In 1976 James Crowden left his career in the British army and travelled to Ladakh in the Northern Himalaya, one of the most remote parts of the world. The Frozen River is his extraordinary account of the time he spent there, living alongside the Zangskari people, before the arrival of roads and mass tourism.

James immerses himself in the Zangskari way of life, where meditation and week-long mountain festivals go hand in hand, and silence and solitude are the hallmarks of existence. When butter traders invite James on their journey down the frozen river Leh, he soon realises that this way of living, unchanged for centuries, comes with a very human cost.

In lyrical prose, James captures a crucial moment in time for this Himalayan community. A moment in which their Buddhist practices and traditions are in flux, and the economic pull of a world beyond their valley is increasingly difficult to ignore.

Gold title

TAPS INTO MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION TREND: The Frozen River is an exploration of silence and solitude, which will appeal to millennials who are suffering from burn out, whilst also resonating with fans of more traditional travel writing. It chimes with the likes of LIVING MOUNTAIN by Nan Shepherd (62k TCM) and MOUNTAINS OF THE MIND by Robert Macfarlane (48k TCM).

A UNIQUE STORY TOLD IN A UNIQUE STYLE: James Crowden is believed to be the first European to undertake this journey across the Chadar (Frozen River) and witnessed the arrival of the first vehicle to the area. His account documents an untold and important period of Zangskari history

Competition: The Wild Silence; Silence: In the Age of Noise; The Salt Path; Arctic Dreams; The Power of Now; The Living Mountain; Eckhart Tolle; Wintering. Olivia Laing; Thich Nhat Hanh; Roger Deakin; Nan Shepherd; Robert Macfarlane; Raynor Winn; Neil Ansell; Barry Lopez; Peter Fiennes; Nan Shepherd; Haemin Sunim