Product Description
Wilson, Andrew; The Abode of Snow, Observations of a Journey from Chinese Tibet to the Indian Caucasus through the Upper Valleys of the Himalaya. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London.(1875). Large Octavo, pp. xxvi, 473, large folded map at rear, colored frontispiece, title page with vignette.
The work is complete and in a contemporary blue calf with ornately gilt tooled covers, spine panels and titles, five gilt ruled spine bands, gilt text block edges, gilt armorial stamp on cover. Marbled end sheets with presentation plate from W. Rutherford to C. Butter dated 1884. Minor shelf scuffing to binding, text, plates and map exceptionally bright and clean. In very good condition.
Andrew Wilson (1831-1881) was educated at Edinburgh and Tubingen Universities. He travelled to India and took charge of the Bombay Times; edited a journal at Berwick and wrote for Blackwood's Magazine and edited the China Mail. In 1874-75 he journeyed from Simla to Kashmir through Shingo La, Padum, Penze La, Dras and Zoji La- the areas of the Tibetan borders covered in "Abode of Snow” which is an excellent narrative of the author's journey from Simla to Kashmir through Shingo La, Paduon, Penze La, Dras, and Zoji La. When he reached Spiti he was refused entry to go further and he comments on the reasons for the unwillingness of the Tibetans to allow foreigners to enter their country. The chapter headings are: 1. To the heights, 2. Simla and its celebrities, 3. The Valley of the Shadow of Death, 4. Chinese tartars, 5. Hangrang, Spiti, and Tibetan Polyandry, 6. Shigri and its glaciers-The Alps of the Himaliya, 7. Zanskar, 8. Kashmir, 9. Scenes in Kashmir, 10. The Afgan border. The book is an excellent primary source with coverage of the heights, Simla, valley of the 'Shadow of death," Chinese Tartars, Hangrang, Spiti & Tibetan Polyandry Shigri & its glacier, the Alsp and Himalaya, Zanskar, Kashmir, and scenes in Kashmir and along the Afghan border.
