Mountain Men: Tall Tales and High Adventure - Hardcover

Conefrey, Mick; Jordan, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0752218905 ISBN 13: 9780752218908

Publisher: Pan Macmillan, 2001

Synopsis

Incredible stories of the greatest, and most infamous, mountaineers in history. The history of mountaineering is full of tales of bravery and heroism, staggering feats of will power and determination. But it also has its darker side, a world populated by misfits and eccentrics, playboy princes and Satanists, charlatans and rogues. Mountain Men is the tie-in to the new BBC2 documentary from the producers of Icemen, who also wrote the tie-in book published by Boxtree. Mountain Men chronicles the foibles and eccentricities, the acts of bravery and madness, of some of the greatest mountaineers in history from Albert Smith who reached the summit of Mont Blanc in 1851 accompanied by 16 guides, and much champagne, to Herman Buhl who made it to the summit of Nanga Parbat in 1953 when all his colleagues had given him up for dead.

About this title

About the Author:

Mick Conefrey, the series producer of Mountain Men, has worked for the BBC for over ten years. His recent directing credits include the documentaries Dancing in the Streets, Even Further Abroad, Building Sights, and Icemen.

From Library Journal:

BBC producers Conefrey and Jordan (Icemen) have written an engrossing history of mountaineering that emphasizes the men who were driven to climb the Matterhorn, K2, Mount McKinley, and Everest. The book starts in 1853 with the opening of Albert Smith's Ascent of Mont Blanc show, a descriptive entertainment that aroused interest in alpinism. Until that time, mountains were gazed upon for pleasure but rarely climbed for sport. Smith inspired Edward Whymper, the first man to climb the Matterhorn, but death and controversy marred his party's descent. After unsuccessful and fatal forays up K2 by the duke of Abruzzi, Fritz Wiessner, and Charlie Houston, two Italians finally captured this mountaineering prize. The authors also describe Dr. Frederick Cook's 1903 expedition to McKinley, which led to a raucous debate regarding his first ascent claim. Various expeditions later disproved his claims, and McKinley wasn't climbed until 1913. Also included in this collection is the story of Maurice Wilson, who in 1934 believed that faith alone would enable him to climb Everest. This work successfully captures the personalities of these legendary and unknown mountaineers. The book accompanies a BBC television series and is highly recommended for mountaineering collections and public libraries. Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Lib., IN
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0752218905
• ISBN 13: 9780752218908
• Binding: Hardcover