Tibet still retained much of its mysterious aura for the western public” (Andreyev, p. 187). The holograph manuscript, “Thirteen Years of Eastern Solitude”, includes her meeting with the Dalai Lama in 1912, at Kalimpong, a village in the lower Himalayas. “Dalai Lama has, till then obstinately refused to receive foreign ladies. I produced letters of introduction from high personalities of the Buddhist work and the conclusion was that the Dalai Lama’s desire to see me grew even stronger than mine.” The latter, unpublished part of the manuscript describes her travels from 1910 to 1923, through India, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, Korea, and China. The typescript, now re-titled “Fourteen Years of Travel in Eastern Solitude”, is thoroughly revised from the first draft, and includes pen and pencil notes presumably made by an editor at either Heinemann in London or Harper in New York. Her personality emerges in some passages cut for publication: for example, “Truly, I think that had I been a boy and not the only child of rather well-to-do parents, I would have turned a tramp” (p. 1). The ten-page typescript recounts a dramatic encounter with robbers in the Po region of Tibet. The episode was published first in Asia magazine in 1926, then incorporated into My Journey to Lhasa . The printed versions follow the typescript closely. The fine studio portrait of Thubten Gyatso may have been taken in Calcutta in 1910 when the Dalai Lama went there at the invitation of the British Viceroy, Lord Minto. It is one of the earliest photographs taken of the spiritual leader. The letters to “Boshi” Sen ask for his help with the publication of her manuscripts. David-Néel wrote all three letters in autumn 1924 from the offices of the Maha Bodhi Buddhist Society in Calcutta (Kolkata), only a few months after she had been the first Western woman to reach Lhasa. She mentions the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich and his son, Svetoslav. After David-Néel’s return to France, she settled with her adopted Tibetan son at Digne in Provence. Tibetans accorded her the title Jetsunma , connoting a reincarnated Tibetan saint. The 14th Dalai Lama famously said of her, “Alexandra David-Néel was an enthusiastic Buddhist and the first to introduce the real Tibet to the West”. Surviving examples of her correspondence and personal papers are notably scarce, with Georgetown University Library holding two letters only. Provenance: the recipient of the letters, Basiswar “Boshi” Sen (1887–1971), was a famous Indian agriculturalist and scientist. In 1923, he travelled to the US at the invitation of the American scientist, Glen Overton, where he made the acquaintance of Leonard Elmhirst and his wife, Dorothy Whitney Elmhirst, owners of Asia magazine. Gertrude Emerson, Boshi’s future wife, was an associate editor at the magazine. The archive recently re-emerged in Michigan, presumably by descent from the Overton family. Together, 9 items. Housed together in a custom blue morocco-backed solander box. Asia magazine with ink stamp of Hong Kong University Library on front wrapper. A few minor tears. Very good indeed. ¶ Howgego III D7. Alexandre Andreyev, The Myth of the Masters Revived The Occult Lives of Nikolai and Elena Roerich , 2014; John McCannon, Nicholas Roerich: The Artist Who Would Be King , 2022. £25,000 [160717]
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46 DAVID-NÉEL, Alexandra, & Lama Yongden. Le Lama aux cinq sagesses. (Mipam: The Lama of the Five Wisdoms.) Paris: Plon, 1935 inscribed by the author and her adoptive tibetan son First edition, first printing, presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title: “A Monsieur Henry Bénazet avec mes compliments, Alexandra David-Néel”, and additionally in Tibetan by Lama A. Yongden. Inscribed copies are notably scarce. This work, a collaborative effort by David-Néel and Yongden, was “the first fictional attempt by a Tibetan to depict true Tibetan life” (Winks, p. 89). The recipient is likely Henry Bénazet, the renowned French journalist, who wrote La Mort du révolte (1932) and L’Afrique française en danger (1947). Aphur Yongden, also known as Lopon Tenzin Namdak (1899–1955), was a Tibetan lama and spiritual teacher. He first met David-Néel in 1919, and the two quickly formed a close bond. Together they embarked on a journey to Lhasa in 1924, which was fraught with danger and difficulty, as the two had to travel incognito in order to avoid detection by the Tibetan authorities. Despite the numerous challenges the pair eventually reached the capital and spent several months there, immersing themselves in Tibetan culture. Consequently, David-Néel was the first Western woman to visit the sacred city. She formally adopted Yongden as her son in 1929. In her writings, she praised Yongden’s wisdom and religious insights, and credited him with deepening her understanding and shaping her spiritual journey. Small octavo. Original wrappers, spine lettered in black, front cover lettered in black and green, top edge cut, others uncut. With frontispiece portrait of Yongden; prospectus loosely laid in. Wrappers very lightly creased, minor toning throughout. An exceptionally well- preserved copy of a fragile publication. ¶ Howgego IV D7; Robinson, pp. 9–10. Robert Winks, ed., Asia in Western Fiction , 2017. £5,250 [159686]
45 DAVID-NÉEL, Alexandra. Autobiographical archive of letters, typescripts, photographs and a holographic manuscript. Calcutta: 1924 with unpublished material for the author’s magnum opus, my journey to lhasa A captivating archive of published and unpublished material by “the grande dame of Western Buddhists” (McCannon), giving a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the greatest women travellers of the 20th century. This is the only sizeable archival collection we have been able to trace on the open market. It contains the original four-page manuscript draft for the introduction to David-Néel’s most significant book, My Journey
to Lhasa (1927), and a 21-page typescript version with editorial amendments. Also offered here are a ten-page typescript of her description of an encounter with robbers, three related letters to her friend Basiswar “Boshi” Sen, and a platinum print of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. The French-Belgian explorer Alexandra David-Néel (1868–1969) travelled extensively in India and Tibet during the first half of the 20th century to study Buddhism. In 1917, she travelled to China and took up a three-year residence at the famous Kumbum monastery, where she translated Buddhist texts into English and French. In her extensive output of over 30 books and countless articles, she introduced Western audiences to Tibetan religious culture, cementing her reputation as one of the most exciting travel writers of her day. My Journey to Lhasa “quickly became a bestseller, given that
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
LOUDER THAN WORDS
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