Lonely Planet: Tibet
This completely revised and updated Lonely Planet guide to Tibet features new maps, detailed trekking information, overland routes from China and Nepal, Tibetan and Mandarin language sections, as well as essential notes on history, culture, and Buddhism. The author imparts expert advice on where to stay and eat, and presents engaging sidebars on topics such as "The World of a Monk," "Everest's Name," "King Gesar," "Important Figures of Tibetan Buddhism," "The Mandala," "Sutra & Tantra," and Tibetan travelers' first-hand experiences.

Alexandra David-Neel: Tibetan Journey
"Brilliant feat" - New York Time s

"A lifelong student of Buddhism, Alexandra David-Neel outwitted officials (both Tibetan and British) and bandits to become the first European woman to enter Lhasa in 1923. She travelled on foot disguised as a pilgrim and lived in Lhasa undetected for two months. Her infectious enthusiasm for all things Tibetan comes over strongly in [her accounts] of her travels and adventures, whilst the hardships she describes appear to have done her no harm since she lived on till 1969, dying at the age of 100. - John Whelpton , Tib et (Clio Press)

Stephen Venables: Everest - Kangshung Face
Every day, the path up the South Col route to the summit of Everest becomes a little more worn by the tread of dozens of package-tour climbers, but few dare to try the East, or Kangshung, Face, a sheer, avalanche-swept wall of snow and ice only first conquered in 1983.

Five years later, Stephen Venables intensified the challenge by leading three unknown American climbers up the East Face - this time without oxygen. The question to most climbing experts wasn't whether they would summit, but whether they would live.
They nearly didn't.
-- American Alpine Journal