Everest: The Mountaineers Anthology Series (The Mountaineers Anthology Series, 4) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 089886903X ISBN 13: 9780898869033

Publisher: Mountaineers Books, 2003

Synopsis

* Includes accounts from Tom Hornbein, Jim Whittaker, Frank Smythe, Eric Simonson, Reinhold Messner, and many other legendary climbers

* Offers a great introduction to the history of Everest
A great addition to the libraries of both mountaineering literature affectionados and those who just want a variety of Everest's greatest dramas in one volume. Extraordinary insights into the early attempts, successes, disasters, and noteworthy moments. The authors of these collected stories give their personal accounts of the challenges and traumas that await all those who would climb to the top of the world.

About this title

From the Author:

To the Tibetans, it is Chomolungma, to the Sherpa of Nepal, Sagarmatha, but in either culture Mount Everest is "mother goddess." Since its discovery, the mountain has motivated climbers to take on its daunting challenge. The result is a hundred years of colorful history and unparalleled drama, full of heart-stopping tragedy and glorious triumph. Fifty years after the first successful ascent seemed an appropriate time to collect in one volume the most compelling literature that has chronicled human endeavor inspired by the mountain.

The twelve pieces included in this collection are classic tales from Mount Everest, stories that I believe will be read for decades to come, in part because they illustrate the lengths to which we will go to find new ways to challenge ourselves. The voices represented in these pieces are as diverse as they are irresistible. Frank Smythe, who climbed within a thousand feet of the summit in the 1930s, writes like the pro he is, smooth and polished. Thomas Hornbein's account of the incredible first traverse of the mountain in 1963 is told in spare, precise language. Reinhold Messner, widely regarded as a great climber rather than an inspired writer, produces a unexpectedly riveting narrative of his solo ascent.

Man's evolving approach to Everest during the past century says much about the innate human need for risk and adventure. The mountain has become a kind of crucible, where the nature of struggle against long odds has been cooked down into an essence that speaks eloquently about human striving. These stories take us there, and together, they offer food for thought, and more--an understanding of what it means to undertake something ineffably difficult.

Peter Potterfield
Seattle, Washington

About the Author:

Greg Child is a world-class rock climber, mountaineer, author, and filmmaker. He is a writer for Outside magazine and has authored several books. In 1987, Child was honored with the American Alpine Club's Literary Award for his prolific and insightful mountaineering literature. In 2011, Greg was president of the jury for mountaineering's coveted Piolet d'Or. award. he live in Castle Valley, Utah.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 089886903X
• ISBN 13: 9780898869033
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Potterfield Peter