Lawrence Durrell called Alexandra David-Neel the most astonishing woman of our time.' She was the first European to explore Tibet at a time when foreigners were banned; few have led a life of adventure to equal hers. Using never before available material from the secret files of the India Office, the Fosters chronicle the life of this extraordinary woman including details of her mastery of secret mystical practices, including out of body travel, long distance telepathy, vampiric shamanism and tantric sex.'