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The fifth in the series of coffee table books dedicated to wildlife by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), this one contains reproductions of rare lithographs and paintings of Himalayan birds by John Gould, E.C. Stuart Baker, J. Forbes Royle, J.D. Hooker, T.C. Jerdon and others, some over a 100 years old. For many, this could be the closest we will get to the Monal, the pristine snow pigeon, the striking blood pheasant, the crested finchbill, the amazing Cheer pheasant, the stunning Himalayan snowcock, or Satyr tragopan. The large plates, including the 10 double spreads, are almost lifelike and beautifully coloured. The book lists the various mammals in the region with some exciting records of encounters with bears, wolves and leopards. Colonel Kinloch`s account of his shooting a leopard from his book written in 1885 is the most riveting as also “A Chilling Journey on the Highlands of Tibet” from a 1909 book Three Years in Tibet.
Dr. Ashok Kothari and Boman Chhapgar who have put together this book have a long and abiding interest in wildlife and Dr. Kothari`s vast collection of rare books has come in handy for the excerpts and visuals. There are some lovely paintings from Sir Francis Younghusband`s Kashmir (1909) along with evocative landscapes by Col. G. Strahan. Right from its front cover with a painting of snow leopards to the red panda on the back, the book is a paean to Himalayan wildlife and its pristine natural beauty. Certainly something to be treasured.
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