The Dance of 17 Lives: The Incredible True Story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa by Mick Brown Signed by the author on the title page (without dedication); Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2004 1st ed/1st printing, 306pp., text generally in decent order albeit with slight browning to pages & an old erased pencil price/date just visible to the top right hand corner of the half-title page, slight browning/rubbing/scuffing to the page extremities at the very top, side and bottom, spine slightly cocked & boards slightly warped, slight bumping and rubbing to board corners & to the top, bottom and sides of boards - heavier to the base of the spine and heavier still to the top, both boards and spine marked, the dust jacket - which is not the snuggest of fits - has slight internal and external browning, is rubbed and creased at top and bottom with scuffing to the corners and to the top and bottom of the spine, both front and rear have many marks and scratches. Fascinated by this charismatic young figure, Mick Brown travelled to Dharamsala to meet him, and found himself drawn into the labyrinthine - not to say surreal - web of intrigue surrounding the 17th Karmapa's recognition and young life. Presented with inimitably engaging clarity and zest, here are stories of miracles and allegations of murder, the settling of 200-year-old scores and a political intrigue worthy of the Borgias. Piety jostles with greed; truth with laughably fudged falsehood; the strength of human aspiration with the frailty of human nature. Will ship by Royal Mail 1st Class Signed for, well packaged. (£5.99/neben/trout)