Trespassers on the Roof of the World Book

No other land has captured man's imagination quite like Tibet. Hidden away behind the Himalayas, ruled over by a god-like king, it has long been the stuff of travelers' dreams. Peter Hopkirk tells of the forcible opening up of this medieval land during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The tale has a cast of secret agents and soldiers, explorers and missionaries, mystics and mountaineers--intruders determined to snatch from the Tibetans the secret of their contentment. The story ends with the Chinese invasion in 1950. So it was that the long-suffering Tibetans finally lost their freedom to the last of the many trespassers.

"A marvelous book, well researched and written--a treat for armchair explorers everywhere." (New Statesmen)

For centuries, Tibet has been the prize destination of determined explorers from England, Russia, and many other countries attempting to claim her for their own. Now, the widely acclaimed author of The Great Game presents a compelling history of the exploration of Tibet from the 19th century up to the present day.