On August 4, 1895, at a 19,000 foot pass on the north side of Goring La in Tibet, only 48 miles from Lhasa, a 43-year-old Englishman, his 55-year-old wife, and a fox terrier confronted over 150 Tibetans armed with primitive matchlocks. The Englishman was St. George Littledale. His wife, Teresa, had shared in all of his adventures. In the 19th century, Teresa and George Littledale were known as the greatest English explorers of their day, journeying further into the hidden lands of Asia than any Western explorer had previously achieved. Yet, because they never published their own account of their journeys, for more than a century their story has remained largely forgotten. Now, the authors, residents of Palo Alto, having discovered the Littledales' diaries and letters, have for the first time pieced together their remarkable, adventurous, and courageous lives.

Betsy Clinch, a graduate of Wellesley College with a B.A. in history, worked for many years as an editorial researcher for National Geographic. She has personally travelled to Central Asia twice, first on a mountaineering expedition to northern Pakistan (1974) and later to Chinese Central Asia (1996). While in Kashgar she visited Chini Bagh, where the Littledales stayed during two expeditions.

Nick Clinch, a graduate of Stanford and Stanford Law School, spent several years as Executive Director of the Sierra Club Foundation as well as President of the American Alpine Club. He was the leader of various expeditions to Central Asia, including the two highest first ascents made by Americans, Gasherbrum I (26,470 feet) and Masherbrum (25,660 feet). He also led expedition that made the first ascent of the highest peaks in Antarctica. He is an honorary member of numerous mountaineering organizations, and author of A Walk in the Sky: Climbing Hidden Peak, 

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