Product Description
A survey of the countries of the Indian subcontinent coversgeography, demographics, agriculture, history, politics, culture, religion, arts, literature, and science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Introduction with photos, illustrations and facts
I was searching for a good book on India, with a historical bent, as a gift for a friend here in the US. This book provides a very good introduction with pictures, illustrations and relevant facts. The book provides a general outline of history and more importantly also introduces the reader to the general mindset & prevailing conditions ("cultural atlas") in India. It also provides some basic information on the states and neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan & Burma.

The special features sections focus on the things that people of India are most likely to be known about. Most people will not remember everything about a culture/nation. They will probably remember only the most interesting things and the special features of this book present these in a clear, understandable manner, i.e mostbly agreeable to people like me who have grown up in India.

Non-fiction books are hard to read for some people, these people are looking to escape from the ordinary. This book will interest the reader into reading & learning more about India. As for fantasy the readers might want to try tales, parables and comics like Jataka stories, Amar Chitra Katha...

Excellent reference book!
As an Indian, I'm wary when "outsiders" put together a book on my country, but this book is exceptional.It gives facts and general descriptions of anything and everything when one thinks of India.Lots ofpictures makes it an easy read.Worth every penny.This is the bookteachers in America should use when trying to give an overview on INDIA. ... Read more

Product Description
Yab Ugyen's memoirs reveal the story of a remarkably close and loving family, brought to life through historical photographs of five generations of its members as well as contemporary photographs of those temples, houses and palaces associated with the family. The book includes a description and the only extant photographs of the royal wedding in 1988 of His Majesty the King of Bhutan with four of Yab Ugyen's daughters.

The latter part of the book chronicles Yab Ugyen's struggles as he grows from a fledgling shopkeeper to a successful merchant. Through the dramatic and gripping vicissitudes of his life and fortunes, beautifully narrated by his daughter, Yab Ugyen reveals a simple and inspiring philosophy of life that has enabled him to tide him over hard times and deepened his spiritual faith and belief in the invisible forces of karma.

This biography provides a fascinating and vivid insight of Bhutan. There are intimate and revealing glimpses of traditional life in monastic retreats, remote villages, forts and palaces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

I can't believe people think this is well written
I could barely make it through.The beginning is filled with endless Bhutanese names of places and events that eventually are very oblique and confusing.Her story telling ability is very limited and misses any real immediacy since it is a life told to her by her father and then told to the reader.I do not know anything about the history of Bhutan but I had a sense that this was a story only somewhat related to any fact.Her father told her this story and she remembered all of the details to eventually write down?She has a far better memory than most if that is the case!The photos were adequte, but the country is beautiful and the photos could have been so much better.The photos at best illuminated the simple nature of the country and showed the modest situation of the royalty totally devoid of the opulence of a European crown.I would not buy this book.

Great writing and Photoes.
I read many books about bhutan, Mostly, They are seems fictions.

But this book provide me more real informations and photoes.

Her Majesty other book. A portrait of Bhutan also nice.

But The books about Bhutan words and Study of Bhutan are rarely find.

I wish Her Majesty the Queen will find more time to write more books for our understanding.


Many people are discussing about is it real informations?
I do not know but .. We have to research and study more..

Additional reading
If you are interested in Bhutanese history, you should read Michael Aris' "The Raven Crown" (1994) first. Unfortunately Aris covers only the period up to about 1960. Despite his intimate knowledge of the royal family (he was tutor to the royal children around 1970) he does not mention the Queens at all and their family only in passing.
"Rainbows and Clouds" offers some interesting glimpses at 20th century Bhutan and at somebody who lived through the huge changes this country has undergone, maybe even helped to shape it. Also there are some interesting pictures. But naturally this is a very personal book without any claim to objectivity and there are some big holes. Especially the issue of Ugyen Dorji's oldest brother "Chogley" Jigme Tenzin is rather perplexing, since Aris does not mention him at all. However, both books basically agree on the death of the Shabdrung in 1931, although as a historian Aris is naturally more careful.
I got the strong impression that this book is in part meant to establish a defined and clean record of the maternal ancestry of the future king and it should therefore be read very critically.

Historians, take note ...
There is very little written in English on the modern history of Bhutan. This book is a valuable addition to the historical literature of the Himalayan region. In particular, this book reveals facts and circumstances surrounding an assasination, which had been whispered but not recorded.

I am compelled to add that I felt saddened by the several anonymous reviews accusing that this book is a fabricated fiction and was written by a ghost writer.The book's publisher would know that neither of these accusations are true. As a matter of rule, I have always thrown away anonymous hate mails -- which is the category these reviews belong to. I have always learned a great deal from those who offer constructive criticisms and comments honestly.Such people never hide their identity.

What a funny, but saddly false book!
As a real Bhutanese who has read this book, I have to say that grand liberties taken by Ashi Dorji Wangmo are truly funny. So what if she writes well? She had a ghost writter anyway. She has totally invented her family's tree to give legitimacy to some claim to royal origins even though she is already married to the His Majesty the King. Big mistake on her part because the people she claims to be related to are still living. I wonder why she would do this when everyone in Bhutan is laughing at her fantasy behind her back? Could it be that the truth is relative and if you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth? Of course most people would never in a million years say anything publicly. Maybe her father the notorious land stealer (because he is the king's infuriating father in-law) told her this and she really believes it. HM is really a good guy, but his in-laws do as they wish and the local people who only have a plot of land to grow rice really don't like it when she comes on official visits to the Dzongkhags. The people respect HM and love him and would do anything for him and the country are weary of self aggrandizing ashies at the people's expense.

It's too bad that I have to use a pseudonym, for fear of my own business being ruined by the newly royals monopolies . ... Read more

Product Description
The four works included in this collection have enjoyed a rather chequered career. They originally formed the second volume of the doctoral thesis Michael Aris submitted in 1978 to the University of London. They have been included because of their value as crucial source material on the formative era of Bhutanese history, as they cover the entire period leading to the full emergence of the Bhutanese theocracy. Their relative brevity as compared with the other major works relevant to this period further suggested the convenience of including them as a group of inter-related 'minor' texts. While the first two works in this collection have never before been available to modern scholars, and are indeed hardly known even in Bhutan, the next two (which include a text translated from portuguese) have been partially known from the works of John Claude White (Sikkim and Bhutan-Twenty-one years on the North-East Frontier 1887-1908, London) and C. Wessels (Early Jesuit Travellers in Central Asia, The Hague 1924). ... Read more

Product Description
     In the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Buddhist values guide everyday life, and the rulers are believed to have a special relationship with gods and saints. Here are Bhutan's arts, architecture, rivers, streets, and scenes from Bhutanese daily life, presented by a Himalayan scholar. One hundred and forty color photographs show the landscapes, monasteries, dwellings, people, and craftwork of this remote and seldom visited country.
      ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stunning depictions of a beautiful country and people
Returning from my first visit to Bhutan in November, 1999, I searched for a book which genuinely captures the beauty and uniqueness of this Himalayan Buddhist kingdom and her people.The combination of Dompnier's stunningphotography and thoughtful text are more than I had hoped to find.Theformat, choice and excellence of pictures and insightful text aptly conveya sense of this very special place. For anyone interested in theiconography of Tibetan Buddhism, learning about a people and culture unlikeany other on thisplanet, or looking for photojournalism at its best aboutthe Himalayas , I highly recommend this book. Personally, it serves me wellto keep alive cherished memories of a place I know I will visit again. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bhutan," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bhutan in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bhutan when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bhutan, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Chiefly covers the period from early to 1906. ... Read more

Product Description
Situated in the eastern Himalayas, surrounded by powerful neighbours (India and China), Bhutan is for many, Shangri-la, a mythical country hidden in the mountains. Little populated - less than a million inhabitants - and the size of Switzerland, it has an undeniable charm and magic, according to Bhutan aficionados. Farmers for the most part, the Bhutanese practise Tibetan Buddhism, the state religion, which plays an important role in their daily lives. They are justly proud of never having been colonized. Furthermore, to protect local and traditional values, the government exercises a very restrictive policy regarding tourism. This policy shelters Bhutan wisely from the tourist hustle and bustle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Get another guidebook for Bhutan.
This guidebook to Bhutan was not at all helpful. It is filled with tiny details which may be of interest to the devotee, but gives the average traveler very limited background. You can read about the many different kinds of chortens, for example,but you will find the discussion of Tantric Buddhism in general perplexing. The maps are not good, and no attempt is made to separate the spectacular (such as the Punakha Dzong) from the mundane (such as the Thimpu Dzong).The information on trekking is very limited and dated.Get the Lonely Planet guide, along with the Bart Jordan book on trekking-if you intend to do a trek.Bhutan is a very expensive country to visit, and you should have a better guide in hand before your visit.

A book for appreciating and understanding Bhutan
I have traveled extensively in the Far East, but have never before to Bhutan, until now (2007).I always like to read up on places before I visit them and generally travel as independently as reasonably possible.
I purchased both this book and the Lonely Planet guide and found the combination excellent.This book has more about the places, the people and their customs and the history.Don't expect it to be a comprehensive list of places to stay and places to eat.It contrasts well with Lonely Planet's backpacker's reference book image.
I think this is a good book and doubt whether you will be disappointed if you buy it.
... Read more

Product Description
PRESENTS THE EARLIEST PROOFS OF BHUTAN'S SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENT STATUS AND INCULCATES HIGH NATIONALISTIC ASPIRATIONS IN YOUNG BHUTANESE. ... Read more

Product Description
Starting from the Geo-Political situation and early history of Tibet, the book gives a brief account of the geography and history of the other Himalayan Kingdoms - Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal and the various wars fought in these regions during the 18th and 19th centuries. It then gives a detailed account of the British interest in Central Asia highlighting overall British policy-objectives which were directed towards ensuring that Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma and of course Tibet remain in the British sphere of influence. ... Read more