Part of China for many years, yet with a clearly distinctive culture (with the central devotion of its people being to Buddhism and the Dalai Lama), Tibet has a unique character in the panoply of world nations. Here we have an independent view of its history and the customs and beliefs of its people ? and a commentary on the current situation.

I'm becoming addicted to this Nutshell series, which for someone who regularly rails against audiobooks being abridged sounds inconsistent. It isn't. These informative little gems are specifically written for a single CD (we've had Afghanistan, Darwin and karma so far, the renaissance and French revolution are on their way), the idea being to whet your appetite for further study. - Sue Arnold, Guardian Tibet is a high-altitude "land apart", home to snow leopards, holy mountains and centuries-old Buddhist monasteries. It's presented here from its beginnings, through its long history of struggle, to its inclusion in China's 1949 Great Motherland, then the 2008 demonstrations as Han Chinese have grown to become the majority in Tibet's northern provinces. - Rachel Redford, The Observer