Quest of the Snow Leopard

by Roy Chapman Andrews, Kurt Wiese (Illustrator)

Quest of the Snow Leopard (Tempo Books) by Roy Chapman Andrews

Genres: Young Adult

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Roy Chapman Andrews was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He is primarily known for leading a series of expeditions in China in the early 20th century into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia. The expeditions made important discoveries and brought the first-known fossil dinosaur eggs to the museum. His popular writings about his adventures made him famous.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was first printed in 1962, although it has a 1951 copyright on it. It is billed as a fictionalized account of an actual adventure. Had I read it when I was twelve of so I probably would have thrilled at the adventures and I'm sure it would have captured my imagination and inspired it. Reading it at age 62, however, is a very different experience. Although the book is well written and the characters are likable, it illustrates a much earlier way of thinking about nature than we generally have today, and one that is quite disturbing.

Young Ken Lewis gets a chance to accompany a veteran naturalist, Jack Benton, on a collection trip to the Himalayas. Both are likable protagonists. Their job is to collect samples for a museum of various animal life on their trip, and finally to capture a Snow Leopard alive. Once they actually start their journey into the Himalayas is where the break between the past and the present occurs. They kill a black tiger that is a man eater and Jack relates stories of other tigers he's killed. Then they kill just about everything else along their path--mountain goats, deer of various kinds, a leopard, etc. etc. They trap and skin hundreds of small mammals as part of their studies, as well as snakes and fish. They dynamite a pond to get fish samples. Ken uses his shooting skills to impress the locals and shoots a hawk on the wing. He talks of his wish to kill a Panda, though they never get a chance too.

Living in a world where tigers and so many other creatures are endangered, and where we're experiencing a big drop in biodiversity due to human predations, the casual and even gleeful slaughter disturbed me. I understand perfectly that it was the character of the times. Animal life seemed bountiful and limitless. But I also understand that it was this kind of casual abuse of nature's bounty that led to so much devastation for animal populations across the world.

It's an interesting book that certainly shows how many humans (thankfully) have changed their thoughts about co-existing with nature. As a historical study alone it is interesting, and thus the 3 stars.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a kid. A great adventure story based loosely on Andrews' actual expedition to Tibet at the age of 17.