I'm registering this in memory of Peter Matthiessen, the American writer who died yesterday. After I read it, I will pass it along in bookcrossing. I just found it, a book I've had on hand for awhile, after reading his obituary. Many consider this book a classic. It won the 1979 National Book Award in the category Contemporary Thought and the 1980 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Amazon Editorial Review

When Matthiessen went to Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and, possibly, to glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard, he undertook his five-week trek as winter snows were sweeping into the high passes. This is a radiant and deeply moving account of a "true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart."

This is the book I'm reading now--and very much enjoying. It seemed serendipitous that a feature story about snow leopards was in this morning's news. Animal photographer Inger Vandyke recently stalked Matthiessen's snow leopard in northern India. Some fascinating pictures were the result. I'm attaching the story with pictures as a supplement to this book:

Elusive nature of snow leopards captured in stunning photos
July 20, 2015 by Pete Thomas

http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/elusive-nature-of-snow-leopards-captured-in-stunning-photos/#vgm8ACY8c8RS12pt.97

"I grow into these mountains like a moss. I am bewitched." (Page 232) There are times when the stunning writing here makes me grow into this book like a moss but I find it is taking me an extra long time to read it because I grow distracted when Matthiessen delves into Buddhism. Of course Matthiessen is in Nepal for this narrative and he did become a Buddhist priest so there's nothing inappropriate about this at all. I just personally did not come to this book for Buddhism. Still, I am learning a lot about the subject and so much else. I refuse to get distracted for too long and am soldiering on through the theological patches to feel delighted and engrossed by Matthiessen's observations of nature and humankind.

After reaching the last page tonight I observe that it took me nearly two months to read this, longer than the time of Matthiessen's exotic journey. At first the reading was easy because I was away but then coming home I found myself also on an intense journey of inner transformation of the home remodeling kind, involving exotic characters and lots of clearing away of possessions. I've been going through my own old journals, destroying many pages and preserving a few. I'm glad I read the whole book and found the ending satisfying. This is not in the Western heroic quest mode at all and I liked that. It was interesting to observe that a bookcrosser registered several copies of this book (http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/TheSnowLeopard/) to promote the snow leopard cause (http://www.snowleopard.org/). I wondered if that bookcrosser read the book? West Yorkshire's rutharella made me laugh with her observations about Matthiessen (http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7248468/). Yeah! I see that. Anyway, I'm glad I journeyed into this book. Now I feel ready for the next book. What will it be?

I am not one of the really active bookcrossers, though I do admire them. Stiil, from so many years in bookcrossing now, I always feel the "You're Such and Animal" release challenge approaching. Generally I give a book to one of the participants so I can contribute in my small way. I think this book is a great candidate for the challenge so I'm passing it on to GoryDetails, a faithful bookcrossing release challenge participant.

The book arrived in today's mail; many thanks! I especially appreciate the thoughtful JEs, and will try and read the book in time to release it for the "Such an Animal" challenge. (I read Matthiessen's Killing Mister Watson some time back and found it fascinating - looking forward to this one.)

Later: I enjoyed the book very much, especially for the detailed look at a trek through the remote regions of Nepal. Lots of peeks at the incredibly difficult lives of the local people, with a mix of beauty and grime, humor and hazards that made it all the more real.

I was amused at the culmination of the snow-leopard search - it's very Zen in its own way. And I admit to being surprised by the references to yetis, which were discussed almost as much as the leopards were, even unto the reported sightings!

The author mixes his own memories of family and of personal losses with the daily joys and hardships of the journey, revealing his own mood swings from pure joy to meditative stillness to outright fury and back again. Quite fascinating!

I plan to leave this book in or near the Great Harvest bakery at Sunapee St. and Amherst, at around 2:30 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2015 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2015 You're Such an Animal release challenge. ***