Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa

In her time, Alexandra David-Neel was the most famous woman in France. She had traveled extensively in China and Tibet and, in 1924, was the first Western woman ever to enter Tibet's forbidden capital, Lhasa. Alexandra was a self-taught Buddhist scholar and spoke Tibetan flawlessly. And she did it all as a mature woman—she was in her mid-fifties when she arrived in Lhasa.

Not only is Alexandra David-Neel's story one of high adventure, of trekking through snow-choked mountain passes and wild...