Old Lhasa: A Biography

A sweeping, magnificent biography-which combines historical research, travel-writing and discussion of religion and everyday culture-Old Lhasa is the most comprehensive account of the fabled city ever written in English. It is a portrait not only of a city but also an entire people-both those who still live in occupied Tibet, and those who are in exile. '[This book] brings you closer to the real spirit of Lhasa.'-Lobsang Sangay, former head of the Tibetan Government in Exile 'This remarkable history should be compulsory reading for travellers, academics and armchair historians. Experts will find that Aldrich has shaken the kaleidoscope of the history and geography of Lhasa and Tibet into new and illuminating patterns. Immersing himself in the place and its past, he unravels the colourful threads that make Lhasa and Tibet so fascinating... This splendid book is a compendium of knowledge about the city and its place in Tibetan history and culture-including, of course, religion.'-Alan Babington-Smith, President of the Royal Asiatic Society, Beijing 'Aldrich has provided in these pages a whole simulacrum of a country and its wonders.