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George Patterson |
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Some
of the world’s greatest explorers have the most unlikely beginnings. Take George
Patterson for example. There was nothing in his early life to indicate that this
son of a Scottish minister would go on to lead a life of adventure, travel and
intrigue. Yet George turned his back on all that he knew and journeyed into
remote Tibet at the conclusion of the Second World War. He not only underwent a
great spiritual awakening there, George also became involved with the Tibetan
resistance to the invading Chinese Communist army. George’s subsequent
equestrian journey, across the Himalayas in the winter of 1949, to deliver a
plea for help from Tibet to the outside world is now the stuff of legend. Hailed
as “Patterson of Tibet,” George is still writing and recently lectured at
Cambridge about his travels.
For more information about this remarkable
man, please visit
www.georgepatterson.net
George's late wife, universally known as
"Dr. Meg," discovered a scientific means of helping addicts recover completely
from drug-addiction: please visit her website:
www.drmeg.net
In 2008 the prestigious Explorers Web
published this story
about George and his unceasing championing of Tibet.
New! Classic Travel Books is
proud to announce that twelve more of George's books have been republished!
For information on any of these new titles, please
email us.
Click on any book cover to enlarge it.
Tibet in Revolt
 |
George Patterson was a missionary who has worked and travelled in the
country, speaks the language and cherishes an affectionate respect for the
Tibetan character. Patterson is an original, a man of immense gusto and
physical resilience, and the merit of this book, apart from its brisk
descriptive prose, is that it is the product of long and close observation
at first hand. In Tibet in Revolt the author provides a fascinating survey
of Sino-Tibetan relations from the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the
8th century A.D. to the Chinese Communist invasion in 1950. This tragic tale
recalls the unsuccessful uprising of the Tibetan people and traces the whole
pattern of events which culminated in the flight of the Dalai Lama to India.
It is safe to say that no one else has been able to etch this bloodstained
chapter of contemporary Asian history with greater clarity or more
compassion than Patterson, who been an authority on Tibet for more than
sixty years. |
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Requiem for Tibet
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In this remarkable autobiography George Patterson, confidant of the Dalai
Lama, tells of the mission that took him to Tibet and of his part in Tibet's
struggle to withstand China. Brought up in a Plymouth Brethren background,
Patterson travelled, at the call of God, to Tibet in 1946. Arriving in
eastern Tibet he was befriended by the charismatic Khamba chieftain Topgyay
and threw himself into the colourful Tibetan life and its precarious
politics as the Communists pushed towards Peking. After three years of
living among the Tibetans, Patterson was sent as their emissary, through
snow blizzards and landslides, over the mighty Himalayas to India to warn
the Western governments of the impending Chinese takeover and to be the
publicity 'point man' of the Tibetan revolt. After the Chinese invasion of
Tibet, Patterson was threatened with expulsion from India for revealing the
atrocities and, after being exonerated, eventually returned to Britain. He
visited Tibet again in 1964, to film the Khamba rebels in action against the
Chinese, and once more in 1987, when he concluded that the Tibetan nation
was doomed. Requiem for Tibet is a vivid account of George Patterson's
extraordinary life, and of his faith in divine intervention, but it also
tells the story of the plight of Tibet-a condemned nation once the Chinese
invasion took its toll. |
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Gods and Guerrillas
George Patterson
ISBN 1590481747
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The story of a Scotsman’s perilous
undercover journey into Chinese-occupied Tibet.
What do you do when adventure calls at an inopportune time? Who do you turn
to, but God, when you need answers to how you should travel along an
uncertain road? These were the type of personal and spiritual dilemmas
George Patterson faced when risk knocked at his door late one night. The
missionary George Patterson had married brilliant Scottish scientist, Dr.
Meg, and they were raising a family, when his adopted homeland entered their
life one last time. Think of Tibet, that frozen kingdom hiding behind its
protective barrier of high mountains. Now add in the fact the Red Chinese
had recently invaded the country and placed a bounty on Patterson’s head for
his role in rescuing the Dalai Lama. Next, bring in a band of determined
Tibetan guerrillas who offer Patterson a chance to witness their attack on
the invading Communist army. There’s just one catch – he has to leave his
wife and children long enough to accompany them on what looks like a one-way
journey. The problem is no other westerner can get into Tibet, except
Patterson, so the outside world is oblivious to the Chinese invasion and the
atrocities being perpetrated on the Tibetans. That’s why the rebels need
Patterson of Tibet to make one last journey. Just before you leave on this
literary journey of a lifetime, don’t forget to tie down the independent
English film-maker who will document this amazing journey with the Tibetan
rebels. Now you’re ready to set off on a roller-coaster of a ride packed
with undercover action, fast-shooting freedom fighters, revengeful
Communists and a Scotsman who’s seen more excitement than a dozen other men.
Full of sorcery and shamans, political observations and religious beliefs,
Patterson’s “Gods and Guerrillas” is a rare glimpse into the 1960s forgotten
war when a handful of Tibetans took on the might of the Red Army.
For more information, please go to
Amazon.co.uk or
Barnes & Noble. |
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Tragic Destiny
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Having gone to remote Tibet after receiving a directive from the Lord,
George Patterson of Scotland was a young man whose spiritual duty consisted
of assisting the Khamba tribesmen of the remote mountain kingdom. After
having mastered the language and local customs, the resilient Scotsman had
become nearly Tibetan himself - when word came that the Chinese Communists
were preparing to invade Patterson's adopted homeland. In desperate need of
military aid and international protection, Tibetan leaders asked Patterson
to make a perilous winter-time horse ride over the Himalayas into
neighbouring India. After having survived this seemingly impossible task,
Patterson was halted from returning to Tibet by a host of difficulties and
new hazards. One of the most lethal threats came from the enraged Chinese
authorities who issued orders to have Patterson liquidated. No one has
brought a greater array of facts and first-hand observation to bear on the
subject of how Patterson's friends and former hosts, the Khamba tribesmen,
were determined to resist the communist invaders. Nor has anyone argued
Tibet's case with more passion than this author. Thus Tragic Destiny is an
astonishing and readable book which recounts the political fortunes of one
of the world's most unfortunate countries. |
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Journey with Loshay
George Patterson
ISBN 1590481682
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This is an amazing book
written by a truly remarkable man!
The Long
Rider author was a Scottish medical missionary who had become Tibetan in all
but his broad Highland brand of personal enthusiasm. Relying both on his
companionship with God and on his own strength, he undertook a life few can
have known, and a journey of emergency across the wildest parts of Tibet.
In 1950 the
Communists advanced into Tibet, and a warning had to be taken to India. The
only way to achieve this was by riding through the Himalayas!
“Though it
was winter Patterson chose a 300-mile route to Sadiyah, in northern Assam,
which hardly anyone had completed before. The snows on the high passes might
beat him, but at any rate he would be travelling first-class by Tibetan
standards. He knew how to behave if the Tibetan winter would let him. If he
could find the villages he had authority to commandeer relays of food and
transport; the headmen would be (and were) beaten up if these were not
forthcoming. As for his companions of the Khamba tribe, he could beat them
at most of their own games. He was a superb horseman; he loved their
horseplay and their ribaldries; his body was an engine as efficient as
theirs for mobile operation in low temperatures at 20,000 feet; he could
forget about baths for two months as happily as they could for their whole
lives.” said London’s The Times.
This classic narrative
matches in sheer virility the equestrian journey it records.
For more information please go to
Amazon.co.uk or
Barnes & Noble. |
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The Unquiet Frontier
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The author of this
historical study, George Patterson, is more than just a casual eyewitness to
the emergence, and global expansion, of Communism. Having personally
participated in the Tibetan resistance to Chinese communist invasion,
Patterson took up residence in various parts of Asia, during which time he
dedicated himself to documenting the aggressive policies of this
increasingly belligerent political system. One of Patterson's most
insightful works was "The Unquiet Frontier," in which he explains the
secretive political struggle which occurred between Russian and Chinese
communist authorities. Though Peking and Moscow were eager to fool the West
into believing that they shared a "border of peace," in fact the red rivals
were competing for ideological power in Mongolia, Manchuria and Korea. The
resulting historical study is a detailed and fascinating account of this
forgotten conflict between political titans. |
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Peking versus Delhi
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When India and
China gained new governments, with new leaders and policies, and sharing as
they do almost half the world's population, it became evident that it was
only a matter of time before they came into conflict. For ten years one of
the most fascinating and momentous struggles took place as these two giants
manoeuvred for the leadership of Asia. For fifteen years the author lived in
and on the borders of those countries, and was a close personal friend of
many of the leading figures. This book will be essential reading for a long
time to come for everyone interested in Asia. |
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Patterson of Tibet
George Patterson
ISBN 159048214x |
"Patterson of Tibet," is the
autobiography of George Patterson, the colourful Scot who has linked his
life to that mysterious mountain kingdom. The Long Rider author was a
Scottish medical missionary who went to Tibet shortly after the second World
War. There he became Tibetan in all but name, adapting to the culture and
learning the language fluently. When the Communist Chinese army advanced
into Tibet, the country’s leaders knew a plea for help had to be taken to
India. The only way to achieve this was by riding through the snow-locked
Himalayas over a mountain pass even the locals were afraid to try. So
Patterson undertook an emergency equestrian journey across the wildest
parts of Tibet. “He was a superb horseman whose body was as efficient as the
Tibetans,” reported London’s Times.
Years later, with the Red Chinese still occupying Tibet, and with a bounty
on his head for his role in rescuing the Dalai Lama, a band of determined
Tibetan guerrillas invited Patterson to witness their attack on the invading
Communist army. No other westerner could get into Tibet, except Patterson,
so the outside world was still oblivious to the Chinese invasion and the
atrocities being perpetrated on the Tibetans. So Patterson went back into
his adopted country – illegally – and with a film crew!
This intense autobiography goes
on to reveal how Patterson crossed swords with India's Prime Minister Nehru,
helped with the rescue of the Dalai Lama and befriended a host of unique
world figures ranging from Yehudi Menhuin to Eric Clapton. This is a
vividly-written account of a life of high adventure and spiritual odyssey.
For more information, please go to
Amazon.co.uk or
Barnes & Noble. |
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God's Fool
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George Patterson's account of his amazing
Tibetan Journey left many readers wondering how he came to be living in a
log hut on top of a Tibetan house belonging to the leader of the Khambas,
just before the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet began. This
controversial book explains what brought Patterson to that place at that
time and what led up to his journey. Although there is plenty of physical
adventure and hard riding with some magnificent descriptions of mountains
and rivers, the emphasis here is on his beliefs, the driving force of his
actions and decisions. |
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A Fool at Forty
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The author went off with a television film crew to one of the most
inaccessible spots on earth to dramatize the state of Tibetan refugees by
filming a group of Tibetan Khamba guerrillas shooting a Chinese military
convoy inside Tibet. This would make nonsense of the Chinese claim that the
Tibetans wanted the Chinese in their country. The raid was a masterpiece of
derring-do, involving extraordinary physical stamina at high altitudes and
raw danger. Patterson's eye picks out the fascinating details that give a
'you are there' feeling. His dedication to this risky venture does make him
appear a fool at the age of forty - but such a fool as heroes are made of.
|
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Up
and Down Asia
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The author, the
medical missionary author of that amazing book of travel and adventure
Tibetan Journey (Journey with Loshay) and of that controversial book about
his calling, God's Fool, has travelled up and down China, Tibet and northern
India and he has often travelled rough. In the course of his wanderings
there have been odd meetings with interesting people and bizarre incidents
in out-of-the-way places which the subject of his previous books gave him no
occasion to record, and many of these encounters with people, places and
things are as amusing as they are extraordinary. In Up and Down Asia he has
made a book of them. As each episode contains a 'circumstantial solecism,'
or incongruity, or entertaining breach in the syntax of his life, he has
grouped them under grammatical solecisms. Thus under 'Vehicles I Have Ridden
On' we read, for instance, of a flight over flooded tea plantations in an
aircraft with no floor-board in its cockpit and with its fabric repaired
with a nightgown; or, under 'People I Have Talked with,' of Princess Irene,
wife of Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark, or Prince Minwang of the Mongol
tribe of Torgut. 'Dilemmas I Have been In' includes secret meetings with the
Dalai Lama's eldest brother in flight from the Communists; 'Homes I Have
Been to,' a riotous celebration of New Year in Kalimpong with Khamba
friends; and 'Situations I have been Embarrassed By,' teaching Tibetans to
swim. |
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Christ versus Marx –
the China Paradox
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Ironically and
paradoxically it was Christianity in China which paved the way for Marxism
to become China's first national religion. It was in China's Christian
schools and universities that the leaders of China's Marxism were educated
in Western ideas. This fascinating historical phenomenon is portrayed with
unique skill and insight by a Christian writer who watched at first hand the
final death of Westernised Christianity and the rise of a dynamic Marxism;
then watched the rise and spread of a revitalised Biblical Christianity
eventually survive and triumph over a dying Marxism. |
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Christianity in
Communist China
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In a dramatic style
the author takes us behind the scenes and shows how the church in China came
under the power of the Communist Party and the struggles involved as the
Party increased its pressure. Communism in China has not succeeded either in
eliminating a vital Christianity or in compelling all Christians to toe the
Party line. This is no ordinary book. The journalist's trained eye and
sensitive, probing mind bring into sharp focus the intensity of the tension
and struggle as two conflicting ideologies vie for the minds and loyalties
of millions of people. |
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Mary Magdalene
George Patterson
ISBN 159048181X
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Her life has been
surrounded by mystery for more than two thousand years, all the while the
story of Mary Magdalene has baffled historians, spawned secret societies and
inspired best-selling novels such as The Da Vinci Code.
Yet questions
remain. Who was this beautiful woman who loved the most controversial Jew of
the time, Jesus of Nazareth? Why was this notorious courtesan more honoured
by Jesus than his own mother? What were the connections between this
precocious sorceress to Herod, the ruthless Roman puppet governor, and
Josephus, the ambitious Jewish philosopher?
This in-depth
biography, Mary Magdalene – The Greatest Love Story Never Told,
unlocks the enigmatic story of one of history’s most misunderstood women,
providing not only the background of her life but also explaining Mary’s
struggle to deal with her love for the man she believed was the Son of God.
Such a fascinating story could
only be told by a scholar of unique ability and experience. George Patterson
is that type of exceptional author, a man of action who has spent his life
immersed in Biblical study, a missionary in Tibet turned equestrian explorer
who rode across the snow-covered Himalayas on an errand of mercy, the author
of many books on Christianity whose work as an undercover journalist brought
him into frequent danger.
With his intimate knowledge of
the Scriptures, coupled with his work as an historical researcher, Patterson
has created a classic tale which finally resolves the riddle of Mary
Magdalene.
For more
information, please go to
Amazon.co.uk or
Barnes & Noble. |
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The Power Factor
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Can you be set free from addiction? What you need is power - power to break
the habit, power to deal with the problems which drove you to them in the
first place, power to heal the broken relationships with your family. This
book is an attempt to make a wider contribution to the solutions in making,
not just addicts, but a sick society, whole in mind, body and spirit. |
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The Paradise Factor
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The authors believe
that psychiatrists have failed to resolve the drug problem because they
cannot address the basic spiritual factors involved in the complex nature of
addition, while ecclesiastics have failed because they cannot tackle the
political and social factors. It is this gap which the Patters are seeking
to fill. |
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Addixion
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The author of Addixion was already a world-famous
international journalist who had written extensively on the criminal,
political and social aspects of drug addictions, when his wife asked him to
write a complementary book from his experiences to be used in conjunction
with her unique four-to-ten days detoxification cure. She declared "NET is a
100 per cent cure for detoxification; but a 50 per cent cure for
addictions". The condition of addiction is unique in that it is one of the
few, if not the only, condition, in which two processes of healing are
intimately intertwined. The author argues that the tragedy of the complex
drug addiction problem is that it is now the victim of the "hot potato
syndrome" where presidents, governments, armies, police, doctors, criminals,
pharmaceutical corporations, and major banks, while aware of the major
importance of the problem, are reluctant to tackle it because of the
immensity of the social, financial, criminal and political implications, and
each specialty involved passes on the problem to the other until the "hot
potato cools" enough to ignore. It is the scale of demand of addictive
substances from all sections of society in every nation which explains the
reluctance of presidents and governments, the failures of doctors, the
rivalries of law enforcement agencies, the cupidity of pharmaceutical
companies and criminals - and the mind-staggering multi-billion pound
profits. Addixion not only addresses this "insoluble" problem,
it analyzes why all existing psychological and empirical attempts at
rehabilitation are failures and how a combination of NET detoxification and
rehabilitation outlined in the book can solve the "world's drug problem".
For more information, please go to
Amazon.co.uk or
Barnes & Noble. |
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