The story of the quest for a real-life Shangri-La in the darkest heart of the Himalayas– a century-long obsession to reach the sacred hidden center of one of the world's last uncharted realms. At the far eastern end of the Himalayas in Tibet lies the Tsangpo River Gorge, known as “the great romance of geography” during the nineteenth century's golden age of exploration. Here the mighty Tsangpo funnels into an impenetrable canyon three miles deep, walled off from the outside world by twenty-five thousand foot peaks. Like the earthly paradise of Shangri-La immortalized in James Hilton's classic 1933 novel Lost Horizon, the Tsangpo River Gorge is a refuge revered for centuries by Tibetan Buddhists–and later in Western imagination–as a sanctuary in times of strife as well as a gateway to nirvana. The Siege of Shangri-La tells the story of this fabled land's exploration as both a geographical and spiritual destination–and chronicles the discovery at the end of the last millennium of the truth behind the myths and rumors about it. Veteran journalist Michael McRae traces the gorge's exploratory history from the clandestine missions of surveyor-spies called pundits and botanical expeditions of naturalists in the early twentieth century to the recent investigations of scholars, adventurers, and pilgrims seeking the "Hidden Falls," of the Tsangpo, which purportedly rivals Niagara in size and serves as the gateway to paradise. Each explorer's narrative provides increasing evidence of why the gorge has been mythologized in Eastern and Western lore as one of the world's most alluring blanks on the map–and a supreme test of human will. Taking readers on a guided tour of the gorge's landscape, physical and metaphysical, McRae presents an insightful look at the pursuit of glory and enlightenment that has played out in this mysterious land with sometimes disastrous consequences. The Siege of Shangri-La is a fascinating journey through the inner recesses of a remote, mystical world and the minds of those who have attempted to reach it.

The Siege of Shangri-La: The Quest for Tibet's Sacred Hidden Paradise

History

McRae, Michael

Asia

Broadway

Essays from a professional wanderer with an eye for the absurd. Travel writing at its best.― Joe Kane. Black &amp; white photographs.

Continental Drifter: Dispatches from the Uttermost Parts of the Earth

Travel

Travel Writing

Burford Books

Aspiring engineers will get a head start with this introduction to the past, present, and future of engineering. Enter a world of engineering with detailed explanations of the history of discovery and innovation that has made modern technology possible.&nbsp;Engineering Made Simple&nbsp;presents the fundamentals of making and creating, from the physics of flying to the chemistry of manufacturing. Each of the ten chapters will connect readers with a topic that helps make sense of engineering. Learn what it means to be an engineer, understand the laws scientists use to push the limits of speed and safety, and discover a past--and anticipate a future--of amazing machines and constructions. Each section will help aspiring young engineers engage with relevant areas in their school's curriculum, complete with knowledge-testing quizzes. Do you like the idea of designing and creating a better world? With this book, young people will discover just how simple--and exciting--engineering can be. &nbsp;

Engineering Made Simple: A Complete Guide in Ten Easy Lessons

Teen & Young Adult

Berliner, Jonathan

Education & Reference

Portable Press

Covers such basics in baseball as throwing, receiving, hitting, fielding, and baserunning, discussing the proper body positions for each, and includes specific drills for each topic

Home Run

Sports & Outdoors

Baseball

Raincoast Books, Polestar

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Books by McRae, Michael