Supremely readable analysis of Tibet’s history and place in the modern world, covering its relationships with China and the rest of the world (past and present – including the British invasion under Younghusband), and Patrick French‘s own exploration of the country and encounters with the people and the politics of Tibet in 1999.
Sadly, he doesn’t come across well in this biography, a stunted product of the Victorian/Edwardian age and a diplomatic liability, and the book itself was a bit of a disappointment after the glowing blurbs from writers I admire that adorn the back cover….
An interesting, but not necessarily enjoyable, read.