Shipton's scarcest and most important work with a personal letter tipped in on front pastedown.

This book describes an expedition which explored and mapped a section of the Karakoram Range, north of Kashmir, called the Shaksgam area, or the 'Blank on the map'. The expedition was led by Shipton and included the famous mountaineer H.W. Tilman who became a regular climbing companion of Shipton and also two scientists M.A. Spender and J.B. Auden. The journey lasted five months and they managed to map 1,800 square miles. A remarkable feat.
This copy has a letter from Shipton tipped in on the front pastedown which reads '' Dear Mr Higgins It was very kind of you to say that you liked ''Blank on the Map'' I was delighted to get your letter Yours Sincerely Eric Shipton ''. Also small printed portraits loosely inserted, one with the caption "Eric Shipton, sketch by Bip Pares from her book Himalayan Honeymoon," and the other reads "The author seen through the artist's eyes. Bip Pares from her book 'Himalayan Honeyman'".

Few copies survive of the first edition because many were destroyed in a warehouse fire shortly after publication.

First edition. 8vo (23.5 x 16 cm), letter from the author tipped in on front pastedown, 50 illustrations on 36 plates, 3 maps, including folding map at rear, small tear not affecting the image at join, small portrait pasted down on front endpaper, two loose pencil portraits inserted loose, both with captions, slight foxing to the fore-edge; publisher's black cloth lettered in red, original pictorial dustwrapper, slightly faded and chipped along top edge; xv, 299pp.,overall a good copy

Neate S68; Yakushi S432.