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Nicholas Roerich, Himalaya, New York: Brentanos, 1926

210 pages with 24 tipped-in colour plates and 78 monotone plates, including essays by writer Georgy Grebenshchikov, a critic of Ivan Narodniy, very important for understanding his work, as well as articles by Francis R Grant and Mary Zigrist, and "Banners of the East" by Nicholas Roerich; original publisher’s binding in deep aubergine cloth-covered boards with gilt title and emblem to upper cover, as issued. Deckle edges, decorated endpapers
15 x 12 in (38 x 30.5 cm)

This is a first and a limited-edition copy. This copy is numbered 305 out of a limited edition of 500 copies.

VISIONARY PEAKS: NICHOLAS ROERICH’S HIMALAYA, 1926, LIMITED EDITION - A Monumental Folio of Sacred Mountains, Spiritual Icons, and Artistic Pilgrimage

This book is a collection of writings, poems, and paintings by Roerich that were inspired by his travels in the Himalayan region.

Roerich was a celebrated Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, philosopher, and mystic. He settled with his family in the Kullu Valley in India in 1929. He was also a noted explorer who travelled extensively throughout Asia, particularly in the Himalayan region. His art and writing reflected his fascination with the area's natural beauty and spiritual significance.

Himalaya is a reflection of Roerich's deep reverence for the Himalayas, which he saw as a source of spiritual energy and inspiration. The book includes over 200 of Roerich's paintings and drawings, many of which are inspired by the landscapes, people, and cultures of the Himalayan region. This opulent volume pulls together excerpts from a diary kept during his often treacherous travels through the Himalayas and reproductions of many of his best-known works, including his Banners of the East series of nineteen paintings devoted to the world's greatest religious teachers, including Buddha, Confucius, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. Many of these pictures are now in the Roerich Museum in New York City.

This lavish folio publication—printed in an edition of only 500 copies—is among the most sumptuously produced books associated with Roerich’s artistic and spiritual mission. The volume contains 24 tipped-in colour plates of his iconic Himalayan works and 78 halftone illustrations reproducing drawings and sketches, many previously unpublished. The visual content is supported by essays from several of Roerich’s key contemporaries, including Francis R Grant, Mary Siegrist, G Grebenshchikov, and Ivan Narodniy. Roerich himself contributes the visionary poem “Banners of the East”, articulating his belief in the spiritual unity of mankind and the East’s role as the cradle of enduring wisdom.

Stylistically, Roerich’s work aligns neither with the formal Orientalist tradition of 19th-century European artists nor with the naturalist documentation of geographic explorers. Instead, his Himalayas are rendered in planes of brilliant, jewel-like colour, rhythmically constructed and suspended in silence—echoing Russian Symbolism, Theosophy, and Eastern iconography. The artist's approach resonates with the cosmic and meditative sensibilities of Hilma af Klint or the transcendental abstraction of Kandinsky, yet remains deeply rooted in geographic experience.

Published in New York by Brentano’s, Himalaya also reflects Roerich’s growing influence among spiritual, artistic, and diplomatic circles in interwar America. The book was not only a visual record but also a manifesto of Roerich’s cultural diplomacy, calling for peace, preservation of heritage, and East-West understanding, ultimately culminating in the 1935 Roerich Pact—a pioneering international treaty for the protection of cultural monuments.

Roerich’s Himalaya remains a landmark in the history of artist-led publishing and one of the most materially refined tributes to the sacred mountains of Asia. Copies of this limited edition, especially complete, are rarely encountered in the market.