KATHMANDU: City on the Edge of the World. by ROBERTS, Patricia

New York [1989], Abbeville. Grey cloth, very good, dj., end paper maps, 197p., index, profusely illustrated with color photos by Thomas L. Kelly. A stunningly beautiful photographic essay. The land of the Gods, located just below 29,000 foot mountains, Kathmandu is just 15,000 feet below. Three village-cities make up Nepal's capital: Kathimandu, Patan & Bhaktapur. Holy & forbidden, a place with breath-taking sights. The work ofman & nature, of ancient temples, pagodas, carved wood shrines, Buddhist and Hindu pantheons, farms, fields carved into the valley. Mag- nificient insight & view to the culture & arts of the people and faith. Virgin girls worshiped as living goddesses, festivals, weddings, animal sacrifices, riot of ritual slau- ghter. The photographer has lived a dozen years in Kathmandu and is skilled in the lore of the land. A useful & wonderful current resource. .