In the autumn of 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen set out in the company of zoologist George Schaller on a hike that would take them 250 miles into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo, "the last enclave of pure Tibetan culture on earth." Their voyage was in quest of one of the world's most elusive big cats, the snow leopard of high Asia, a creature so rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical; Schaller was one of only two Westerners known to have seen a snow leopard in the wild since 1950.
Published in 1978, The Snow Leopard is rightly regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, "We've seen so much, maybe it's better if there are some things that we don't see."
That sentiment, as well as the sense of wonder at the world's beauty that pervades Matthiessen's book, ought to inform any journey into the wild. --Gregory McNamee
Published in 1978, The Snow Leopard is rightly regarded as a classic of modern nature writing. Guiding his readers through steep-walled canyons and over tall mountains, Matthiessen offers a narrative that is shot through with metaphor and mysticism, and his arduous search for the snow leopard becomes a vehicle for reflections on all manner of matters of life and death. In the process, The Snow Leopard evolves from an already exquisite book of natural history and travel into a grand, Buddhist-tinged parable of our search for meaning. By the end of their expedition, having seen wolves, foxes, rare mountain sheep, and other denizens of the Himalayas, and having seen many signs of the snow leopard but not the cat itself, Schaller muses, "We've seen so much, maybe it's better if there are some things that we don't see."
That sentiment, as well as the sense of wonder at the world's beauty that pervades Matthiessen's book, ought to inform any journey into the wild. --Gregory McNamee
Used availability for Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
2004 : Leather Bound
| Title: THE SNOW LEOPARD (Limited Signed Edition) Author(s): Peter Matthiessen Publisher: Easton Press Availability: Amazon More details... |
June 2001 : Hardback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-8446-7128-2 / 978-0-8446-7128-4 (USA edition) Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 1987 : Library Binding
| Title: Snow Leopard -Lib Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-613-13052-9 / 978-0-613-13052-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 1987 : Library Binding
| Title: Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 1-4176-3751-X / 978-1-4176-3751-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Topeka Bindery Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
March 1979 : Hardback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-7011-2372-9 / 978-0-7011-2372-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Chatto and Windus Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 1978 : Hardback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-670-65374-8 / 978-0-670-65374-4 (USA, AU, or UK edition) Publisher: Viking Pr Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1974 : Hardback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen Publisher: Viking Press Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
September 2008 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard (Penguin Classics) Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-14-310551-5 / 978-0-14-310551-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1998 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-09-977111-X / 978-0-09-977111-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 1998 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard (Penguin Nature Classics) Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-14-025508-7 / 978-0-14-025508-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Australia Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 1996 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard (Harvill Panther) Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 1-86046-153-0 / 9781860461538 (UK edition) Publisher: The Harvill Press Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
December 1995 : Paperback
| Title: Snow Leopard, The Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 1-86046-183-2 / 9781860461835 (UK edition) Publisher: Harvill P. Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
March 1995 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-14-010266-3 / 978-0-14-010266-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin USA (P) Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
April 1989 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-00-272025-6 / 978-0-00-272025-0 (UK edition) Publisher: The Harvill Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 1987 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 1981 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-553-20651-6 / 978-0-553-20651-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
October 1980 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard (Picador Books) Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-330-26161-4 / 978-0-330-26161-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Pan Books Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1980 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-553-13639-9 / 978-0-553-13639-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
1979 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1978 : Paperback
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen Publisher: Picador Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback
| Title: Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-553-12343-2 / 978-0-553-12343-2 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Audio Editions
1989 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Snow Leopard Author(s): Peter Matthiessen ISBN: 0-7366-1604-7 / 978-0-7366-1604-1 (USA edition) Publisher: Books On Tape, Inc. Availability: Amazon More details... |
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