Wild Himalaya: A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth

The Himalaya span a distance of roughly 2,500 kilometres in length and between 350 and 150
kilometres in breadth, rising to a maximum height of almost 9 kilometres above sea level.
In Wild Himalaya, award-winning author Stephen Alter brings alive the greatest mountain
range on earth in all its terrifying beauty, grandeur and complexity. Travelling to all the five
countries that the Himalayan range traverses—India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and China—
Alter braids together on-the-ground reports with a deep understanding and study of the
history, science, geology, environment, flora, fauna, myth, folklore, spirituality, climate and
human settlements of the region to provide a nuanced and rich portrait of these legendary
mountains. Adding colour to the narrative are riveting tales unearthed by the author of some
of the range’s most storied peaks—Everest or Chomolungma, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna,
Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat and others.