Tibetan Tourism Info > Facts For The Visitor > Books

Books

Guidebooks

• Tibet Travel Adventure Guide by Michael Buckley
• Footprint Tibet by Gyurme Dorje
• Lonely Planet Tibet by Bradley Mayhew
• Trekking in Tibet by Gary McCue
• The Tibet Guide by Stephen Batchelor
• The Power Places of Central Tibet by Keith Dowman
• Mapping the Tibetan World by Atsushi Kanamaru

Biography

• The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava Translator Gwendolyn Bays
• My Land and My People the Dalai Lama
• Freedom in Exile the Dalai Lama
• Apparitions of the Self by Janet Gyatso
• Warriors of Tibet by Jamyang Norbu
• Fire Under the Snow: Testimony of a Tibetan Prisoner by Palden Gyatso

Fiction

• Tales of Uncle Tompa: The Legendary Rascal of Tibet by Rinjing Dorje
• The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes by Jamyang Norbu
• The Rose of Tibet by Lionel Davidson

Travelogues

• Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French
• Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
• Sky Burial by Blake Kerr

Photobooks

• Tibetan Portrait by Phil Borges
• Tibetan Voices by Brian Harris
• Tibet by Kazoyoshi Momachi
• My Tibet by Galen Rowell

Pilgrimages

• The Sacred Life of Tibet by Keith Dowman

History

• The Dragon in the Land of Snows by Tsering Shakya
• Tibetan Civilization by RA Stein
• In Exile from the Land of Snows by John Avedon
• The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia by Christopher Beckwith
• Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations by Warren Smith
• Trespassers on the Roof of the World by Peter Hopkirk
• Tears of Blood: A Cry for Tibet by Mary Craig
• A Stranger in Tibet by Scott Berry
• The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk by Palden Gyatso
• The Search for the Panchen Lama by Isabel Hilton

Culture

• Tibetan Art: Towards a Definition of Style by Jane Casey Singer and Philip Denwood
• Tibetan Astrology by Philippe Cornu
• Nomads of Western Tibet by Melvyn Goldstein and Cynthia Beall
• Tibet's Hidden Wilderness: Wildlife and Nomads of the Chang Tang Reserve by George Schaller
• Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe by George Schaller
• To Lhasa and Beyond by Giuseppe Tucci
• Health Through Balance by Dr. Yeshe Donden
• The Healing Arts of Tibet by Ian Baker and Romio Shrestha

Buddhism and Bon

• The Bon Religion of Tibet by Per Kvaerne
• The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche
• Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers
• Buddhist Civilization in Tibet by Giuseppe Tucci
• Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
• The Door to Satisfaction by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche

Language and Dictionaries

• The Classical Tibetan Language by Stephen Beyer
• Tibetan by Philip Denwood
• The New Tibetan-English Dictionary of Modern Tibet by Melvyn Goldstein
• Modern Tibetan Language by Losang Thonden
• Say It in Chinese (Mandarin) Dr. Nancy Duke Lay

Health Related Issues

• The Pocket Doctor by Steven Bezruchka
• The Travelers Good Health Guide by Dr Ted Lankester
• Expedition Medicine (The Royal Geographic Society) Editors David Warrell and Sarah Anderson
• The World's Most Dangerous Places by Robert Young Pelton, Coskun Aral and Wink Dulles
• Medicine for Mountaineering by James Wilkerson
• Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine by Jim Duff and Peter Gormly
• Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, & Latin America by Dirk Schroeder
• The High Altitude Medicine Handbook by Andrew J Pollard and David R Murdoch
• Traveller's Health by Dr Richard Dawood
• Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner

Considerations

Some of these books are hard to find or may only be available in certain countries. Kathmandu is an excellent location to get books and maps about Tibet. As always, travelers should exercise caution when bringing materials through China. Printed text is generally fine, but pictures of the Dalai Lama or Tibetan artwork will may lead to trouble with authorities. It is best to leave controversial books and images (such as the Tibetan flag) outside of China.

For more information about these books and many other resources, you may contact the following specialist publishers:

• Snow Lion Publications, NY
  www.snowlionpub.com
• Shambhala Publications, MA
  www.shambhala.com
• Wisdom Publications, US and UK
  www.wisdompubs.org
• Tricycle Books and quarterly magazine
  www.tricycle.com
• Potala Publications, NY (part of exiled government's office)
  www.potala.com

Contributors to this Page

Elizabeth Tseng