more

Steven ，

Whew！ I knew I was cutting it close， but didn't realize how close。 About 45 minutes after finishing it， I got a notice from my public library that my digital loan had ended。I did ultimately enjoy this book， but it was a bit of a slog for me。Things I liked - learning about some of the key characters involved in the political， religious， mountaineering and natural history of the Himalaya。 The author， who has a mountaineering background， clearly loves this aspect of the regions， and really， his ent Whew！ I knew I was cutting it close， but didn't realize how close。 About 45 minutes after finishing it， I got a notice from my public library that my digital loan had ended。I did ultimately enjoy this book， but it was a bit of a slog for me。Things I liked - learning about some of the key characters involved in the political， religious， mountaineering and natural history of the Himalaya。 The author， who has a mountaineering background， clearly loves this aspect of the regions， and really， his enthusiasm was infectious。 I also liked some of the historical name-dropping （Lola Montez， anyone？） but since I was reading this on a tablet， it was far too easy to jump out of the book to find out more， and these many rabbit-holes bogged down my progress。 That's not the author's problem -- it's a me problem。Things I grew a bit weary of -- trying to keep up with all the names， especially Indian political figures， both British and Indian。 It was a lot to keep up with and I confess I didn't do a great job of it。 Also， I was annoyed that， while there were maps， there were many locations （rivers， valleys， monasteries， etc。） that didn't appear on them。 I'd pore over them and stare and for the life of me couldn't find these places。All in all， a great overview， I think， by someone who clearly has a passion for the geography， people and history of this region。（One thing I wish publishers would do is disperse the photos and other media that appear in a section in the printed editions。 In an ebook， is there any reason why the photo or painting being referred to in the text can't be displayed near it？） 。。。more

Bob Peru ，

if you’re only going to read one book on himalayan history， this is the one。 admittedly not original research nevertheless a well written synthesis of other’s research。

John ，

At times gripping--he's best at his expertise in mountaineering and how this attracted pioneering climbers to the "abode of snow"--but often overwhelmingly pedestrian and flat-footed。 Gets bogged down in details of dynasties and battles and diplomacy that although germane to the subject at large， feel secondhand retreads of scholarship。 He should have focused on the mountaineers themselves。。。 At times gripping--he's best at his expertise in mountaineering and how this attracted pioneering climbers to the "abode of snow"--but often overwhelmingly pedestrian and flat-footed。 Gets bogged down in details of dynasties and battles and diplomacy that although germane to the subject at large， feel secondhand retreads of scholarship。 He should have focused on the mountaineers themselves。。。 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

An amazing book with an impressive scope that neither panders to or speaks over those with little in-depth knowledge of the region。 Douglas has a good journalist style that pulls the reader in and educates as well as sparks the imagination。 I'd recommend reading this in had copy vice ebook- it's a BIG book。 It would also be easier to flip back and forth to check data points， who's who etc。 Almost unbelievably given how ， I still found myself going down the google hole to follow up on certain thi An amazing book with an impressive scope that neither panders to or speaks over those with little in-depth knowledge of the region。 Douglas has a good journalist style that pulls the reader in and educates as well as sparks the imagination。 I'd recommend reading this in had copy vice ebook- it's a BIG book。 It would also be easier to flip back and forth to check data points， who's who etc。 Almost unbelievably given how ， I still found myself going down the google hole to follow up on certain things， which I consider a positive。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 Terrific read。 。。。more

Stephen King ，

This is excellent in parts and sheds a welcome light on a much underserved region - its history， religion and culture and its geopolitical importance。 However， unless you’re a devotee or student of Nepali history， it can be dense and turgid。

Igor Zurimendi ，

The book is about not a rigorous full history of the Himalaya， but more a succession of events the author finds interesting to write about: plenty of mountaineering detail， but no detail on Buddhist theology。 Unfortunately I don't share the author's interests。 The book is about not a rigorous full history of the Himalaya， but more a succession of events the author finds interesting to write about: plenty of mountaineering detail， but no detail on Buddhist theology。 Unfortunately I don't share the author's interests。 。。。more

Geoffrey ，

（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Nearly as epic as the Himalayan mountains themselves， Ed Douglas’s Himalaya: A Human History” takes readers into a region that is far， far， far from the widely held misconceptions of a land has long closed off and isolated from the rest of the world and sparsely filled with little more than scattered monks and other assorted holy men。 What is shown here in this in-depth historical exploration is the true “roof of the wo （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）Nearly as epic as the Himalayan mountains themselves， Ed Douglas’s Himalaya: A Human History” takes readers into a region that is far， far， far from the widely held misconceptions of a land has long closed off and isolated from the rest of the world and sparsely filled with little more than scattered monks and other assorted holy men。 What is shown here in this in-depth historical exploration is the true “roof of the world” - a place richly diverse with peoples with vibrant cultures who have long been influenced from all sides while sending out their own influence in turn。 As one who had a little background knowledge of the region’s history but still incorrectly viewed it as a land of limited interaction with the surrounding world， this book quickly proved to be an eye-opening learning experience。 Chapter after engrossing chapter revealed between how spreading faiths， trade， armies from various nations and kingdoms， refugees， “explorers” and many other forces and figures， this land has in fact been a vibrant crossroads and consistent point of connection throughout the ages。 The incredibly detailed narrative provided by Douglas made it fascinating to learn just how wrong I have been with my prior limited familiarity with this land。 However， unfortunately there ended up being a few times where the scope that he tried to cover， plus the sheer amount of information that the author tried to supply ended up being a little overwhelming。 This occurred with particularly noted frequency about halfway through the book when the focus shifted to various westerners and their exploits in and around the Himalaya， including but not at all limited to a range of missionaries， mountaineers， and quite a few servants of the British Empire。 While entirely in line with the overarching themes of the book， the amount of detail paid to the book’s large cast of western characters in particular definitely reached occasional saturation。 That all being said， I overall enjoyed Himalaya: A Human History。 Although it wasn’t the easiest of reading journeys， it was still a delight to travel so deep through this region’s stunningly rich and vibrant past。 。。。more

Lou ，

Having had a keen interest in natural history and enjoyed plenty of books before this on the Himalaya I was slightly sceptical regarding the bold claim that this book is "by far the most comprehensive yet written" about the area， its culture and its people。 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 c Having had a keen interest in natural history and enjoyed plenty of books before this on the Himalaya I was slightly sceptical regarding the bold claim that this book is "by far the most comprehensive yet written" about the area， its culture and its people。 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。Writers and publicists often have a tendency to make all sorts of outrageous claims to lure readers into purchasing a book and many fail to deliver what they initially promised。 However， Ed Douglas does deliver with this superb read。 His passion and enthusiasm are a delight to witness and are evident right from the get-go whilst remaining for the entirety。 His ceaseless enthusiasm fed into mine and I saw the topics， places and people come alive more and more with each turn of the page。 Vividly tracing the mountainous terrain Douglas draws spectacular portraits with his prose and his richly detailed descriptions evoke a feeling of freedom and wanderlust despite me being at home curled up under a blanket。 If you have been searching for an extensive， all-encompassing work on the beauty of the Himalayas， peppered with stories， myths and legends， and engaging anecdotes then you can't go wrong with this immersive masterpiece。 Many thanks to Bodley Head for an ARC。 。。。more

Dawn ，

The rating I have given this book should in no way diminish the writing （5 stars） or the （obviously） huge amount of research that the author has done to provide readers with an incredible history。 My problem （and， yes， it is MY problem） is that the scope is just too big。 There is just so much information that the over-all feeling from this book is one of being overwhelmed。 Sorry。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for an advance copy to review。 This review is entirely my own， unbi The rating I have given this book should in no way diminish the writing （5 stars） or the （obviously） huge amount of research that the author has done to provide readers with an incredible history。 My problem （and， yes， it is MY problem） is that the scope is just too big。 There is just so much information that the over-all feeling from this book is one of being overwhelmed。 Sorry。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for an advance copy to review。 This review is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more

Jessica ，

This is a bold and ambitious book which aims to chronicle the history of the Himalayas。It is really impressively written and thoroughly well-researched with many interesting anecdotes， stories and legends to be found throughout。 If you are fascinated by the Himalaya or have an interest in its history， this book is the perfect guide。 Alhough I tried however， I I found it diifficult to become fully immersed in this book。 That's not to say it wasn't brilliant and impressive， it just never really ca This is a bold and ambitious book which aims to chronicle the history of the Himalayas。It is really impressively written and thoroughly well-researched with many interesting anecdotes， stories and legends to be found throughout。 If you are fascinated by the Himalaya or have an interest in its history， this book is the perfect guide。 Alhough I tried however， I I found it diifficult to become fully immersed in this book。 That's not to say it wasn't brilliant and impressive， it just never really came to life for me。 I think if you had been to the Himalaya or were interested in it， it would no doubt capture your imagination much more thoroughly。There is lots of substance and ambition here， which， for the right reader， would no doubt provide a fully immersive and meiticulous exploration of this awe-inspring mountain range。 Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Himalaya: A Human History

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Himalaya: A Human History&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Himalaya: A Human History&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0