Himalaya: A Human History
| Author | Ed Douglas |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Anthropology |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Published | 2020 |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 592 |
| ISBN | 978-14-73546-14-1 |
Himalaya: A Human History is a book by Ed Douglas, a mountaineer, journalist, and author who has spent over twenty-five years reporting from the Himalayan region.
Background
The book is considered a magnum opus in Himalayan anthropological studies. It is divided into 20 chapters that cover the emergence of the mountains from the Tethys Sea, the role of the Himalayas in the Puranas, the exploits of British explorers, the Sino-Indian War, and the recent tensions surrounding Sherpa labor and mountaineering on Mount Everest.[1]
Reception
Writing for The New York Times, Jeffrey Gettleman calls "this book in itself is a bit of a mountain to climb, nearly 600 densely packed pages — its own Everest."[2]
According to Sribala Subramanian, a former TIME Magazine reporter, the book bridges the gap by narrating little-known histories of places in and around the Himalayas.[3]
Victor Mallet from Financial Times suggest, "Douglas has achieved something more valuable than describe current events [in and around Himalayan region]: he has examined the ancient origins of those events with a scholarly yet entertaining synthesis of hundreds of years of history."[4]
References
- ^ Fleetwood, Lachlan (June 2021). "Himalaya: A Human History. By Ed Douglas". Mountain Research and Development. 41 (2): M1. doi:10.1659/mrd.mm260.1. ISSN 0276-4741.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (2021-01-05). "Climbing the Himalaya With Soldiers, Spies, Lamas and Mountaineers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- ^ "Review: 'Himalaya: A Human History'". The Third Pole. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- ^ "Himalaya by Ed Douglas — a plea for understanding". Financial Times. 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2022-10-14.