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Synopsis In 1903-4 British Mission advanced over high Himalayan passes and across the rugged Tibetan plains to enter the Forbidden City of Lhasa. The main objectives of the mission were to secure trading rights with Tibet and to investigate rumours of a Russian plot to take Tibet. This account of that mission, however, is much more than the catalogue of a military advance; it contains a wealth of new knowledge about a mysterious land of which so little was known. We are taken on a journey through the many magical landscapes. From the damp, wispy lichen-clad, fairytale, rhododendron and magnolia forests of sikkim and the pine-scented forests of the Chumbi Valley, we climb higher them, dominate the barren featureless plains and deep blue lakes.

Then there are the fabulous monastic buildings and forts, the magnificent Palkor Choide at Gyangtse, Drepung monastery and finally, towering above them all, the incomparable Patala, in Lhasa. The life of the people and their often-strange customs are described, as well as some of the colourful characters we met along the way. Some intriguing historical background adds to the picture. He explains the complex and baffling aspects of Tibetan Lamaism. He journeys to the heart of Buddhism in Asia, the Jokhang temple.

Perceval Landon's account is perceptive, the clarity of his descriptions is as clear as the luminescent blue Tibetan skies. The quality and depth of his observations give the reader a comprehensive, almost spiritual, grasp of this magical land.