Dehradun, Sept. 28 -- The Books from My Shelves

In my study are four bookcases, as well as a couple of shelves built into the walls that contain an assortment of hardbound and paperback volumes. None of these are arranged in any particular order, though one of the bookcases, which I keep locked, contains the more valuable or cherished titles in my collection. Other rooms in the house also have shelves full of books that our family has accumulated over the years - mysteries and thrillers left behind by guests, memoirs by friends and neighbours, children's storybooks our son and daughter enjoyed years ago, and a set of venerable encyclopedias long out of date.

Predictably, books about the Himalaya dominate my personal library, especially ...