Mysterious and often inaccessible, Tibet has been a source of fascination to outsiders for centuries and a troublesome and resistant subject for photographers.

Even today, photography of Tibet often remains embroiled in debates about Tibet's past, present and future. This book is the first historical survey of photography in Tibet and the Himalayas. It offers a remarkable new insight into the attempts of foreign and Tibetan photographers to document the country from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day.

Leading Tibetologist Clare Harris combines the results of extensive research in museums and archives with fieldwork in Tibetan communities to present material that has never been seen or discussed before. Images featured in this book include the earliest photographs taken in Tibet in1863, the experimental camerawork of senior Tibetan monks, including that of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, and the creations of contemporary Tibetan photographers and artists