A biography of Joseph Rock, an Austrian-American explorer, botanist, and anthropologist, focusing on his extensive travels and work in the broder provinces of western China, particulary Tibet and Yunnan between the 1920s and 1940s. The book delves into Rock's unique perspective on the region's social, political, and environmental landscape, including his interactions with local populations, his plant collecting expeditions, and his encounters with the changing political climate as China transitioned from imperial rule to the Republic and then to communist rule. The book uses Rock's diaries, unpublished papers, and accounts from contemporaries to paint a vivid picture of his experiences. It explores his role in documenting the region's ethnic minorities, his plant collecting for institutions like the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard, and his observations on the tumultuous political shifts in western China during a period of significant upheaval.

The book details Rock's travels through rugged terrain, his encounters with various ethnic groups, and his involvement in plant collecting expeditions that yielded significant botanical discoveries; highlights Rock's insights as a first-hand observer of the region's social and political dynamics, including his observations on the interactions between local administrations and the central government; examines the lasting impact of Rock's work on botany, anthropology, and our understanding of western China's history and culture.

Book Details
Author	S. B Sutton
Publisher	Hastings House, New York
Publication Date	1974
ISBN	9780803833968
Format	Hardcover
Dimensions	14.5*21
Pages	334
Language	English
Condition	With dust jacket, showing edges and coners wear, red cloth, tight, good condition.