The British invasion of Tibet in 1904 is one of the strangest events in British imperial history. Planned by Lord Curzon as a strategic move in the Great Game, the incursion was in fact ill-conceived and inspired by only the weakest of motivations. Led by the soldier, explorer, and mystic Francis Younghusband, the mission doomed from the very beginning became caught in political cross-fire and the distant and destructive machinations of China and England and ended in ignominy and disappointment. Peter Fleming's Bayonets to Lhasa is a gripping depiction of this unusual chain of events, its charismatic protagonists, and the repercussions that continue to be felt throughout the region.

Bayonets to Lhasa: Francis Younghusband and the British Invasion of Tibet, Peter Fleming, Taurus Parke Paperbacks, 328 pp, $18.00

Peter Fleming (1907�1971), was a journalist and writer and one of the last great adventurers of the twentieth century. He began his career as a special correspondent with The Times (London), and later wrote for The Spectator. He served with the Grenadier Guards during World War II and from 1942 was in charge of military deception operations in Southeast Asia. He is author of several classic books, including Brazilian Adventure, To Peking, One's Company, and News from Tartary. In his memory, The Royal Geographical Society established The Peter Fleming Award for projects that seek to advance geographical science.