Further Reading About Nepal

These suggestions are by no means an exhaustive list of the books available. A number of the titles listed are unavailable in North America, Europe of Australia, all however are easily found in Kathmandu’s many excellent bookshops.

Travel
Shopping for Buddhas - Jeff Greenwald
Shopping for Buddhas is Jeff Greenwald's story of his obsessive search for the perfect Buddha statue. In the back streets of Kathmandu, he discovers more than he bargained for...and his souvenir hunting turns into an ironic metaphor for the clash between spiritual riches and material greed. Politics, religion and serious shopping collide in this witty account of an enlightening visit to Nepal.
The Snow Leopard - Peter Matthiessen
In the autumn of 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen set out in the company of zoologist George Schaller on a hike that would take them 250 miles into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo, "the last enclave of pure Tibetan culture on earth." Their voyage was in quest of one of the world's most elusive big cats, the snow leopard of high Asia, a creature so rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical; Schaller was one of only two Westerners known to have seen a snow leopard in the wild since 1950.
Travels in Nepal: The Sequestered Kingdom - Charlie Pye-Smith
The journeys and observations of a renowned travel writer that considers the impacts and benefits of foreign aid.
Kingdoms Beyond the Clouds - Jonathan Gregson
Journeys in search of the Himalayan kings
In the Himalayas: Journeys through Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan - Jeremy Bernstein
A wonderful evocation of the history, culture and landscape of the peoples and countries situated around this singular range of mountains. From the doggedness of the Sherpas to the hilarious mishaps in the outback, Bernstein presents the panoply of Himalayan experience in vivid, memorable detail.
Himalayan Pilgrimage - David L. Snellgrove
A Buddhist scholar’s 1956 journey through Dolpo, the Kali Gandaki and Manang. This fantastic book mixes anecdotes and observations, permeated with dry humor and in the process teaches a lot about Buddhism.
Himalayan Passage: Seven Months in the High Country of Tibet, Nepal, China, India, & Pakistan - Jeremy Schmidt
This narrative, winner of the first (1990) Barbara Savage/ Miles from Nowhere Memorial Award for adventure travel writing, tells of a 1987 trip around the Himalayas by truck, mountain bike, local bus, and foot. Accompanied by their wives, Schmidt, a journalist, and Morrow, a photographer, set out to circumnavigate the Himalayas.
Inside the Medicine Buddha: Life, Tibetans, and My Summer in Nepal - Shilpa Kamat
A vivid memoir as well as a biography, this book details the adventures and mishaps of two students from the US who travel through a summer of rain in Nepal, interviewing Tibetans about traditional medicine. Through their journey, they learn about life in Nepal and Old Tibet, and of how traditional medicine stems from the Tibetan Buddhist world view. While grappling with problems their environment throws at them, they meet intriguing individuals who speak of their lives—some more fantastic than others—and their experiences healing. The author’s tone is personal and insightful as she records the stories of Tibetan doctors, patients, and shamans, watches and partakes in healings, and reflects on other aspects of living in Nepal.
Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom – Michael Peissel
A well-written account by a Tibetan-speaking French adventurer who traveled through the restricted region in 1964.

Mountaineering
Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
Reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion, Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996. He hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds.... "This is the terrifying story of what really happened that fateful day at the top of the world, during what would be the deadliest season in the history of Everest. In this harrowing yet breathtaking narrative, Krakauer takes the reader along with his ill-fated expedition, step by precarious step, from Katmandu to the mountain's pinnacle where, plagued by a combination of hubris, greed, poor judgment, and plain bad luck, they would fall prey to the mountain's unpredictable fury.
Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest - Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Jamling Norgay interweaves the story of his own ascent during the infamous 1996 Mount Everest disaster with little-known stories from his father's historic climb. While the world celebrated Tenzing Norgay for his achievement, his son was deeply under his spell and inexorably drawn to the mountain his father loved. The journeys of both Jamling and his father began with ominous signs, telling divinations, ritual offerings, and humble prayers. Along the way both father and son grappled with the same physical and personal challenges as they pressed on against extreme circumstances. Jamling carried with him the fundamental mountaineering lesson learned from his father: Everest "must be approached with respect and with love, the way a child climbs into the lap of its mother. Anyone who attacks the peak with aggression, as a soldier doing battle, will lose."
The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mt. Everest - Conrad Anker, David Roberts
This is the adventure story of the year -- how Conrad Anker found the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest, casting an entirely new light on the mystery of the explorer who may have conquered Everest seventy-five years ago.
Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine - Jochen Hemmleb
For three quarters of a century, adventure enthusiasts around the globe have speculated about the fate of British mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Did they reach the peak of Mount Everest before disappearing on June 6, 1924? How did they die? What was their fatal mistake? In 1999, the Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition set out to answer these questions by retracing the steps of the doomed climbers.
View from the Summit – Sir Edmund Hilary
Adventurers the world over have been inspired by the achievements of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man ever to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest. In this candid, wry, and vastly entertaining autobiography, Hillary looks back on that 1953 landmark expedition, as well as his remarkable explorations in other exotic locales, from the South Pole to the Ganges.

History
Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal - Jonathan Gregson
On the evening of June 1, 2001, during an intimate gathering of Nepal's royal family, Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire with automatic weapons inside Kathmandu's royal palace, killing his parents - the king and queen - his siblings, five other close relatives, and ultimately himself. It was the bloodiest, most complete massacre of any royal family ever recorded and the most horrifying event in the history of the Shah Dynasty, which has ruled Nepal over 10 generations.
The Gurkhas – Byron Farwell
From the 1815 skirmish with the British to the Falkland War, the story of the Gurkhas.

Religion
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction - Damien Keown
This accessible volume covers both the teachings of the Buddha and the integration of Buddhism into daily life. What are the distinctive features of Buddhism? What or who is the Buddha, and what are his teachings? How has Buddhist thought developed over the centuries, and how can contemporary dilemmas be faced from a Buddhist perspective?
The Buddha: A Very Short Introduction - Michael Carrithers
A guide to the complex and sometimes conflicting information that Buddhist texts give about the life and teaching of the Buddha. Discusses the social and political background of India in the Buddha's time, and traces the development of his thought. Also assesses the rapid and widespread assimilation of Buddhism and its contemporary relevance.
Hinduism : A Very Short Introduction - Kim Knott
Succinct explanations of Hinduism's central preoccupations, including the role of contemporary gurus and teachers in the quest for spiritual fulfillment; and the function of regular performances of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The author also considers the challenges posed to Hinduism at the end of the twentieth century as it spreads far beyond India, and as concerns are raised about issues such as dowry, death, caste prejudice, and the place of women in Hindu society.
An Introduction to Hinduism - Gavin D. Flood
A thematic and historical introduction to Hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in India. Particular emphasis is given to the tantric traditions, which have been so influential; to Hindu ritual, which is more fundamental to the life of the religion than are specific beliefs or doctrines; and to Dravidian influences from south India
Teach Yourself Eastern Philosophy - Mel Thompson
Examines the key ideas that developed within the ancient civilizations of India and China. Studying the ethical and social implications of Eastern philosophy.
The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion - Diane Morgan
Provides a thorough discussion of the most widely practices belief systems of the East. The author understands how to direct the materialistic, linear way of Western thinking toward a comprehension of the cyclical, metaphysical essence of Eastern philosophy. With an emphasis on the tenets and customs that Western seekers find most compelling, this text is accessible to the novice yet sophisticated enough for the experienced reader

Ethnic Groups
Sherpas: Reflections on Change in Himalayan Nepal – James Fisher
Insightful observations on changing Sherpa society.
Gurungs of Nepal – Alan Macfarlane & Indra Bahadur Gurung
Comprehensive survey of the detail of Gurung life. Excellent background for the Annapurna region.
The Newars – Gopal Singh Nepali
Published in 1965, this remains the standard account of Newar culture.
LifeAmong the Magars – Gary Shepherd
A personal account by a linguist who lived with his family in a northwestern Nepali village for 12 years.

Fiction
Arresting God in Kathmandu - Samrat Upadhyay
Love and matrimony are as complicated in modern Nepal as anywhere else, as depicted in this debut collection of stories from one of the first Nepali authors writing in English to be published in the West. In only one of the nine stories does the focus waver from the tensions inherent in a class-conscious society where most marriages are still arranged, despite the fast-forward of globalization and a younger population used to traveling abroad or at least hearing about it.
Guru of Love - Samrat Upadhyay
Set against a backdrop of prodemocracy unrest in contemporary Katmandu, The Guru of Love tells the story of a lowly tutor who ends up in a most irregular domestic ménage. Ramchandra lives in a shabby apartment house with his well-born wife and their children. He doesn't plan on becoming a cad, but when a beautiful young single mother named Malati becomes his student, he's drawn into a relationship with her.
Siddharta – Herman Hesse
Perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this strangely simple tale, written with a deep and moving empathy for humanity, has touched the lives of millions since its original publication in 1922.
Escape from Kathmandu – Kim Stanley Robinson
A light, amusing romp through the clichés and the heroes rescue yetis, save a hidden valley and climb Everest with a lama.

Guidebooks
Nepal Handbook (Moon Guides)
Excellent on cultural aspects of Nepal with more space dedicated to what you will see than where to eat – this is not to say practical matters are neglected.
Nepal (Lonely Planet)
Where to eat, where to stay, how to get there. Good maps.
Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya (Lonely Planet)
Detailed descriptions of all the main trekking routes and the practicalities involved.
The Trekking Peaks of Nepal – Bill O’Connor
Descriptions of the 18 trekking peaks including approaches and climbing routes.