Among the Tibetans (Equestrian Travel Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Bird (1831-1904) recounts her rugged passage through the Himalayas by horseback and her four-month sojourn amid "the pleasantest of people." Bird's evocative accounts of Tibetan ceremonies, decorations, costumes, and music, along with her vivid descriptions of palaces, temples, and monasteries, offer rare glimpses of a vanished world. 21 black-and-white illustrations.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Isabella Lucy Bird (Mrs. Bishop) was born in 1831. She won fame in her own time as surely the most remarkable woman traveller of the nineteenth century. She published nine books about her travels, and her writing is guaranteed to produce a thirst for adventure and travel. She died in Edinburgh in 1904. Among her books are Korea and Her Neighbours and Six Months in Hawaii, both published by Kegan Paul International. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Long Riders' Guild Press; illustrated edition edition (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590481143
• ISBN-13: 978-1590481141
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,094,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Left Out in the Cold in Tibet, February 15, 2006

By	T. C. Horan (Old Saybrook, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Among the Tibetans (Paperback)

I was somewhat disappointed in this book. Certainly, the noble Ms. Bird had made this remarkable journey (and many others) in a time (the late 1800s) when 'women didn't do such things'. For that I applaud her spirit and determination.
While interesting, in my opinion, most of the book comes across as fairly uninspired. She seems unable to share the sense of wonder one must feel when in the presence of such dramatic physical geography. Her description of the local citizenry is, to my mind, also fairly unimaginative. While her narrative is certainly straight forward and no doubt accurate, it seems she never really 'gets into it'.
There are several moments in the story when we are given an insight into Ms. Bird's character and we see her as an enormously resilient and self-reliant person. There are also interesting glimpses of her Victorian roots as portrayed in her comments regarding local Tibetan customs and habits.
All in all, I would recommend this book but I would caution the reader not to expect 'Lost Horizons'.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Look at Hawaii at the Turn of the Last Century, March 4, 2009

By	BBR "BBR" (Pikesville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

Isabella Bird's travel writing is a wonderful look at the world at the turn of the last century. Her writing is fluid and clear and her insights into people and places are gentile but pointed. In this travelogue we travel with her through uncomfortable steamer voyages, interactions with other travelers and exposure to practices and culture endemic to Hawaii at that time. She introduces us to the flora, fauna and food she encounters as well as the variety of people she meets.