When Matthiessen went to Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and, possibly, to glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard, he undertook his five-week trek as winter snows were sweeping into the high passes. This is a radiant and deeply moving account of a "true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart."
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In the autumn of 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen set out in the company of zoologist George Schaller on a hike that would take them 250 miles into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo, "the last enclave of pure Tibetan culture on earth." Their voyage was in quest of one of the world's most elusive big cats, the snow leopard of high Asia, a creature so rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical; Schaller was one of only two Westerners known to have seen a snow leopard in the wild since 1950.
Published in 1978, The Snow Leopard is rightly regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, "We've seen so much, maybe it's better if there are some things that we don't see."
That sentiment, as well as the sense of wonder at the world's beauty that pervades Matthiessen's book, ought to inform any journey into the wild. --Gregory McNamee
Review
"A beautiful book, and worthy of the mountains he is among" -- Paul Theroux "What began as a practical search for the rare snow leopard, revered Buddhist emblem, developed into a quest for the meaning of Being. An enjoyable combination of mountaineering and mysticism" Observer "It's a tale of an inner struggle for calm, and would be an inspiring and sustaining desert island companion" -- Emily Barr "As much the chronicle of an inner journey as it is the learned recording of an unfamiliar territory...a timeless account" Independent "An evocative account of a remote and timeless place and its people" Sunday Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 98 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read this book the first time back in the 70s, shortly after it was published. I've re-read it every two years or so since then. As in reading any number of times lines from Shakespeare, I never tire of their inherent beauty; my heart soars again and again re-reading Mattheissen's lines of ice-like clarity.
The book on one level is a extraordinary travel documentary, describing brilliantly one man's experiences during a trip into a recently opened area in Himilayan Nepal. On a profoundly different level, the book also is a diary of his journey into his own heart and soul, one, perhaps, calling for more true bravery than any mere physical experience.
There are many moments of exquisite beauty and intimacy that have left me sobbing, longing to be on the journey with Matthiessen and his travel companions.
Matthiessen is an Everyman, seeking he really knows not what, searching for what may only be the quest itself. Perhaps he and his fellow Buddhists have the answer: their goal is ultimate acceptance of what each moment brings us, not wanting or desiring anything but what is now.
In closing, if one is looking for some answers to how to live a good life, without being told what to do and not to do, I find that this book is a far more useful guide to being a human being than any religious text that I know.
By all means, even if you think you have all the answers, buy this book.
Wayne Robinson
The book on one level is a extraordinary travel documentary, describing brilliantly one man's experiences during a trip into a recently opened area in Himilayan Nepal. On a profoundly different level, the book also is a diary of his journey into his own heart and soul, one, perhaps, calling for more true bravery than any mere physical experience.
There are many moments of exquisite beauty and intimacy that have left me sobbing, longing to be on the journey with Matthiessen and his travel companions.
Matthiessen is an Everyman, seeking he really knows not what, searching for what may only be the quest itself. Perhaps he and his fellow Buddhists have the answer: their goal is ultimate acceptance of what each moment brings us, not wanting or desiring anything but what is now.
In closing, if one is looking for some answers to how to live a good life, without being told what to do and not to do, I find that this book is a far more useful guide to being a human being than any religious text that I know.
By all means, even if you think you have all the answers, buy this book.
Wayne Robinson
52 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Spare, lyrical and honest, the Snow Leopard lifts the reader's mind to the high deserts of Nepal. Reading it is almost like spending an afternoon in quiet contemplation. I've read several books that deal with Zen and what makes this book work is that the author is unflinchingly honest about the internal journey that is at the heart of the book. He shares with the reader the mental baggage he brings with him, and that makes the external journey -- described in vivid detail -- seem all the more real. I can understand why other reviewers say they went to Nepal after reading it.
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A naturalist & Buddhist and adventurer extraordinaire Matthiessen met his traveling companion in 1969 on the Serengeti plain in East Africa. This newfound friend, George Schaller, later asks him if he wants to join him on his next trip to Nepal to study the bharal or Himalayan blue sheep. So late in 1973 the two set out on a journey to the Crystal Mountain that takes them west under Annapurna and north around the Dhaulagiri peaks and across the Kanjiroba to the land of Dolpo, on the Tibetan Plateau.
This is a very literate and philosophic quest ripe with quotes from Lamas and Rilke and Ovid:
Just as a white summer cloud, in harmony with heaven and earth freely floats in the blue sky from horizon to horizon following the breath of the atmosphere-in the same way the pilgrim abandons himself to the breath of the greater life that...leads him beyond the farthest horizons to an aim which is already present within him, though yet hidden from his sight.-Lama Govinda
Spiritual but in an earthy way, an approprate response to Nepal. The Tibetan culture is fascinating to seeker and secular journeyman alike. The country itself comes to life in this book and that is to be expected from Matthiessen who is a world renowned naturalist. What makes the book stand apart form all others like it is Matthiessen who is a much more nuanced character than your average adventurer and the resulting narrative is a many layered and often exalted one. I suppose as a writer he reminds me of that other great American naturalist Henry David Thoreau whose work also operates on many planes at once not the least of which is the earthen one.... Read more ›
This is a very literate and philosophic quest ripe with quotes from Lamas and Rilke and Ovid:
Just as a white summer cloud, in harmony with heaven and earth freely floats in the blue sky from horizon to horizon following the breath of the atmosphere-in the same way the pilgrim abandons himself to the breath of the greater life that...leads him beyond the farthest horizons to an aim which is already present within him, though yet hidden from his sight.-Lama Govinda
Spiritual but in an earthy way, an approprate response to Nepal. The Tibetan culture is fascinating to seeker and secular journeyman alike. The country itself comes to life in this book and that is to be expected from Matthiessen who is a world renowned naturalist. What makes the book stand apart form all others like it is Matthiessen who is a much more nuanced character than your average adventurer and the resulting narrative is a many layered and often exalted one. I suppose as a writer he reminds me of that other great American naturalist Henry David Thoreau whose work also operates on many planes at once not the least of which is the earthen one.... Read more ›
60 of 69 people found the following review helpful
By C. B. Newman
Format:Mass Market Paperback
At first glance, the novel appears to be a travel diary, or an exotic safari journal. Perhaps Matthiessen thought the same when he began the journey. But this is a novel that is penned from the heart and not by any distance travelled. The journey that the author relates is as intangible as the snow leopard itself.
As you can see above, the editors of Amazon deftly describe the beauty and storyline of "The Snow Leopard". But no amount of praise can empart to the reader what truly lays waiting inside the pages of this novel.
Matthiessen expertly transports the reader into his shoes. The author ceases to exist less and less with each chapter. The reader becomes the first person. Halfway through the story, it is ~we~ who are the ones making this journey deep into the wilds of the Himilayas. And by the end of the book, it is ~you~ who just may have found something you did not know you were searching for. Enlightenment.
The snow leopard Matthiessen speaks can be found by the reader, if you let it find you. Read this book with an open heart and open mind, and it just may change your life forever.
As you can see above, the editors of Amazon deftly describe the beauty and storyline of "The Snow Leopard". But no amount of praise can empart to the reader what truly lays waiting inside the pages of this novel.
Matthiessen expertly transports the reader into his shoes. The author ceases to exist less and less with each chapter. The reader becomes the first person. Halfway through the story, it is ~we~ who are the ones making this journey deep into the wilds of the Himilayas. And by the end of the book, it is ~you~ who just may have found something you did not know you were searching for. Enlightenment.
The snow leopard Matthiessen speaks can be found by the reader, if you let it find you. Read this book with an open heart and open mind, and it just may change your life forever.
One reviewer bluntly summarised his opinion of this novel as "THE SNOW LEOPARD is the best book I've ever read. Period." I agree.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Chuck
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Simply one of the best books I've ever read. Matthiessen manages to capture the length and breadth of his journey in every sense of those words. A book this helpful on the spiritual aspects of the journey would be excellent; a book this fascinating about a trek like his would be great; put 'em together and you win a national book award. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to think, learn, and grow. If you want simple entertainment enter John Grisham in the search box.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why is there no Kindle format?
I've heard a lot of great things about this book and wanted to read it on my kindle fire hd but just found out that this book doesn't exit in the Kindle format. Read more
Published 8 days ago by K. Dedic
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Snow Leopard
I read this wonderful book years ago, after trekking the same route in Nepal that the author did. It was a memorable adventure, and reading this book brought it all back again.
Published 2 months ago by Steve Kennedy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life-altering reflections of a conscious man.
I've read it 7 times or so. His walk through the Himalayas becomes a waking metaphor for his walk through life. Electrically clear and stimulating for the psyche.
Published 5 months ago by Angela J. Rapalyea
5.0 out of 5 stars
A helpful guide to mindfullness
I found this book very helpful when I was changing my life and moving into a new phase. It wasn't a how to guide, many of which I was reading at the time, but through Peter's way... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jools
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey of many dimensions
I first read this book years ago (purchased the paperback for $3.95) and found it completely engaging, as Matthiessen chronicles his physical and metaphysical journey in Nepal. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Emile
2.0 out of 5 stars
Needs more reality, less zen
This book is 1/3 hiking, 1/3 animals, and 1/3 extentialism that bogs it down with boredom. The intro is so boring you cannot help but wonder when it will end. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Derek Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Snow Leopard
Absolutely extraordinary writing. One of the most poetic and compelling descriptions of any landscape that I have read, intricately interwoven with Peter Matthiessen's... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Oravla Olam
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love reading
Beautiful and profound book. Brilliant. I think this book is more that adventure's one. It's keen about the soul. I think so....
Published 16 months ago by Jordi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richly erudite and rewarding, no description adequate! Must read!
This book is so erudite and richly complex in every way, it almost defies review. This is a story about a journey, both external and internal, set in the majesty of the Himalayas. Read more
Published 17 months ago by sylvia goldwasser
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible and complex journey.
This book...this book is not what it seems. As Pico Iver says in the Introduction, this is not only a book about a scientific journey. You must read this novel more than once. Read more
Published 19 months ago by JTem
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 43
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- The Way of the White Clouds by Lama Anagarika Govinda on 5 pages
- The Way of the White Clouds: The Classic Spiritual Travelogue by One of Tibet's Best-known Explorers by Anagarika Govinda on 5 pages
- Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines: Seven Books of Wisdom of the Great Path, According to the Late Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering by W. Y. Evans-Wentz in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Himalayan Pilgrimage by David L. Snellgrove in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 43 books this book cites
- Refiguring the Map of Sorrow: Nature Writing and Autobiography (Under the Sign of Nature) by Mark Allister on 16 pages
- Making Nature Sacred: Literature, Religion, and Environment in America from the Puritans to the Present by John Gatta on 12 pages
- A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration (Travelers' Tales) by Michael Shapiro on 7 pages
- Just Before Dark by Jim Harrison on 6 pages
- Imagining the Earth: POETRY AND THE VISION OF NATURE by John Elder on 6 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
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