We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the award-winning scientist and conservationist, Dr Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, to discuss his debut novel, The Ghost of the Mountains: Unravelling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard. The Ghost of the Mountains is a story of discovery, conservation and adventure on the trail of one of the most elusive and mysterious predators, brought to life by the world-leading expert on snow leopards.

Date:
Monday 24th of August

Venue:
Max Minerva's, 47 Henleaze Road, BS9 4JU

Time:
Doors at 18:30. Discussion at 19:00. Finish approx 20:00.

Tickets:
£6 ticket only
£20 ticket with The Ghost of the Mountains (hardback)

You don't need to bring your ticket with you, we will have a list of names on the door. Books will be available to buy on the night. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Ghost of the Mountain: Unravelling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard

Silent, solitary and beautiful: snow leopards inhabit the cliffs and rugged mountains of central Asia at heights of over 3,000 metres. Thickly furred, with silver-grey pelts, they are so well camouflaged that they vanish into the rocky landscape.

For twenty years, scientist and mountaineer Dr Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi– known as Kullu– has studied the snow leopard in the highest reaches of the Himalaya. The snow leopard is the most elusive of cats.

With their silver-grey pelts and long tails, they move silently through glaciers, snow, rocks and the icy peaks of their wild, mountainous habitat. Rarely seen, they are often regarded as mythical, but this is an animal that faces extraordinary daily challenges, and whose survival depends on the delicate balance of climate, prey, landscape and local people.

Living for months at a time in some of the most difficult-to-reach places on earth, Kullu has pioneered research that shines fresh light on these charismatic and vulnerable animals. His work makes a compelling and urgent case for their conservation.

Combining scientific authority, high-altitude fieldwork and powerful storytelling, The Ghost of the Mountains is a gripping exploration into what it takes to save the snow leopard.

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‘A brave, unique field-study of the most extraordinary cat on the planet - the Snow
Leopard - elusive, Spartan and beautiful’ Desmond Morris

‘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

'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

‘What a thrilling and intrepid story. Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi takes us into the icy heights of the Himalaya, tracking the elusive snow leopard and bringing to life both this solitary animal and the threatened world it inhabits. Beautifully told, it's a tale of beauty, drama and wild landscapes but also one of the entangled lives of snow leopards, their prey and the humans who share their terrain’ Andrea Wulf

‘Marvellous - quite literally. A thrilling story of adventure amongst high mountains, deep mysteries, elusive animals and vertiginous facts’ Charles Foster

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi is an award-winning scientist and conservationist who has studied the snow leopard for twenty years. A Fellow of the British Ecological Society, he is a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation, a National NGO in India, and the Country Director for the Snow Leopard Trust, an international NGO. His field research is concentrated in India, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. The Ghost of the Mountains is his first book.