In its heyday (1400-1600), the kingdom of Lo dominated the Kali Gandaki River trade between India and Tibet. By the 18th century, Lo had lost control over this trade and had been incorporated into the modern Kingdom of Nepal. Isolated deep in the Himalayas, Lo's hereditary Rajas retained most of their feudal powers and the area remained closed to the outside world until 1991. In the spring of 1992, author Peter Matthiessen and photographer Tom Laird travelled deep in the secret valley of Sao Kohla, tucked high in the northernmost reaches of the Himalayas. They were the first Westerners to venture there in 30 years. From the central city of Lo Monthang, known as "Mustang", Matthiessen and Laird, with an entourage of attendants and horsemen, began an expedition across arid plateaux and through narrow river chasms to reach precariously perched monasteries. They camped among nomad herdsmen who spent nights guarding their goats from predatory snow leopards. This book reveals an unknown land where peaks five miles high cast their shadows over the deepest canyon in the world and where mountain nomads spend their lives herding their flocks across desolate slopes and through desert valleys.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Returning after 20 years to Pokhara in central Nepal, where his award-winning Snow Leopard drew its fire, Matthiessen delivers another superb report from the land in the clouds. This time, he has collaborated with photographer Thomas Laird, which adds greatly to the effect of Matthiessen's prose--the clarity of the beautiful images equaling the clarity of the words. With detached compassion, Matthiessen puts into simple order the daily life of this politically and environmentally ravaged land, from the rituals of sheep herding and wheat harvesting to the constant demands placed on a local Buddhist priest. Most readers will find that the stunning photography only enhances the feeling of actually being there. Raul Nino
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Photographic journal of a hidden kngdom,
By
This review is from: East of Lo Monthang (Paperback)
Peter Matthiessen teams up with the great photography of Thomas Laird to provide a thrilling coffee table style journal to one of the magical kingdoms of our planet. The photos are truly incredible, and Peter's descriptive writing portrays the life of an ancient kingdom on the Tibetan plateau of Nepal. Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Classic,
By FT "F" (MA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: East of Lo Monthang (Paperback)
This book is the "Classic" photo book of Mustang and Lo Monthang. Most of us will never get there (tourism is severely limited, and the hike in is difficult at best) to see it ourselves. This book takes us on a journey to a place that is also a step way back in time (no electricity, phones, etc throughout most of the country). Highly recommended for look at a "country within a country" (Mustang is within Nepal), that most don't even know exists.
5.0 out of 5 stars
East of Lo Monthang,
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This review is from: East of Lo Monthang (Paperback)
Wondeful account of early visit to this unusal area. Great photos. I was very pleased to find this out of circulation voluime.
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