Yet it wasn’t always thus. For many it is foremost a wondrous land with unique wildlife, outstanding natural beauty, and a heartland for Buddhism.

One of the leading nineteenth-century Western scholars of Buddhism was Brian Hodgson. He spent some twenty years from 1825 to 1844 as a British diplomat in Kathmandu, deeply immersed in all aspects of Nepalese life, culture, and religion. A collection of essays by him was published in 1874 under the title Essays on the languages, literature and religion of Nepal and Tibet. It is quite a scarce work whose not very catchy title belies its interest and importance.

One of the most visually appealing Himalayan treks is provided by the famous Greek photographer and mountaineer, Nicholas Tombazi. In 1919 he produced a typescript, Tours in Darjeeling and Sikkim, for very limited circulation (probably only a handful of copies were made), of a tour which he made with S.J. Vlasto.

It is the account of two circular journeys starting in Darjeeling, the first to Sikkim, the second to the passes of Tibet. This copy has 28 tipped-in photographs by Tombazi which enliven the narrative no end. The mystery of the publication is why it was never taken up by a commercial publisher.