Himalaya

This anthology attempts to capture some of its complexity and vastness, traveling through time, place, and attitude. Beauty and melancholy, courage and defeat, philosophy and poetry surprise and illuminate us in these pages.

This collection of essays and musings evokes the majesty of the tallest, and youngest, mountains in the world — sky high peaks that were once the ocean floor. Navigating this remarkable book, the reader gets very different views of the Himalayan massif. What remains in the end is the sense of intimacy, the exhilaration, and yes, the desolation, of these rugged mountains, the “self-born mockers of man’s enterprise.

With over thirty essays, this exhilarating anthology offers a dazzling range of voices that reveal accounts of great ascents and descents – from reflecting on a deadly avalanche to searching for a snow leopard and enjoying the simple pleasure of riding a handcar down a railway track. These diverse writings bring to life the spirit of the Himalaya in an unparalleled panorama.