The Ghost of the Mountains

“Suryawanshi makes these leopards real, in all their glory, subtle skill and extreme vulnerability, in a book that reads like a classic of conservation—measured and thorough but imbued with a profound sense of discovery.” —Financial Times

“What gives this book its value is that Suryawanshi did climb a mountain. In fact, many — making a choice now nearly as rare as the leopard itself, to live for months in harsh places, separated from family, enduring physical misery, danger and heartache to study these animals in their world… . Suryawanshi’s photos are stunning and his writing can be fresh and vivid.” —The New York Times

“Some people write books about a world they have made, some about a world they have observed. Very few manage to walk through the world observing things few other people have seen, influence it at an international level, and after 18 years write a book like The Ghost of the Mountains, a spectacular chimaera of observation and action, philosophy and science.” —The Telegraph (UK)

“Compelling and intimate… . This is a gritty and detailed portrait of an often misunderstood and endangered species in an increasingly hostile, crowded and hot environment… . The effect of this book is a gradual stripping away of mystification, revealing the snow leopard to be fragile and beautiful just like any other inhabitant of high mountain ranges… but no less wondrous for it, and no less deserving of our attention and respect.” —The Guardian

“A remarkable book about this most inscrutable of animals.” —New Scientist

“Suryawanshi beautifully articulates the charm and singularity of this near-mystical animal, offers portraits of the people who are committed to protecting it, and shines a light on the work required to safeguard this iconic species.” —Shelf Awareness (starred)

“Suryawanshi is one of the few people who truly understands these ghostly cats… . An affecting book about an animal that was ‘shaped to perfection by evolution’ but that now needs human help to survive.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In lyrical prose, Kullu writes of his two decades in the vast reaches of the Himalayas…a highly readable tale of conservation.” —Booklist (starred)

“Thrilling and intrepid. A beautiful tale of dramatic, wild landscapes and the entangled lives of snow leopards, their prey, and the humans who share their terrain.” —Andrea Wulf, bestselling author of The Invention of Nature

“Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi has spent his adult life studying, following, and trying to protect snow leopards. The Ghost of the Mountains takes readers into the field, high in the Himalayas. The story it tells is by turns beautiful, terrible, and encouraging.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction

“The narrative echoes with delight and wonder; Kullu’s pursuit of knowledge about snow leopards blends with his recounting of pursuing glimpses of these wondrous creatures. You should allow yourself to be swept along.” —Alexandra Horowitz, bestselling author of Inside of a Dog

“Enchanting. The author is a most amiable guide on the mountainside, and this deeply informed book gave me hope for the future of conservation.” —­Sara Wheeler, bestselling author of Terra Incognita

“Marvellous. A thrilling story of adventure amongst high mountains, deep mysteries, elusive animals and vertiginous facts.” —Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast and The Edges of the World

Kulbhushansingh (Kullu) Suryawanshi is an ecologist and conservationist who has spent almost two decades studying snow leopards in the wild. He is a Fellow of the British Ecological Society, the director of the India program of the Snow Leopard Trust, and a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation. He is a CIFAR fellow and National Geographic Explorer and was a fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. He lives in Bangalore, India, with his wife and daughter.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.