The Himalaya span a distance of roughly 2,500 kilometres in length and between 350 and 150 
kilometres in breadth, rising to a maximum height of almost 9 kilometres above sea level. 
In Wild Himalaya, award-winning author Stephen Alter brings alive the greatest mountain 
range on earth in all its terrifying beauty, grandeur and complexity. Travelling to all the five 
countries that the Himalayan range traverses—India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and China— 
Alter braids together on-the-ground reports with a deep understanding and study of the 
history, science, geology, environment, flora, fauna, myth, folklore, spirituality, climate and 
human settlements of the region to provide a nuanced and rich portrait of these legendary 
mountains. Adding colour to the narrative are riveting tales unearthed by the author of some 
of the range’s most storied peaks—Everest or Chomolungma, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, 
Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat and others. 
The book is divided into eight sections which delve deep into particular aspects of the 
Himalaya. ‘Orogenesis’ explores the origin, evolution, geology, geography and other such 
core aspects of these mountains; ‘The Third Pole’ concerns itself with weather, glaciers, 
wetlands and rivers; ‘Flora Himalensis’ details extraordinary Himalayan plants and trees; 
‘Winged Migrants’ goes deep into the world of Himalayan birds and insects; in ‘Mountain 
Mammals’ we cross high passes and go above the treeline in search of brown bears, blue 
sheep and snow leopards; ‘Ancestral Journeys’ takes a close look at human settlement in 
the Himalaya and stories of origin and migration, both ancient and contemporary; ‘At the 
Edge of Beyond’ recounts epic adventures and great mountaineering feats; and, finally, ‘In a 
Thousand Ages of the Gods’ the author examines the essence of Himalayan art, folklore and 
mythology as well as enigmatic mysteries such as the existence of the Yeti, along with key 
questions of conservation. 
Although there have been hundreds of books, and some masterpieces, about one or the 
other aspect of the Himalaya, not one of them has come close to capturing the incredible 
complexity and majesty of these mountains. Until now. In Wild Himalaya, Stephen Alter, who 
considers himself an endemic species (having spent most of his life in these mountains), 
gives us the definitive natural history of the greatest mountain range on earth.

Wild Himalaya · A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth PDF

The list of books you might like