000			03111cam a22003734a 4500
001			13653113
003			OSt
005			20240217120853.0
008			040713s2004 nyuab b 001 0 eng
010			_a 2004053476
020			_a1594200270 (alk. paper)
040			_aDLC _cDLC _dDLC
042			_apcc
043			_aa-cc-ti
050	0	0	_aDS786 _b.B255 2004
082	0	0	_a915.1/5 _222
100	1		_aBaker, Ian, _d1957-
245	1	4	_aThe heart of the world : _ba journey to the last secret place / _cIan Baker ; introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
264			_aNew York : _bThe Penguin Press, _c2004.
300			_axxiv, 511 pages, : _bill., maps ; _c25 cm.
336			_2rdacontent _atext _btxt
337			_2rdamedia _aunmediated _bn
338			_2rdacarrier _avolume _bnc
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [479]-486) and index.
520			_aThe myth of Shangri-la originates in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs in beyul, or hidden lands, sacred sanctuaries that reveal themselves to devout pilgrims and in times of crisis. The more remote and inaccessible the beyul, the vaster its reputed qualities. Ancient Tibetan prophecies declare that the greatest of all hidden lands lies at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo Gorge, deep in the Himalayas and veiled by a colossal waterfall. Nineteenth-century accounts of this fabled waterfall inspired a series of ill-fated European expeditions that ended prematurely in 1925 when the intrepid British plant collector Frank Kingdon-Ward penetrated all but a five-mile section of the Tsangpo's innermost gorge and declared that the falls were no more than a "religious myth" and a "romance of geography." The heart of the Tsangpo Gorge remained a blank spot on the map of world exploration until world-class climber and Buddhist scholar Ian Baker delved into the legends. Whatever cryptic Tibetan scrolls or past explorers had said about the Tsangpo's innermost gorge, Baker determined, could be verified only by exploring the uncharted five-mile gap. After several years of encountering sheer cliffs, maelstroms of impassable white water, and dense leech-infested jungles, on the last of a series of extraordinary expeditions, Baker and his National Geographic-sponsored team reached the depths of the Tsangpo Gorge. They made news worldwide by finding there a 108-foot-high waterfall, the legendary grail of Western explorers and Tibetan seekers alike. - From back cover
651		0	_aTsangpo Gorges (China) _xDiscovery and exploration.
651		0	_aTsangpo Gorges Region (China) _xDescription and travel.
856	4	1	_3Table of contents _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy053/2004053476.html
856	4	2	_3Contributor biographical information _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0721/2004053476-b.html
856	4	2	_3Publisher description _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0721/2004053476-d.html
906			_a7 _bcbc _corignew _d1 _eocip _f20 _gy-gencatlg
942			_2ddc _cBOOK _n0
999			_c147 _d147