1989. 308 pp, maps. Shangri-la. An arcadia hidden in a remote, secluded valley. A vast, wind-swept plain cradled among the far away peaks of the Orient. Tibet. Beginning almost as a mere rumor in the mid-eighteenth century, Tibet evolved over the next century of industrialization into one of the last great sacred places of Victorian romanticism, taking on much of the mystery, power, and ambiguity of more traditionally experienced sacred spaces. In this masterful study, Peter Bishop examines Western travel writings on Tibet to trace the creation, fulfillment, and decline of the landscape of this fantastic place.
