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Landon, Perceval; Younghusband, Francis (Introduction) : The Opening of Tibet: An Account of Lhasa and the Country and People of Central Tibet and of the Progress of the Mission Sent There by the English Government in the Year 1903-4

Doubleday, Page & Co., New York, 1906

Original publisher's green cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine. Blind-stamped swastika decoration on front cover, used entirely in this context as a symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. 7 1/2" x 10 1/2." 484 pages, complete. Forty-nine plates, including one color frontispiece, the rest being in black-and-white, complete. One additional page in the back, an illustrated advertisement, promoting Rudyard Kipling's book, Kim. Pages and covers are very clean and intact overall. Binding is a slightly loose in the front, but front inner hinge has been fully re-glued. Pages age-toned. Slight corner wear and wear to head and tail of spine. Faint offsetting from the plates on some of the pages. A closed tear measuring about 2" from the fore-edge is on the half-title, not affecting text. A small bump, not affecting text or illustrations, is on the fore-edge of the pages from the title page until Page xv. A Very Good copy. About the 1903-1904 British Expedition to Tibet. Includes the author's observations and impressions of Tibet when he was part of the expedition. Written by Perceval Landon (1869-1927), an English author, journalist, travel writer, and correspondent for The Times. Introduction by Francis Younghusband (1863-1942), a British Army officer, explorer, and author. Younghusband led the 1903-1904 British Expedition to Tibet. The expedition, on paper, was ordered by the British government as a way to settle disputes at the Sikkim-Tibet border. In actuality, the expedition was an invasion of Tibet that was backed only by an unproven fear (which the Russian government rebuffed before the expedition) that Russia was planning to take Tibet. Tibetan military forces were small in number or unprepared, and this, coupled with the military experience of the British Indian Army, led to Tibet's defeat. The expedition culminated in the debilitating Treaty of Lhasa which held portions of Tibet captive under British rule until a steep indemnity was paid. The expedition actually received immense criticism in Britain which many saw as unwarranted and unjust. The casualties of British soldiers during the 1903-1904 expedition is estimated to have been between about 200 and 400 while Tibetan casualties numbered about 2,000 to 3,000, The outcome of the expedition was a significant factor in triggering the 1905 Tibetan Rebellion.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Hardcover

1st American Edition

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