"An Epic History of Life Among the World’s Highest Mountains"
The mountains of the Himalaya, prised up by tectonic plates, emerged from the ocean ahead of any other land mass on our planet and are therefore not only the highest, but also the oldest in the world. No wonder then that the human stories to subsequently be written upon this landscape should be so unique, so extraordinary and so often full of remarkable bravery and endeavour. Ed Douglas, the author of Himalaya: A Human History has entwined these stories together in what will surely come to be regarded as the definitive account of this region. It is certainly difficult to see how it might be improved. The book is dense, detailed and written with wit, wisdom and deep knowledge undoubtedly acquired to large extent through the author’s years editing the Alpine Journal. A mountaineer as well as an exceptional journalist, Douglas brings together tales of cultures, trading, adventures, myths, arts, religions.. but also sciences such as geology, genetics and botany, which all feature in the tapestry of the Himalaya. This writer has mastered the art of opening a chapter with a modern day scenario or incident - often outside Asia - only to skilfully escort you back through time in order to find its roots in the region. His eye for connectivity, for threading history, is what allows the reader to relate to such a distant and perhaps alien place that has nevertheless across the centuries embedded itself in all our minds on the strength of its majesty and mystery. At the centre of the Himalaya is of course Nepal, and above it the Tibetan plateau, which together separate China from India. This fragile geo-political position, combined with the challenges provided by altitude, are what makes the future of the area such a concern and the consequences of climate change will fall heavily here, and indeed already are. Himalaya: A Human History is an impressive work and an epic love letter to an unequalled place which deserves to feel the embrace of the whole world.
| Primary Genre | Travel |
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L’immensité de l’Himalaya fascine depuis longtemps les hommes en quête d’une élévation, littérale ou spirituelle : pèlerins, marchands, soldats ou aventuriers cherchant à se mesurer aux montagnes les plus spectaculaires.
Loin d’être sauvage et stérile, la chaîne himalayenne est depuis des âges immémoriaux un formidable carrefour commercial, religieux et militaire. Ici, les missionnaires jésuites ont échangé avec les lamas tibétains, les khans mongols ont employé des artisans népalais, les marchands arméniens ont négocié musc et or avec les Moghols. Ici aussi, la Compagnie des Indes orientales s’est confrontée aux empereurs chinois, et l’Inde indépendante aux communistes de Mao. Aujourd’hui les tensions frontalières perdurent malgré l’essor du tourisme et la dégradation écologique.
Mettant en lumière érudits et tyrans, religieux et explorateurs, bandits et révolutionnaires, Himalaya est un récit panoramique, à l’échelle la plus grandiose et la plus humaine. Regorgeant d’histoires de courage et d’ingéniosité, ce livre magistral est le plus complet jamais écrit sur cette partie du monde.
À PROPOS DE L''AUTEUR
Écrivain et journaliste britannique, Ed Douglas a couvert l’Himalaya pendant plus de vingt-cinq ans, de l’insurrection maoïste au Népal à l’occupation du Tibet par la Chine. Auteur d’une dizaine d’ouvrages et alpiniste émérite, il est le rédacteur en chef de l’Alpine Journal.
Himalaya features in the following genres: Travel, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Biographies & Autobiographies, History, Social and cultural history, Asian history, Social and cultural anthropology, History of other geographical groupings and regions, Cultural studies, Mountains and uplands, Rural communities, Geopolitics, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Recommendations, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, History and Archaeology, History: specific events and topics, Anthropology, Sociology and anthropology, Society and Social Sciences, Cultural and media studies, Society and culture: general, Physical geography and topography, Geography, Earth Sciences, Geography, Environment, Planning, Social groups, communities and identities, International relations, Politics and government
Himalaya is available in Ebook, Paperback, Hardback
Himalaya was written by Ed Douglas and published by Nevicata
£20.99
