About the book: 2014 / Among the many amateurs and professionals of distant travels, only a few left their homeland and settled where their dreams live. The brilliant French artist Paul Gauguin went to Tahiti, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey Arthur Clarke found his promised land in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich (1874-1947) was born and raised in the capital of the Russian Empire, and died in the “land of snowy mountains” (Himachal Pradesh) in the Himalayas, northern India. Would Roerich have become famous if he had only been an artist? Undoubtedly, among his 5,000 paintings and monumental works there are many recognized world-class masterpieces. What if he was only a writer? Probably, because the whirlwind of information, thoughts, feelings, associations and brilliant guesses of Roerich’s books carries the reader into its whirlpool and lifts it higher and higher. How about a public figure? Of course, otherwise how could he break through the wall of inertia and move the world to make a collective decision to protect the cultural heritage of humanity?! But this man became successful and became famous not only as an artist, writer and public figure, but also as a philosopher, scientist and traveler. Here is a book that tells about the grandiose and exciting journey of N.K. Roerich and his companions across Central Asia. Ceylon, India, Mongolia, East Turkestan, Sikkim, Ladakh, Tibet - everything was traveled and explored. Heat and cold, mountain paths and treacherous passes, armed clashes and misunderstandings with the authorities - and conversations, conversations, conversations with local residents about cars and railways, about revolution and Buddhism, about idols and the secrets of Eastern teachings. And the search for Shambhala - the land of the Spirit. Detailed diary entries about the vicissitudes of this fascinating and dangerous journey harmoniously complement the thoughts of the great Russian humanist about the paths of human development, the mysteries of ancient civilizations and the unity of the path of the West and the East. Processing and systematization of the extensive scientific materials collected by the expedition required the creation and many years of work of the whole institute. But one thing is certain - the whole life of this wonderful man, all his achievements speak about one thing - he found his Shambhala. The electronic publication includes all the texts of the paper book and the main illustrative material. But for true connoisseurs of exclusive publications, we offer a gift classic book. The publication is generously illustrated with color and black-and-white images of exotic places that are still difficult to access today and visited by the expedition. The gift edition is designed for everyone who is interested in the history of geographical discoveries and loves reliable stories about real adventures. This edition, like all books in the Great Journeys series, is printed on beautiful offset paper and elegantly designed. Editions of the series will adorn any, even the most sophisticated library, and will be a wonderful gift for both young readers and discerning bibliophiles..