Overview

Diana Lange has solved the mysteries of six panoramic maps of 19th c. Tibet and the Himalayas, known as the British Library's Wise Collection. The result is both a spectacular illustrated ethnographic atlas and a unique compendium of knowledge concerning the mid-19th century Tibetan world, as well as a remarkable account of an academic journey of discovery. This large format book is lavishly illustrated in colour and includes four separate large foldout maps.

Full Product Details

Author:   Diana Lange
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   45
Weight:   2.867kg
ISBN:  

9789004414938

ISBN 10:   9004414932
Pages:   368
Publication Date:   23 July 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Note on Transliteration 1 The Wise Collection: An Overview  1.1 Key Data  1.2 Cataloguing in the British Library  1.3 Overview of the Maps and Drawings (Sorted by the BL Shelfmarks)  1.4 Dating the Material 2 The Wise Collection: Reading Maps and Drawings 3 The Wise Collection: A Biography 4 The Wise Collection Key Players: William Edmund Hay and the Tibetan Lama  4.1 Hay’s Way to the Western Himalayas  4.2 Hay in Kullu  4.3 “A Very Fair Draughtsman”: The Lama from Lhasa 5 Historical Background  5.1 British Exploration of Tibet in the Mid-nineteenth Century  5.2 The Tibetan Perspective  5.3 Knowledge Production in the Nineteenth Century 6 Peoples and Costumes of the Himalayas 7 Putting Lhasa on the Map  7.1 Potala and Surroundings  7.2 Jokhang Temple and Surroundings 8 Places and Events in Lhasa  8.1 Néchung State Oracle  8.2 Ache Lhamo Performance at Tsémönling Monastery  8.3 Rope Sliding at the Potala Shöl Area  8.4 A Kalachakra Ceremony in the Potala Déyangshar  8.5 A Governmental Ritual in the Chinese Guandi Temple (Gesar Lhakhang)  8.6 Disposing of the Dead at Lhasa  8.7 Sharing Knowledge on Religion  8.8 Visual Narratives on Tibetan Wedding Ceremonies 9 Journey to the South  9.1 The Eastern Kyichu Valley  9.2 Samyé Monastery and Surroundings  9.3 Ceremonies at Samyé Monastery  9.4 The Northern Yarlung Valley  9.5 The Chonggyé Valley and Southern Borderlands 10 Journey to the West  10.1 The Western Kyichu Valley  10.2 Yamdrok Lake and Surroundings  10.3 Gyantsé and the Nyang Valley  10.4 Shigatse and Surroundings  10.5 Lhatsé, Shelkar and Dingri  10.6 From Ngamring to Saga  10.7 Tradün and Surroundings  10.8 Lake Manasarowar and Surroundings  10.9 Mount Kailash and Surroundings  10.10 Gartok and Gar Gunsa  10.11 Western Tibetan Borderlands  10.12 The Lama’s Journey to Kullu 11 Travelling in the West: The Ladakh Indus Valley and Zangskar Valley  11.1 The Ladakh Indus Valley  11.2 The Zangskar Valley 12 Decoding the Wise Collection Glossary List of Tibetan Words Bibliography Index

Reviews

'Diana Lange's study of the unique maps of 19th century Tibet found in the British Library's Wise collection is an absolute must for every Asian studies library and serious private collection. It is an outstanding and highly readable work that will be enjoyed by students, specialists and the general reader alike.' - Alex McKay, IIAS Leiden By unraveling the process that led to the production of these geographic paintings Diana Lange was able to give an enlightening analysis of the complex social, cultural and political context in which these beautiful artefacts were created. By investigating their subsequent history she was also able to give a compelling exploration of the process that led them to come to England and become part of the Wise collection. - Hildegard Diemberger, University of Cambridge

Diana Lange's study of the unique maps of 19th century Tibet found in the British Library's Wise collection is an absolute must for every Asian studies library and serious private collection. It is an outstanding and highly readable work that will be enjoyed by students, specialists and the general reader alike. - Alex McKay, IIAS Leiden By unraveling the process that led to the production of these geographic paintings Diana Lange was able to give an enlightening analysis of the complex social, cultural and political context in which these beautiful artefacts were created. By investigating their subsequent history she was also able to give a compelling exploration of the process that led them to come to England and become part of the Wise collection. - Hildegard Diemberger, University of Cambridge As there are few scholarly investigations of Tibetan mapmaking, Lange's monograph stands out as a substantial contribution to this emerging discourse. (...) An Atlas of the Himalayas by a 19th Century Tibetan Lama will have great appeal to anyone working on nineteenth-century Inner Asian and Himalayan geography, ethnohistory, visual culture, and cartography. - Melissa R. Kerin, Washington and Lee University, in: The Journal of Asian Studies

'Diana Lange's study of the unique maps of 19th century Tibet found in the British Library's Wise collection is an absolute must for every Asian studies library and serious private collection. It is an outstanding and highly readable work that will be enjoyed by students, specialists and the general reader alike.' Alex McKay, IIAS Leiden By unraveling the process that led to the production of these geographic paintings Diana Lange was able to give an enlightening analysis of the complex social, cultural and political context in which these beautiful artefacts were created. By investigating their subsequent history she was also able to give a compelling exploration of the process that led them to come to England and become part of the Wise collection. Hildegard Diemberger, University of Cambridge

Author Information

Diana Lange, Ph.D. (2008), Humboldt University Berlin, is a Research Associate at that university. Her research is located in Area Studies (Asia) with a specialisation in history of knowledge and exploration, material and visual cultures studies and cultural interactions.

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