Pinnacle Books ~ Central Asia
Books 1 to 31 of 31
£ 150
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Atkinson, Thomas Witlam.
ORIENTAL AND WESTERN SIBERIA – A Narrative of seven years’ Explorations and Adventures in Siberia, Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese Tartary and part of Central Asia.
Hurst and Blackett, London.
1858
First edition.
611pp with frontispiece, 19 other illus, 32 wood-engraved illus and a very large folding map, which has one clean tear but is complete. Original forest green cloth, with pictorial designs on the upper cover and spine. Atkinson's traveled on a Czar's pass out of Russia's Asiatic dominions from Kokhan on the west to the eastern end of the Baikal and as far south as the Chinese town of Tchin-si; and into the Syan-shan chain, never before seen by any European and a great portion of the western part of the Gobi. He suffered from hunger and thirst among escaped from Chinese prisoners. Atkinson produced sketches for this volume.
Ex-lib markings in places, Vg- contents / cloth. Rebacked with original spine cloth laid down. Front gilt bright but cloth is slightly grubby in places. Text and plates are clean and quite bright.
£ 35
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Bailey, F.M. LT.-CoL.
NO PASSPORT TO TIBET.
Rupert Hart-Davis.
1957
First edition.
In ‘No Passport to Tibet’, Bailey records his 1500 mile journey in an area of northern Assam and southern Tibet, which was not surveyed at the time. The trek solved the mystery of the Tsangpo Gorges and made a number of important natural history finds, the most famous being the blue poppy, immortalized later by Kingdon-Ward. This area was highly sensitive at the time as Great Britain, China and Russia were still engaged in the ‘Great Game’.
294pp with illus. Original burgundy cloth with gilt lettering. Scattered spotting to side page ends. No inscriptions. Overall, very good in very good- complete and unclipped dustwrapper (d/w), which has general chipping and creases to d/w extremities and light fading to rear of d/w. The wrapper is now in a loose protective sleeve.
£ 25
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Biscoe, C.E. Tyndale.
KASHMIR IN SUNLIGHT AND SHADE: A Description of the Beauties of the Country, the Life, Habits and Humour of its Inhabitants, and an Account of the Gradual but Steady Rebuilding of a Once Downtrodden People.
Seeley, Service & Co.
1925
Secondedition.
315pp with frontispiece and17 illustrations. In original black pictorial cloth with blue lettering. With an introduction by Major-Gen L.C. Dun Sterville.
No inscriptions. Very good+ contents / cloth. Text block tight and square.
£ 18
Blunt, Wilfred.
THE GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMARKAND.
Hamish Hamilton.
1973
First edition.
Large size. 280pp with many 100 b/w illus and 40 pages of colour illus plus 5 maps.
Fine in fine d/w.
£ 20
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Bosworth, C.E.
THE LATER GHAZNAVIDS: Splendour and Decay. The Dynasty in Afghanistan and Northern India 1040-1186.
Edinburgh University Press.
1977
First edition.
195pp. Fine in fine complete and unclipped dustwrapper.
No inscriptions or other blemishes.
£ 55
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Candler, Edmund.
ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.
Cassell.
1919
First edition.
278pp with 35 illus and map. Central Asian travel in Kasmir, the Khyber pass, round Nanga Parbat and the Pir Pinjal.
Clean near fine contents / cloth with attractive cloth design.
£ 170
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Carruthers, Douglas.
BEYOND THE CASPIAN.
Oliver & Boyd.
1949
First edition.
Natural history, hunting and travel in the mountain ranges of Central Asia and the High Pamirs plus the deserts and mountains of High Tartary.
Edinburgh. 290pp with 6 coloured plates and fold out map. No inscriptions or other blemishes. Fine in fine complete and unclipped dustwrapper. A particularly clean and attractive copy.
£ 25
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Collister, Peter.
BHUTAN AND THE BRITISH.
Serindia Publications.
1987
First edition.
An historic record of two centuries of Anglo-Bhutanese relations, focusing on the experiences of various official missions. Illustrated with a series of photographs by John Claude White and a selection of drawings by Julian Burton.
210pp with notes and index, plus illustrated with 38 photographs from 1905-07. No inscriptions or other blemishes. Fine in fine complete and unclipped dustwrapper.
£ 18
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Dalrymple, William.
THE AGE OF KALI. Indian Travels and Encounters.
Harper Collins.
1998
First edition.
385pp with colour map on endpapers. Pages lightly tanned. No inscriptions.
Near fine in very good+ price clipped dustwrapper (d/w), which has a couple of light seam creases on spine of d/w.
£ 25
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Dalrymple, William.
IN XANADU: A Quest.
Collins.
1989
Reprint in same year as first edition.
Clean, bright book with no inscriptions, in a bright unclipped dustwrapper. No inscriptions or other blemishes.
314pp with 27 photos on plates, 8 maps, map endpapers, glossary, bibliography, index.
£ 40
Etherton, Col. P. T.
THE LAST STRONGHOLD.
Jarrolds.
1934
First edition.
296pp with many illus. In original red cloth. A book of significant Himalayan topographical interest from the 1930’s. A cheaper copy of an important book.
Tight copy but some cloth fading and minor cloth fraying on back board edge. Generally Good+ contents / cloth.
£ 375
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Fergusson, W.N.
ADVENTURE SPORT AND TRAVEL ON THE TIBETAN STEPPES.
Constable.
1911
First edition.
This book is primarily an account of two journeys through China and Tibet undertaken by the late Lieutenant John Weston Brooke. Brooke started on his first journey from Shanghai in August 1906 and after crossing Tibet returned to Shanghai in October 1907. He then left Shanghai on his second journey in December 1907 and travelled in Western Sechuan and Eastern Tibet until December 24, 1908, when he was murdered in the Independent Lolo Land. On the second of these two expeditions, Brooke was accompanied by Cecil Meares who later went onto join Captain Scott on the British Antarctic Expedition. Consequently, the task fell to Fergusson to record the journeys when he was entrusted with Brooke's diary and photographs. Yakushi F29.
343pp with one front portrait, two folding maps and 76 illustrations in the text made from photographs by the author and John W. Brooke. In original green cloth with gilt titling. No inscriptions. Hinges and text block tight and square. Light foxing to page ends but pages clean and bright. Some general light rubbing to cloth extremities and a little fading to lettering on the front board. Overall, a very good copy.
£ 20
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Fleming, Peter.
BAYONETS TO LHASA. The First Full Account of the British Invasion of Tibet in 1904.
Rupert Hart-Davis.
1961
Second impression.
A story of a British imperialist adventure - Bayonets to Lhasa has as its backdrop the South West Frontier and The Great Game being played by Russia, the British and China at the end of the 19th century. The invasion of Tibet was led by Colonel Francis Younghusband, himself a famous explorer.
319pp with 30 illus and five sketch maps including diagram illustrating altitudes on expedition route. Frontispiece of Younghusband. In original burgundy cloth. Fine in near fine complete and unclipped d/w. No inscriptions. The d/w shows campaign medal against the background of British camp before Phari Fort.
£ 40
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Gorer, Geoffrey.
HIMALAYAN VILLAGE.
Michael Joseph.
1938
First edition.
508pp with 32 illus. An account of the Lephas of Sikkim. A major anthropological study.
Vg+ contents / cloth.
£ 18
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Goullart, Peter.
PRINCES OF THE BLACK BONE: Life in the Tibetan Borderland.
John Murray.
1959
First edition.
The author's travels in independent Lolos, a vast country of wild mountains & deep valleys bordering on Tibet in the West of China.
221pp with many b/w plates. Very good+ in very good+ complete and unclipped dustwrapper. Light spotting to page ends. No inscriptions.
£ 50
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Hopkirk, Peter.
FOREIGN DEVILS ON THE SILK ROAD.
John Murray.
1980
First edition.
SIGNED BY AUTHOR on title page. The search for the lost cities and treasures of Chinese Central Asia.
252pp with 16 pages of plates and 2 maps, one double-page. Small previous owner signature on front endpaper. Very light wear to dustwrapper extremities, especially at top of spine. Very good+ in very good+ complete and unclipped dustwrapper.
£ 15
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Keay, John.
WHEN MEN AND MOUNTAINS MEET: The Explorers of the Western Himalayas 1820-1875.
John Murray.
1981
Second edition.
277pp with illus and maps. No inscriptions or other blemishes. Fine in fine dustwrapper. Clean bright copy.
An account of early exploration in British India and Central Asia with accounts of early Great Game activity (Yakushi K 42).
£ 12
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Keay, John.
THE GREAT ARC: The Dramatic Tale of How India was Mapped and Everest was Named.
Harper Collins.
2000
First edition.
The Great Indian Arc of the Meridian, begun in 1800 and was the longest measurement of the Earth's surface ever to have been attempted. By the time it was completed 50 years later, more than 1,600 miles of the Indian sub-continent from its southern tip to the Himalayas along with the precise curvature of the Earth had been surveyed.
Near fine in near fine unclipped dustwrapper. No inscriptions. 182pp with b/w plates & diagrams, maps, etc.
£ 75
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Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman.
THE SACRED ART OF TIBET.
Thames & Hudson.
1991
First edition.
Published on the occasion of the 'Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet' exhibition organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in conjunction with Tibet House, New York.
Large size. 406pp with 278 illustrations, including 263 in colour and 2 maps; photographs by John Bigelow Taylor. Tightly bound, with crisp, bright pages. Scarlet cloth cover has titles in gilt on spine and gilt decoration on front. Dustwrapper unclipped and intact. No inscriptions or other blemishes. A beautiful, fine copy.
£ 35
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Miller, Keith.
CONTINENTS IN COLLISION.
George Philip.
1982
First edition.
212pp with 32 illus and 11 maps. Large size. The International Karakorum Project as part of the celebrations to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Royal Geographical Society.
Vg+ in vg+ complete d/w.
£ 45
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Milne, James.
THE ROAD TO KASHMIR.
Hodder and Stoughton.
1930
First edition.
Fine in very good+ complete and unclipped dustwrapper, which has light creases to dustwrapper extremities. The wrapper is now in a loose protective sleeve.
With a Gallery of Special Pictures. 159 pages with 21 pictures throughout text. Yellow cloth with gilt titles on front and spine. No inscriptions.
£ 22
Mitcheli, Silvio.
MONGOLIA.
Hollis and Carter.
1967
First edition.
366pp with 38 illus and map. In Search of Marco Polo and Other Adventures.
Near fine in near fine complete d/w.
£ 895
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Sherring, Charles.
WESTERN TIBET AND THE BRITISH BORDERLAND: The Sacred Country of Hindus and Buddhists with an account of the Government, Religion and Customs of the people with a Chapter by T.G. Longstaff describing an attempt to climb Gurla Mandhata.
Edward Arnold.
1906
First edition.
Charles Sherring describes the Bootias of Kumaon and the Tibetans of Ladakh and their religion and customs as he travels through Ladakh in 1905. Sherring was able to travel in his capacity as Deputy Commissioner and toured the lesser-known tracts of Western Tibet. This area of Tibet and the areas on the British boundary are most sacred to the Buddhist and Hindu because of the presence of the holy lake of Mansarovar and the venerated peak of Kailash. Longstaff also describes his attempt to climb the highest mountain in western Tibet, Gurla Mandhata.
In original blue cloth with Tibetan chest blind-stamped on front board. 376pp plus frontispiece, 174 illustrations, 5 maps and 2 folding maps. Small previous owner signature and date on front endpaper. Very light scattered spotting to page ends. Text block tight and square. A most attractive fine copy.
£ 18
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Snellgrove, David & Hugh Richardson.
A CULTURAL HISTORY OF TIBET.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
1968
First edition.
The dustwrapper (d/w) extremities and a five cm area of loss at foot of spine of d/w. A comprehensive survey of the rise of Tibetan culture.
291pp with b&w plates and maps. Small previous owner signature to half title page.
£ 45
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Somervell, T. Howard.
KNIFE AND LIFE IN INDIA.
Hodder and Stoughton.
1940
First edition.
An account of life as a medical missionary by T. Howard Somervell who participated in the second expedition to Mount Everest.
In original cream linen boards. Light wear to cloth and page ends. Bookplate. Text block tight and square. 272pp with 9 illustrations, 1 map and 1 hospital plan. Complete with chipped and creased (price clipped) dustwrapper (d/w), which has some loss at to top cm of top and tail of spine of d/w.
£ 20
Thesiger, Wilfred.
AMONG THE MOUNTAINS: Travels Through Asia.
Harper Collins,
1998
First edition.
Fine in fine unclipped d/w. No inscriptions.
250pp with sketch maps and numerous illustrations from photographs.
£ 50
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Werner, E.T. Chalmers
MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF CHINA.
George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd.,
Beautiful clean boards. Prize label on front endpaper. Pages uncut. The d/w is clear on front panel ,but has an unfortunate 4cm-6cm tear across top of spine of d/w and there is some creasing to rear panel of d/w. Contents: The Sociology of the Chinese, On Chinese Mythology, Cosmogony, The Gods of China, Myths of the Stars, Myths of Thunder, Lightning, Wind and Rain, Myths of the Waters, Myths of Fire, Myths of Epidemics, Medicine, Exorcism, etc., The Goddess of Mercy, The Eight Immortals, The Guardian of the Gate of Heaven, A Battle of the Gods, How the Monkey became a God, Fox Legends, Miscellaneous Legends, Glossary and Index.
London: 1924 Second Printing. 454pp with 32 illustrations in color by Chinese artists. Near fine in scarce d/w.
£ 10
Wilson, Andrew.
THE ABODE OF SNOW. OBSERVATIONS ON A JOURNEY FROM CHINESE TIBET TO THE INDIAN CAUCASUS, THROUGH THE UPPER VALLEYS OF THE HIMALAYA.
Moyer Bell.
1993
Facsimile paperback reprint of the first edition of 1875.
Wilson in 1873 traversed the peaks of Tibet with only an Indian butler and an Afghan cook. He climbed many new peaks and travelled widely from Bombay to Nepal and from the Indus to the Khyber Pass.
396pp with illus and maps. Fine condition. No inscriptions.
£ 15
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Xinran, Xue.
SKY BURIAL.
Chatto & Wintus.
2004
First edition.
Xinran recreates a Chinese woman's extraordinary search for her missing husband, Kejun, in Tibet. It follows her entry into a landscape that nothing had prepared her for and her separation from her regiment leading to her spending years in an alien and confusing culture.
No inscriptions. Fine in fine complete and unclipped dustwrapper.
£ 40
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Younghusband, Francis.
INDIA AND TIBET.
Oxford University Press.
1985
Facsimile of a 1910 first edition.
In 1903, Curzon appointed Younghusband to lead a military mission to Tibet and to establish British political and commercial interest plus to survey the region.
455 pages with 2 folding maps in colour at rear. Frontispiece and b&w portrait of the 13th Dalai Lama. With an introduction by Alastair Lamb. Vg+ in vg complete and unclipped dustwrapper (d/w), which has minor creases to d/w extremities. Light marks to page ends. No inscriptions.
£ 30
Younghusband, G. J.
THE STORY OF THE GUIDES.
MacMillan.
1908
Reprint.
An account of military operations in India in the nineteenth century.
207pp with b/w plates. Remnants of label on paste-down. Illustrations page loose. In original maroon cloth with gilt motif and lettering. Cloth lightly rubbed. Slightly bowed front board.
Books 1 to 31 of 31
     
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