MOUNTAINS AND A MONASTERY. by Holmes, Peter - 1958

London: Geoffrey Bles, 1958. 191 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H). B&w photographs, 2 fold-out maps. "Spiti is a mountainous desert province, on the borders of Tibet, inhabited by a backward hill-folk whose way of life has not changed in a thousand years. It was there, in the village of Ranrik, that Peter Holmes, his wife Judy and their party met Shiring Dawa, the twelve-year-old boy who by his determination had escaped the fate of younger sons in Spiti - to be shut up in the Buddhist monastery at the age of eight and to remain there for the rest of their lives. The author was struck with Shiring's exceptional intelligence and his ability to grasp facts which were beyond the imagination of most of the villagers, and through him was able to learn a great deal about village life and the influence exerted by the monastery. Spiti, however, was only one stage on their journey, and Peter Holmes goes on to describe some hair-raising adventures in the Himalayas. They succeeded in scaling several formidable mountains not before attempted and Peter Holmes' photographic record of the expedition has provided many unusual illustrations for this delightful book about the Himalayas and the people who live in them." Minor wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, one very small corner bump, tiny soiling mark on bottom edge of rear board, very light browning to edges of text block. Dust jacket has several small chips and tears, two tiny dints on spine, light edgewear, areas of light browning - now in removable mylar sleeve.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good.