![]() The Snow Leopard, Peter Matthiessen, Alex Matthiessen (intro), George Schalle (photos) (Folio Society, 2018) The Snow Leopard is the record of a spiritual journey, but it’s also a splendid travel account. ![]() These books look splendid, they handle beautifully, and yes, they even smell nice I am one of those people who likes the scent of books, to involve as many senses as possible when I am reading (something one can never do with electronic readers like Kindle, with its cold glare on an impersonal screen and absolutely devoid of tactile pleasure). The “odd” one out is Royall Tyler’s translation of Japanese Tales, originally issued in 1987, which is not a travel book, and may not be as familiar to readers.Īll three are distinguished by their design and illustrations, both of which perfectly complement the narratives themselves, and, in the case of Bird’s albumen print photographs, really come to life in the panoramic views supported by the large-format book. Mathiessen’s book comes with an introduction by his son Alex, a well-known environmentalist, and Bird’s is introduced by Dervla Murphy, no mean traveler herself, as many readers will know. ![]() I decided to review the three together because two of them, Peter Mathiessen’s Snow Leopard (1978) and Isabella Bird’s Yangtze Valley and Beyond (1899) are already quite well-known, and the newest one has been in print for some thirty years already. Folio Society books can be expensive, but if you are a reader who loves beautifully-produced books which will remain pristine for years, and you have a few favorite titles to which you often return, they are well worth the price.Īll three of these books should be in every library whose owner enjoys Asian material. They are to be highly commended, too, for their judicious choice of books that will last for reissuing in the Folio Society format. The Folio Society epitomizes the highest quality in book production, which includes slipcases and acid-free paper, and all three volumes have delivered it in spades for them a book matters. The Folio Society, based in London, and which has been around since 1947, reprints “classic” books, often in large (but not always folio-size) format, with high-quality binding and design, and often with specially commissioned artwork. It’s always been a pleasure to handle a Folio Society book, and having three of them at one time, all on Asian themes, was even better.
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