Reviews

351

© 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © The Royal Geographical Society with The Institute of British Geographers

Himachal Pradesh, East Karakoram and SiachenGlacier. Illustrated with numerous photographs,sketches, and maps, this book is a useful referencefor those interested in wandering away from thebeaten tracks, and into the remote mountains andvalleys in the Himalaya.

The book claims to be an insight into the Hima-layan areas, their history and people. While thebook is an important guide to the Himalaya, itdwells very lightly on the historical, political, socialand cultural influences in the region. Perhaps acritical discussion of historical antecedents andpolitical events should not be expected in adven-ture travel writing, and there is not much of this inthe book. Important historical and political events,for example, the union of Sikkim with India arereferenced in passing only (p 107). Similarly, theauthor asserts that with India’s support the king ofBhutan has become ‘all powerful’ (p 73), but thereis no mention of the effect of this power on themass exodus of Bhutanis of Nepali origins, many ofwhom are today languishing in various refugeecamps in Nepal. I was particularly disturbed by anaccount of Kapadia’s encounter with a Rimpochein Bhutan. Kapadia could not resist the temptationto photograph, at close range and without permis-sion, a Rimpoche in deep meditation (p 80). Thepurpose of a guide book should be not only todescribe a place, or people, but also to educatereaders, and especially would be travellers, aboutappropriate forms of host-guest interactions andvisitor behaviors.

Regardless of the above criticisms, this book ishighly readable, and would be a valuable source ofinformation for visitors who want to explore theHimalaya and its many secrets.

S

ANJAY

K N

EPAL

,

Texas A&M University,College Station

Mount Everest, The Reconnaissance 1935: ‘TheForgotten Adventure’.

By T

ONY

A

STILL

Les Alpes Livres, Southampton, 2005, 359 pp £30.00ISBN 0 9549201 0 4Available from author at alpes@supanet.com Tel:(44) (0) 2380293767

This book is a feast for mountain lovers whocrave exploration and Alpine-style ascents ofremote peaks. Bridging a gap in the Himalayanliterature, it recounts Eric Shipton’s 1935 ex-pedition with six others (including his life-longclimbing partner Bill Tilman and cartographerMichael Spender) to chart the Tibetan side of Everestand the unknown Nyönno Ri range to its east. Bythe 1930s, it was clear that reaching the top ofEverest must rest on careful consideration of high-altitude conditions, expedition logistics, and the

uncertain nature of acclimatization. Over fourmonths Shipton and his men marched through wildterritory – risking food shortage and desperatestorms – to ascertain whether snow conditionsduring the monsoon might permit safe passage atheights above 23 000 feet, as well as to find alter-native ascent routes besides the North Col used byprevious expeditions. The discovery of MauriceWilson’s body near Camp 3, the single-handedmapping of the mountain’s north face by Spender,Shipton’s glimpse into the Western Cwm, and thedrafting of young Tensing Norgay as ‘climbingsherpa’ for the first time, became entwined withthe complex events leading to triumph on Everesteighteen years later.

Handsome and scholarly, this book presents over100 original black-and-white photographs fromthe expedition, many of them unpublished. Andalthough it delivers a blow by blow account, theauthor lets his explorers speak through their diaryexcerpts, weaved together masterfully to bringout the sensitivities of their experience. Treadingsacred snows on high arêtes, wandering Tibet’sdesolation, and living off the country gave meaningto daily existence. Their hardships were understated,and when reading parts of the book, it is difficultfor one not to feel as hungry and cold as the men,or to feel satisfied as three of them gorged on 90eggs on arriving at a village.

I find an inseparable element of the story to beShipton’s contemplative mood, so characteristic inhis writings: ‘In these days . . . when the basic valuesof today are the vain and shattered dreams oftomorrow, there is much to be said for a philosophywhich aims at living a full life while the opportunityoffers . . . Such, after all, are the only possessionsof which no fate, no cosmic catastrophe candeprive us’. If his companions and he could live tosee the book, they would no doubt relish memoriesof those glorious days. Tony Astill’s book is anadmirable reconstruction of a forgotten journey,and I heartily recommend it to anyone drawn toexploration as a science, a pilgrimage, and areflection of human endurance.

F

ELIX

N

G

,

University of Sheffield

Nitrate, Agriculture and the Environment.

By T MA

DDISCOTT

Wallingford: CABI Publishing, 2005, 279 pp, ISBN0 85199 913 1

This interesting and timely publication describesthe state of knowledge of the sources and fates ofnitrate in the aquatic environment and in theatmosphere. It describes the phenomena from ascientific and economic point of view, and pointstowards clear and sustainable management solutions.