The Snow Leopard (Penguin Classics) Paperback – September 30, 2008
Author: Visit ‘s Peter Matthiessen Page ID: 0143105515
.com Review
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.
Published in 1978, The Snow Leopard is rightly regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, “We’ve seen so much, maybe it’s better if there are some things that we don’t see.”
That sentiment, as well as the sense of wonder at the world’s beauty that pervades Matthiessen’s book, ought to inform any journey into the wild. –Gregory McNamee –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“A beautiful book, and worthy of the mountains he is among” — Paul Theroux “What began as a practical search for the rare snow leopard, revered Buddhist emblem, developed into a quest for the meaning of Being. An enjoyable combination of mountaineering and mysticism” Observer “It’s a tale of an inner struggle for calm, and would be an inspiring and sustaining desert island companion” — Emily Barr “As much the chronicle of an inner journey as it is the learned recording of an unfamiliar territory…a timeless account” Independent “An evocative account of a remote and timeless place and its people” Sunday Times
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
Series: Penguin ClassicsPaperback: 368 pagesPublisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (September 30, 2008)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0143105515ISBN-13: 978-0143105510 Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #15,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #13 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals #21 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Nature Writing & Essays #77 in Books > Travel > Travel Writing
The Snow Leopard is not just a book, rather a marvelous mental holiday one can return to as often as one needs, like a literary hitchhiker, to get away from the modernity and electronic technology that swamps us. Matthiessen illuminates the mystery and silence of the Himalayas, and the human need for nature and it’s transformational powers.
I read this book every year, and for two years taught it on a college level to over 500 freshman. Yes, freshmen, at 7:00 a.m., who have never even seen snow.
Being a public college and teaching a book with overtly religious themes, I suggested they skip over the "Buddhist bits" if it did not interest them, and stick to the journey, paying attention to PM, George Schaller and the mixed bag of porters and Sherpas who guided them. Funny thing when you tell students not to read something, they go right for it.
To my amazement, they got it. They understood Matthiessen’s flaws: the drug use, failed marriages, parental doubts about leaving family once again to pursue "nothing" in one of the remotest places on earth–the Land of Dolpo, where lamas rule and people obey. Students are intimate with the concept of to work for the sake of work; be it one foot in front of the other on a trail in Nepal, or their own path of study; these young people easily saw how humans transforms themselves through their work and passions. They were also quite politically savy, impressed by the results of this remarkable and timeless journey into the heart of the wilderness where it’s okay to get lost, make mistakes and fail.
Download The Snow Leopard – September 30, 2008 PDF
SentanaIbrit344
The Snow Leopard (Penguin Classics) Paperback – September 30, 2008
Author: Visit ‘s Peter Matthiessen Page ID: 0143105515
.com Review
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.
Published in 1978, The Snow Leopard is rightly regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, “We’ve seen so much, maybe it’s better if there are some things that we don’t see.”
That sentiment, as well as the sense of wonder at the world’s beauty that pervades Matthiessen’s book, ought to inform any journey into the wild. –Gregory McNamee –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“A beautiful book, and worthy of the mountains he is among” — Paul Theroux “What began as a practical search for the rare snow leopard, revered Buddhist emblem, developed into a quest for the meaning of Being. An enjoyable combination of mountaineering and mysticism” Observer “It’s a tale of an inner struggle for calm, and would be an inspiring and sustaining desert island companion” — Emily Barr “As much the chronicle of an inner journey as it is the learned recording of an unfamiliar territory…a timeless account” Independent “An evocative account of a remote and timeless place and its people” Sunday Times
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
Series: Penguin ClassicsPaperback: 368 pagesPublisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (September 30, 2008)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0143105515ISBN-13: 978-0143105510 Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #15,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #13 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals #21 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Nature Writing & Essays #77 in Books > Travel > Travel Writing
The Snow Leopard is not just a book, rather a marvelous mental holiday one can return to as often as one needs, like a literary hitchhiker, to get away from the modernity and electronic technology that swamps us. Matthiessen illuminates the mystery and silence of the Himalayas, and the human need for nature and it’s transformational powers.
I read this book every year, and for two years taught it on a college level to over 500 freshman. Yes, freshmen, at 7:00 a.m., who have never even seen snow.
Being a public college and teaching a book with overtly religious themes, I suggested they skip over the "Buddhist bits" if it did not interest them, and stick to the journey, paying attention to PM, George Schaller and the mixed bag of porters and Sherpas who guided them. Funny thing when you tell students not to read something, they go right for it.
To my amazement, they got it. They understood Matthiessen’s flaws: the drug use, failed marriages, parental doubts about leaving family once again to pursue "nothing" in one of the remotest places on earth–the Land of Dolpo, where lamas rule and people obey. Students are intimate with the concept of to work for the sake of work; be it one foot in front of the other on a trail in Nepal, or their own path of study; these young people easily saw how humans transforms themselves through their work and passions. They were also quite politically savy, impressed by the results of this remarkable and timeless journey into the heart of the wilderness where it’s okay to get lost, make mistakes and fail.
Download The Snow Leopard – September 30, 2008 PDF
SentanaIbrit344
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