This look at land and people of Tibet emphasizes the struggle of the Tibetan people to maintain their unique way of life in the face of a Chinese occupation. Author Bobbie Kalman presents Tibet as a land shrouded in mystery, known as "the roof of the world" because it is located on the highest and largest plateau in the world. Opening chapters in this book look at the geography and history of Tibet, before focusing on the daily life of nomadic families. After considering the current status of Tibet as a part of China, Kalman looks in some detail at the culture of Tibet, especially as the home of Lamaist Buddhism, a special form of the Buddhist religion whose priests are called lamas. Overall Kalman covers a lot of topics, going for breadth instead of depth in her coverage. Every chapter is broken down into several subcategories, so that a young student researching Tibet will be able to find particular information or see the extent to which a given aspect of Tibet can be explored. "The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series" focus on the Far East, with three volumes (one on each topic) devoted to Japan, China, and India. Tibet was the first single volume in the series. "Tibet" is illustrated with color photographs, of the terrain and people, as well as the shaggy yak and most notably of a gaint "thangkas" on display.

This Tibet does not exist anymore. This is a fine account of a world of forms and profound beauty. Taken in black and white the hot sun of the high mountain plateau and the beauty of the Tibetan people come through each never to be seen again frame. The tragic wholesale slaughter of the Tibetan way of life is given a special type of reverence in these photos taken before the Chinese invasion. The story of Li Gotomi and lama Govinda's journey [ made in the 1930s] far surpasses the silly inventions of Hollywood in the last five years. Their trek across Tibet was a holy pilgirmage made by two Buddhists that were European artists as well. The eye of an artist is present in each silent tribute. And the life long dedication of this simple Biddhist practioner is well worth any price to experience.

Writings on Tibet usually fall into two camps: followers of the Dalai Lama who view the Chinese as an occupying army, and the Chinese themselves, who view Tibet as a part of China. It is refreshing to see a more balanced view by a US journalist that tries to make sense of a complex situation. She will probably anger both entrenched sides, but for those new to the Tibetan situation looking for the truth, this is a good place to start.

I purchased this book near the Assan in Kathmandu after I had just returned from a wonderful holiday to Tibet very recently and lugged all the way home to South Africa. This book is very special, lovingly put together by the author who obviously knows this country very well. The abundant colour photographs contained in the book are superb and very indicative of the real Tibet as can be seen by us Western Travellers. The text enhances the photographs and puts into words what the photos cannot tell. A wonderful coffee table book which will lead to many hours of discussion amongst friends.

This book must be the second best thing to visiting Tibet, the roof of the World, as a tourist. If you have had the privilege to have been exposed to "the lure of Tibet" it brings back many memories in a superb manner - both through photographs and words, if you have not been so lucky as to have been able to visit it - this book is certainly the second best thing.

Definitiely to be recommended!!

Another book by Peissel. This one, much to my syrprise, is atually quite good. Various aspects are presented in self contained chapters. It is also telling for what it doesn't say. For istance, Peissel writes he's been trekking Tibet for the last 40 years. I believe him, but where are his personal experiences in this book? Also he (almost)glosses over the Chinese invasion and the horrors that followed. I guess he needs a visa to visit Tibet in the future... Nonetheless, this is a wonderful book. Great photos and a succinct description oth the country. Well worth the time and money.

Academic students as well as non-academic amateurs will find this study, which includes thirty essays on a whole range of different instances of Tibetan literature, very useful and inspiring. Its main interest lies in the broad overview it offers of the great variety of material written in Tibetan over the centuries and of the state of current research attained by international scholarship in this field. As pointed out by the editor in his introduction, applying the term 'genre' to the field of Tibetan literature raises, in itself, interesting problems of definition. Furthermore, as this work was not intended to be an encyclopaedia or comprehensive overview of all the existing 'genres' in Tibetan literature (the editor also conveniently lists the omissions or subject areas which are not covered), the reader will be all the more curious to find further reading material on the subject. Each essay is from ten to twenty pages long and is followed by the notes and a bibliography pertaining to the subject, thus making it a good starting point for a more in-depth study of the particular 'genre'. This study proves how dynamic this field of literary research has been over the past thirty years and we hope a second study, including many of the previously omitted subjects (especially some of the modern 'genres') will be published in a not too distant future.

Despite what you would think from the way this book is advertized, it really isn't a travelogue through early 20th Century Tibet. Only 2 chapters are really devoted to this. The rest of it is an account of Dorje Zodba's reflections on Tibetan culture and customs, and this is presented in a rather cut and dry manner, not that different from a typical anthropological or sociological survey. Again, despite what you would think, the vaunted viewpoint of the author (both Christian and Buddhist influenced) does not deliver the variations of insight or spark of tension you would expect. Dorje doesn't really bring either to obvious reflection on the task. So why 4 stars? Because, even though its tone isn't that different from many other books, there are a lot of interesting details brought out due to the author being Tibetan and having grown up in the culture, yet having an analytical distance from it, caused by his exposure to Western methods of information gathering. Of particular note is the fact that this account was written before Tibetans had fully realized that not everything in their culture was politically correct or should be aired too openly, so you gain a more realistic picture of their lives before the Communist takeover and Western idealisms about their culture.

I read "Tintin en Amerique" ("Tintin in America") relatively late in my journey through Les Adventures de Tintin, which might not be fair since this early work by Herge certainly pales in comparison to some of our beloved hero's later and greatest adventures (e.g., "Tintin au Pays de L'Or Noir" or "On a Marche sur La Lune"). From that perspective you notice that the art is a bit more cartoonish than what comes later but the most important difference is that this is basically Tintin and Milou on their own. The wonderful cast of colorful supporting characters that end up populating the Tintin universe are not to be seen at this point, which might explain why Milou "talks" a lot more in this early Tintin adventure than is the white terrier's habit in later volumes.

While this is not a great Tintin adventure, "Tintin in America" is certainly an interesting one because of the way Herge presents America to his readers. In a manner that reminds me of Babe's fanciful vision of the big city in "Babe: Pig in the City," Herge presents the U.S. as half Chicago gangsters and half Wild Wild West cowboys and Indians. Tintin arrives in Chicago to clean up the city ruled by gangster bosses and Al Capone is not happy to see the world famous reporter. Tintin survives so many attempted gangland hits that you lose count of them, and it is a toss up whether there are more last second escapes or scenes where Tintin pulls a gun on a gangster. The perils of Tintin continue even when our hero and his faithful terrier companion make their way out West and become involved with some of the quaint customs of the local natives.

The final word would be that if you have heard people raving about Herge and Tintin, and then you start at the "beginning" (in terms of what is readily available of the Adventures of Tintin) you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Do not fear. "Tintin en Amerique" represents the early days when Herge was still finding his way and learning his craft. The best is yet to come after this one and the best is pretty good. Get with the program and stick to it. Historical notes: The first French version of "Tintin en Amerique" was published in black & white in 1934, with the French color version coming out in 1945.

Since +/- 1700 the western world tried to intervene in Tibet. They saw it as a mysterious land with strange people and their own religion. Probably the first priests who visited Tibet wre Byzantines around 600. Afterwards the Jesuit priets came and a Dutch explorer from whom we hardly know anyhing [Samuel van de Putte]. In 1844 mr. Huc started to travel for home frome Beijing. He found a companion in Gabet and together they went. First going over the caravanroute to the south. This route is used by traders going from Xining [China] to Lhasa [Tibet] every year. One trip took about 6 months. Our French friends did it by foot and during the trip mr. Huc made some notes. Till now we are not sure if everything he later wrote down on paper is correct. Some scientists doubt the correctness, especially regarding to his notes about Tibet. But this is for us simple people not so interesting. What you read within the book is an interesting story of two Europeans traveling through an unknown country wtuh all the trouble and fears and finally they reach the top of the world. They meet the Tibetans and have a peaceful gathering with them. If they reached Lhasa? Read the book because otherwise your excitement will be gone before you start reading. After their save return home mr. Huc leaves the 'service' and marries. What happened to his travelcompanion I do not know exactly but he died as a man of religious service. The book is very readable and you do not have to have a certain background to understand it. This is very valuable, I think, for readers who enter the secrets of Tibet. Because other books I know are very interesting but you need some more background about Tibet itself and the historical period you are moving in.

If you buy the book, I am certain you will like reading it. Enjoy going to Tibet with Huc and Gabet

One has to read atleast 3 books written by H.V.Guenther before becoming familiar with his style of writing with liberal "free" translations. It is clear that Guenther is well versed in the Buddhist experience which can be understood beyond doubt from this book. All the four chapters in the part two(Tibetan sources)require a detailed study. I have collected the following treasures: "....we must develop a middle view and become convinced that our mind is of the nature of great bliss by thinking that all appearances are but the projections of our mind and that there is nothing existing in truth". "....to unite bliss with no-thing-ness means that our mind which is this great bliss becomes a mind which understands no-thing-ness. "to see no-thing-ness is the cognition that all things do not exist by virtue of a principle through which they are what they are". Embedded in these statements is the essence of the Vajrayana teaching. This book will be very useful for all serious seekers of the Buddha Dharma.