Climbing Books

this book does exactly what it intends to do - accurately describe hikes in the mountains of Maine in a compact manner. The description I needed for the mountain I was climbing was right on, and the book is nice and easy to carry along for reference or for interesting technical reading. If you like Maine and you like climbing, this book is perfect.

This book is necessary if one is going to plan a trip into the mountains of Maine, especially if these plans include Katahdin, or Baxter Peak.

That being said, the one shortcoming which could prove dangerous is the description of Knife Edge. The book mentions how very narrow the ridge is in some places, and the obvious points such as do not attempt in windy or wet conditions. But these are the obvious details one will see posted on the signout board before even entering the trail. However, one point which is not mentioned is the fact that Knife Edge necessitates a series of handholds and footholds across it, especially near the Pamola side, with little to no room for error or else serious injury or death may be the result. I have trekked extensively in Peru and Nepal so did not really have a problem with the ridge (though admittedly it was very difficult), but found myself taking alot of time looking for footholds and handholds much more often than I thought I ever would. The book should describe in painstaking detail this dangerous aspect of probably the most difficult ridge in Maine. Quite honestly, I was surprised it didn't after I got down and reread the part covering Knife Edge. Because of this I am dropping my rating from five stars to three, as this omission could be hazardous to someone's health in the future.

Even with this being said, I would like to do Knife Edge again someday......it was an amazing experience. But the rock climbing aspect of this ridge should be spelled out in the book. This is why most people buy the book in the first place- to get a very good idea of what they will see on the trail.

This book provides accurate technical information about many Maine trails -- distance, difficulty, altitude, location of water, etc. I successfully used the guide to plan several hikes in Baxter State Park. The fold-out maps provided in the pocket-part are worth the price of the book. My complaints are these: (1) the book needs to be updated more frequently, and (2) it really needs a few well-placed photographs of the more challenging trails. For example, although I inferred the Dudley Trail up Mt. Katahdin was steep (based on the altitude and distance information provided), the book does nothing to convey the visceral impact of the view from Pamola Peak down to Chimney Pond Lake. It's dizzying in a way that makes you want to use your entrails for rope. And, that's something you don't want to discover from the summit.

Like other AMC hiking guides in this series (AMC White Mountain Guide, for example), the book includes detailed trail descriptions and top-notch maps. However, be aware that although this guide claims to include "nearly 200 peaks," it does not include every little mountain in Maine (a very big state). Most notably, Acadia National Park is omitted from this book.

Finally, the maps, although excellent, are paper, not tyvek.

This book is an exellent guide to anyone hiking in Maine. It details many trails, from long backpacking trips to short nature walks. Included with the guide are maps that are a valuable resource when hiking in the Maine wilderness. The only downside to the bguide is that it is only published every few years, and trails on private land sometimes change over time. Other than that it is a very detailed, complete guide to hiking in Maine

I know of no other book vailable that is as comprehensive a treatment of wisterias. It is a must for any wisteria lover.

As a lay home gardener I found this book to be a bit on the academic side. It seems to be written with Wisteria connoisseurs in mind. However, I did find the Wisteria history to be interesting. And, the pictures are definitely worth taking a look at. The photos showing Wisterias being used in different growing situations was very helpful.

The list of individual Wisterias was helpful to me in selecting a good cultivar for my particular site. After reading the section on care and training, though, I would have to disagree with the author that Wisteria's aren't that much work. To me they appear to be quite a gardening commitment.

don't spend money on this book! Spend it on something else.

The author is clearly an authority on the vine (or tree or shrub...), but I found the book overflowing with the history of each variety with little information or advice on how to grow. I reviewed the book again today as I went out to prune my wisteria and couldn't even find the work "prune" or "pruning" in the index! It's a beautiful history book with lovely pictures but far from a "how-to" guide, if that's what you're looking for. Perhaps I didn't look closely enough at the book's description before purchasing!

Peter Valder has done a wonderful service in sorting out the confusion that surrounds wisteria varieties. He has written what appears to be the first book on the genus in a European language. It is a splendid account of both the history and the genus Wisteria the result of much painstaking research. His findings have been have been taken up by the Royal Horticultural Society. The book is beautifully written with superb photographs. I and others regard it as a minor classic. Should be on every gardener's bookshelf along with his more recent magnificent "Garden Plants Of China".

I heard about the book Ascent of Everest by John Hunt while visiting the Auckland museum in NZ. But now I see there also is a book entitled Conquest of Everest and I fear my memory is failing me. Which one is it that I heard about? Has anybody read both? Which one is better? Which one is the "real" one?
Thanks all, both books are out of print so it's not like I can go to the local bookstore to find out.

"The Ascent of Everest" is an enormous disappointment as a book, which was meant to introduce the reader to the mystery of the Mount Everest conquest in 1953, as written by the expedition leader. Snip: (...)

An Absolute must as the book to read before trying out all the many other Everest books. The clear and descriptive image for every detail leaves the reader with an impression of "excellent graphics". In terms of modern management techniques it teaches what you need to know about teamwork, leadership and outcomes based decision making.

Now that I found out, I'll answer my own question below for anyone else who might wonder. Ascent of Everest is the title of the book as published in England. Conquest of Everest is the title of the book as published in the USA. They are one and the same book.
A fantastic read by the way!

I loved this book. Have read many Everest books, and this is one which I would use to replace the acres of "management" and "team building" books cluttering up bookshops. (Perhaps one other: about Shackelton's leadership during his abortive Antarctic expedition).

This book is old-fashioned in values, and style. It is about unfashionable concepts such as: absence of personal glory ('me-ism'). In this successful endeavour, accomplishment does not depend on tearing down what has gone before, it does not emphasise "the power of one", rather the contributions and power of many.

It is redolent of : trust, enlightened leadership, graciousness, reliability, collective spirit and ability.

I found fascinating the detail of how the "assault" was undertaken.

One quote which sums up the spirit of the venture:

" The mission we undertook was not, in our eyes, in the nature of some competition on a giant scale in which we vied to outdo the efforts of previous expeditions, dramatic and popular as such a concept might be. Indeed, prolonged attempts t climb a difficult mountain are, or should be, essentially different from those of a competitive sport. A possible analogy, however, might be that of a relay race, in which each member of a team of runners hands the baton to the next at tthe end of the allotted span, until the race is finally run. The Swiss last year received that baton of knowledge from the latest in the long chain of British climbers and they in turn, after running a brilliant lap, passed it on to us. We chanced to be the last runners in this particular race, but we might well not have succeeded in finishing, in which case we would have handed on our knowledge to our French comrades who were preparing to take up the challenge."

Fairly good reading - but Rock and Ice offer climbing instruction that would get most people climbing in a weekend! I reccommend taking a course with them. Jump to: www.rockandice.co.uk and have a look!

I hate to disagree with the other reviewers, but I guess your satisfaction with this book depends on your expectations. After reading the other reviews I bought this book on-line. I'm the type of person that wants to learn as much about a sport before I seek instruction so I'll have a good background and understand better what I'm being taught. The good: 1) light and humorous in places, 2) gives a good written description of the various aspects of the sport. The bad: 1) when you're trying to learn things, light and humorous gets old quickly, 2) the sidebars are repetitious and distracting, 3) after a while the stories about the author and her friends seem less like information and more like ego trips, 4) (my biggest complaint) there is little valuable detail. Specifically, very few illustrations or helpful pictures. Examples; she talks briefly about harnesses and harness components, but there's no picture or illustration. She talks about different carabiners, belay/rappel devices, and protection pieces, but no illustration. Half of the knots mentioned (and not many, at that) have no illustration (but she takes half a page to try to verbally describe some). Do you want to see an illustration of tying in to the harness, belaying and rapelling setups, how to use anchors or protection, hand and foot jamming, or anything else? It's not there. Instead, there are low-contrast pictures of her friends, which don't help with any of this information. Chapter 16 (Sum-It Up: Advanced Tips) has a picture (taking up 1/3 of the page) of two people on the ground standing next to each other with the caption "Choose your partner wisely." Is that helpful to anyone?

Here's the bottom line in my opinion: this book was written with today's legal system in mind. Anywhere important information should be placed, the author inserts phrases such as "This isn't the place to show you the simple knot that wraps cleverly around the biner; that should be left to the instructor". And what happens when you forget the knot after you're training class? Where's the reference information?

My basic setup for reading this book was to sit in front of the computer and when I needed to see something that wasn't shown (pretty much everything) I did a Google search and looked at web sites. Not the most efficient or enjoyable way to read a book or learn. My wife saw my frustration and did what I should have done; she went to the bookstore and picked out another book for a Father's Day present. I don't know how The Complete Climber's Handbook compares to all the other climbing books, but it has all the information that Idiot's Guide does not. Tons of illustrations (and lots of text) on equipment, knots, moves, and rope setups. Having suffered through Idiot's Guide, I feel like I've found the holy grail.

They say you retain 20% of what you read and 75% of what you see. I believe that.

In summary, if you're the type of person that wants a $ light-hearted verbal description of the sport (without much detail), then Idiot's Guide is the book for you. Although you could also get this type of information (and more) through free brochures by Eastern Mountain Sports. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a more in-depth overview AND tons of reference information and illustrations, then look somewhere else.

I've always been interested in rock climbing but felt intimidated by all the gear and terminology -- not to mention my fear of clinging to a vertical wall of rock. However, after reading this amusing book I realize that not only am I not alone, but being fearful of high places is as natural as the fear of the dark. The authors of the book give a lighthearted introduction of why people love to climb and then give complete step-by-step guidelines how to seek instruction and get going -- inside and out. I highly recommend this to beginners and anyone eager to brush up on their climbing skills.

This is the third "Rock Climbing" book I have purchased in the last two years. After a long time interest in this sport, it was only after reading this book (I couldn't finish the other two) that I actually went out and made my first climb, a big accomplishment for me. This is not your normal "How To" or "Basic Essentials" type instructional guide, it is a more than complete text book for new to intermediate level rock climbers. Humor and personal experiences are appropriately interjected by the author to make every learning essential both interesting and poignant. Personal safety and teamwork are stressed throughout in a way that made me feel more confident instead of scaring me away. There is even a heavy stock, tear away, quick reference chart containing climbing terminology and a pre-climb checklist just inside the cover for nervous beginners (I took mine with me). A long list of equipment suppliers, manufacturers, climbing organizations and camps, guide services and indoor climbing walls with all contact information is at the back of the book. Clearly, I would not have made my first climb without the motivation and confidence that this book gave me. If you have any interest in rock climbing, this book is the clear, self-empowering must read on the market today.

this book is the 2nd rock climbing book i have owned and it is really good. It helped a lot and you should really get it. It covers everything from technique, trad climbing, buying equipment to tips on how you should approach training. This book deserves 10 stars and i hope you find it as helpful as I did.

I put this on my Christmas wishlist this year after reading Duane's year in the life of a surfer 'Caught Inside', which I loved and I was rapt to get a copy as a present.

I'd finished it by Boxing day and it was a bit like that slightly unsatisfying feeling you get after a meal at a Chinese restaurant! I just wanted a bit more.

It's a lovely looking book with some evocative black and white shots of the Yosemite pioneers and its obviously something Duane is passionate about but it rushes by all too fast and there's not much sense of anything holding it together.

I wanted more about some of the individual journeys up the wall; it either should have been more technical, or less. It's part picture/coffee table book, part narrative. Duane skips through thenm in a kind of unconnected way that didn't leave me with anything to hang on to!

El Capitan is the Holy Grail of Big Wall Climbing and Duane does a very good job providing background history of the Walls and the Legends who made their mark on them. Yes, I've read the other reviews concerned with minor inaccuracies and lack of mention of significant climbers. But, hey, I'm a novice and have never been to Yosemite although I hope to go in the next year. Duane is best in interviewing the legends and telling their background stories and trying to translate the reasons they climb. It's a fascinating story. My favorite being the men stuck on the wall when a storm comes and their bivouc tents are virtually destroyed. Also, it's nice to read about the free spirits whose goal in life have nothing to do with money and all to do with the Wall. Overall, I found this book informative, very concise, and filled with great pictures. It may not however, satisfy the experienced climbers who follow climbing history or have significant experience in Yosemite. But for people fascinated with climbing and the personalities involved, it was a great quick, informative read.

I was excited to see a new history book on El Capitan, but the final product was short of my expectations. Duane draws a few good observations and insight at times, but the guts of the book strike me as a rehash of articles from all kinds of other publications. I have an unusually large collection of climbing literature, which may skew my observations because I've seen so much of the raw historical material he draws from for the book in so many other places. I don't mind that so much, but I was hoping to hear some of the not-so-well known stories of adventures on El Cap and a little more new insight into the historical figures of the big stone. It just wasn't there for me. People who are not so read up on climbing history will probably find the book more enjoyable. The book is an incredibly quick read (not that much text, but lots of pictures) for a subject that could easily justify a much larger book.

This is truly a splendid book, capturing personalities of Valley climbers better than anything I've read. Beautifully written, thoughtful, insightful. Great pics also. But Duane is sometimes a sloppy researcher. Misspelled names galore (Scott Burk throughout, e.g.) Wrong dates. Wrong first-ascent names. Screwed-up captions. Bad geography (Palms Springs lies under the Tehachipi Mountains?). These are minor flaws but irritating to see in such a brilliant writer.

This book deserves 4 stars rather than 5 not for what's in it, but for what isn't. This is really a musing, a meditation on El Cap, not the definitive history which it purports to be. Duane examines the Big Stone through the experiences of some of its ascentionists: Harding, Robbins, Corbett, Middendorf, Burke, and so on. But others are strangely absent. Where is Piana and Skinner's controversial Salathe Wall first free ascent? What about the Wings of Steel incident? Where, for heaven's sake, is Lynn Hill? Duane is perhaps at his best when he interviews climbers, drawing intense, personal statements from them. Perhaps his tone is a little depressing, a little inclined to see climbing as pointless, but this is still a worthwhile, intelligently written book. For me, though, Duane's reductionist approach is, ultimately, not enough.

The below reader must be thinking about a completely different John Gill. The John Gill with which this book is about completely revolutionized bouldering as we knew it and has pushed the limits of bouldering in radical new directions.

I know John Gill and believe me he is not going to be climbing rocks anytime soon. All he knows how to do is play football, and foul people on the basketball court. Anyone who thinks that he is climbing rocks is seriously mistaken. Thanks for your time.

Five Stars!! Pat Ament, a great climber in his own right, proves to be a very good writer as he takes on the life and times of rock climber John Gill. Using some mindboggling photographs of Gill combined with Ament's dead-on prose, we are introduced to the world of 'bouldering'. Most boulder climbers never go more than 20 feet above the ground, they instead are concerned with solving ridiculously hard climbs that are short but brutal in some cases, requiring great strength, tenacity, and explosive climbing moves. How hard can the routes get? I once read a guide book that descrilbed the following climbing move: "place your right foot beside your right ear and pull with both arms" LOL

John Gill possessed the mental toughness and physical strength, partially combining his God-given strength and hard training, to be able to actually do a one-finger pullup on an overhead parallel bar. That capability placed him far beyond most cllimbers. (Don't try that at home) In particular, the high point of the book involves Ament's description of the difficulty of a 30 foot steep vertical spire of rock called 'The Thimble' and Gill's first ascent of it (combined with pictures of the Thimble and the dangerous area below it if one should fall.). It is one great piece of fantastic writing and Gill's ascent set off a sensation within the climbing world. It also helped to validate bouldering as a valid branch of climbing with Gill as the father figure. I've read and re-read that description and it is breathtaking. Ament outdid himself. John Gill's exploits as a climber are AMAZING as the pictures will attest. This book is well worth your time, regardless if you are a climber or not. Five Stars

I own several of Pat Ament's books (including his soul-baring autobiography), and I've enjoyed reading them all. John Gill has become virtually the patron saint of modern bouldering, and the many intriguing photographs in this book amply show why. Simply put, Gill was an entire generation ahead of his time--both in terms of his ability and his recognition of dynamic bouldering as the cutting edge of free climbing.

Ament's writing style here is more straightforward, and less dense, than in his other writings. Rather than attempt to speak for disparate voices, as he does in his Royal Robbins biography, Ament generally lets those voices speak for themselves in this book. The result is an expository style that makes for light, enjoyable reading.

Given the fascination that Ament and Gill share with the spiritual aspects of climbing, one would almost expect Ament to devote much of his attention to Gill's metaphysical philosophies (as did Jon Krakauer in his article on Gill that was later reprinted in _Eiger Dreams_). However, by concentrating on the events of Gill's life and his wanderings among the boulder patches of the American continent, Ament has painted a vivid picture of Gill as Johnny Appleseed, putting up routes--and leaving his legacy--everywhere. I think that is what Gill will most be remembered for, even if his spirituality makes him that much more a climbing guru.

I was first exposed to Master of Rock in the seventies with its first publication. Being at the time, a devoted climber and student of style, I spent hundreds of days in the Valley watching John Long, Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Barry Bates, Jim Bridwell, and all, polish their individual styles while applying everything and anything I could grasp from them. I could'nt walk past a door jam without cranking out the requisite finger tip pull-ups. I was 86'ed from Modesto Junior College's campus dozens of times while explaining to the authorities that "my frisbee is on the roof" . . . Imagine my surprise and joy to discover this relatively unknown man through Pat Ament's timely biography of John Gill. I was floored by this person who stayed so low-key yet with so much incredible climbing talent, in a sport not lacking in ego! For this book, Pat Ament deserves my gratitude for it is through this book that I found that element of climbing I was looking for. To me, John G! ill is still the consumate hero of motion on rock, however minimal that motion was. Yes, big walls were beckoning, Yosemite and Tuoloumne test pieces were fondling my emotion, and the smell and taste of my ruck sack permeated my VW Beetle, but to me, none of it mattered without style and art with every climb, as the end result. I grew up as a climber by studying the greatest students and teachers of style and ethics through the seventies. John Gill defined style before I called myself a climber. Thank you Patrick O. Ament for taking time from your study of climbing to write this book and allowing me to discover John Gill. I will always charish knowing who John Gill is now and who he was then.

This is a surprisingly well written biography by an actor whom we thought was only a pretty face. He tells us some inside facts of his thoughts, his life and marriage and how he has grown and changed. The tittle says it all and then he fleshes it out. I'm giving this book to a lifelong friend who was a huge fan of Kirk Douglas 50-60 years ago.

I could not put the book down ,I had to read it from cover to cover . He is a one of a kind person It shows how you will always go back to your roots

I have read past books by Kirk Douglas which were much better, mainly because they told a story, and this book is mostly ramblings. It is okay to pick up and read a bit from time to time but not a book you will be engrossed in.

You have to be tough to face your own mortality and Kirk Douglas faces it feisty, reflective, and sometimes furious. In addition to great stories from his life that he hasn't told before, this book tells of the things that, 90 years on, move his heart and his soul. I was surprised, delighted and stirred all the way through.

Kurt does it again. At ninety he is still feisty and funny. And his life- story which he has told in two previous books is only enriched by another retelling. He opens with the story of his ninetieth birthday party, a gala family event in which he laughs and is laughed at as well as celebrated and appreciated. The little kid from Amsterdam did not do so bad. He may have started out as a poor hungry kid robbing eggs from the neighbor's chicken coop but he with a lot of moxie and ability made it to the top of the American entertainment world. In this book which comes across as a series of small essays or talks he wanders all over the place but always interestingly. He in his long career knew a lot of remarkable people and he tells about many of his old buddies. He also in the course of this speaks about how much he misses many of them, one of the sad consequences of a very long life. He also speaks about the tragic death of his youngest son, whose grave he visits twice a week.
Kurt did not make it the easy way. A heart attack, a helicopter crash which set him back a lot, a stroke which took his speech from him. The stroke however did not take away his will and through great effort much help he fought back to speak and think clearly again. Part of his wake- up process was a decision to explore Judaism which he had sort of forgotten about in his prime acting years ( Except for his yearly Yom Kippur synagogue visits, and the movies made in Israel which he is a staunch supporter of) His strong desire to help young people to educate them to moral dignity and lives of contributing to making a better world is also expressed here. Also he tells the story of his fifty- three year and running marriage to his second wife,Ann, and how this has been the great love story of his life.
Kurt has guts and heart .He is a tough, caring person, who will always of course be most known for some of his remarkable performances on the screen ( Lonely Are the Brave, The Champion, Spartacus, The Clown, Lust or Life) but his works as a writer also have great entertainment and educational value.
A wonderfully enjoyable little book by a great human being.

If you want a very general over view of Colorado that was written in 1995 this is the book for you! Otherwise, search your local climbing shops for newer up to date references. This book was great for getting me to the spot, but I often found that these areas had more to offer, especially, for easy climbs, or a sport climber than the guide leads you to believe. When arriving to a new place, well prepared and willing to spend quite a bit off time exploring rather than climbing, there will be no disappointment with this book.

this book has an excellent overview of the climbing areas in the state. there are not many details for one specific area. good for a general look at climbing in colorado.

As always this series continues to offer very good information in regards to how to find climbing routes and the pro that is required on the routes. Gives excellent in depth information as to how to get to the specific climbing areas and even what is available for camping/nightlife etc in the surrounding areas. A big plus to have.

In Rock Climbing Colorado, Mr. Green takes on the ambitious task of cataloguing the major climbing areas in the state of Colorado. While this guide book is an excellent introduction to the routes extant in Colorado, it suffers from its ambition; too many times, I have been at the base of the climb wondering what it was and what it was rated. Rock Climbing Colorado does an admirable job of describing select climbs at certain crags; however, local guidebooks will typically be far superior. To his credit, Mr. Green cites the corresponding local guidebooks in each area's overview.

Rock Climbing Colorado is an excellent resource for planning a climbing trip; however, once at the crag, the intrepid climber will quickly realize how much he needs the local guidebook.

Where Green's guide excels is in the wide range of rock climbing areas included in the guide. He includes many locations that even Colorado locals, like myself, did not know about. This feature will prove useful for anyone road-tripping in CO. or anyone wanting to discover new rock in the state. This book has a major drawback though, it fails to give extensive topo for any one area. The book will only cover about half of an area's climbs in order to save the book from being any thicker than it already is. To the climber looking for thorough beta on a local crag, this book won't cut it, and one will find a specialized guidebook much more beneficial.

The book presents a few scenarios (though not enough) for self rescue but ultimately the author produces such complicated and mumbled solutions that understanding the diagrams is work. Most of the solutions could be presented in a simpler way, with less backups, less fuss whitch is usually the way emergency situations require you to act. Also very common devices such as the croll, tibloc and other vertical devices are not at all mentioned. I think this could be better.

The book covers all aspects of rescue of a fallen climber, from freeing oneself from a harness to ascending or decending the rope to finally hooking up and hauling the victim to safety. I've read numerous books on climbing and if your looking for a book on self rescue, this is the one!

The American Alpine Institute recommended this book to me after I took their basic mountaineering course. I've read it several times now. It explains important topics like escaping from a belay, pulley systems, lowering methods, rappelling with an injuryed partner and self-belayed solo climbing. The illustrations are excellent.

I am an aspiring Big Wall climber. I would not be caught dead 2000 feet off the deck without the information contained in this book. Regardless of your goals as a climber, you owe it to yourself and your partner to learn and master the techniques contained in this book. BUY IT!

This book is for the experienced climber who understands the importance of self rescue skills for multipitch trad climbing.
It does not take the place of a professionally-led self-rescue course! If you try to learn the techniques on your own with this book you will be frustrated. This is the reference for after you take such a course.
While it is shows many scenarios, it can be confusing with so many variations. They should have concentrated on the principles so the climbers could think their way out of a specific situation using the basic scenarios.

I have read other David Roberts' climbing books and generally enjoy them greatly. He writes in a very detailed intelligent style with entertainment a secondary consideration. More of a college analytic paper than a novel which is appropriate.

This book takes that to a higher degree as he re-examines the famous 1950 climb of Annapurna. In that climb the expedition leader and a professional climber summit at a very high cost. One of the most famous books in mountaineering was written by the leader Herzog who goes to great fame and wealth from this climb. This book examines whether the book is 100% accurate or slanted. A great bit of time is spent in extreme detail discussing different wordings and accounts of the climb. This somewhat bogs down the story but to true climbers with a historical interest it will be very appealing. For me, it was a bit much.

But the final third of the book where conclusions are drawn and stories from the other climbers offer perspective really make this book worth the read. This book clearly demonstrates the courage and commitment of those involved and readers will definitely come away inspired by the story of the climb. As to me, I will not be drawn into the debate of what really happened. It is possible that different people can look at the same facts in a different way and I found more of that than any conspiracy. A topical but detailed climbing book so be prepared to not breeze through the book like a novel.

I read Herzog's Annapurna before ordering True Summit, and responded to Herzog's book very differently than David Roberts did. Herzog wrote many things in Annapurna that might make a person critical of him. For example: leaving his hands exposed when it wasn't necessary, pulling a companion down by moving forward when there wasn't enough slack in the rope, and pursuing directions that turned out to be useless when his companions had argued strongly for better ideas. So when I started True Summit and discovered that the author criticized Herzog for glorifying himself, I was quite surprised. In fact, by the end of True Summit, my respect for Herzog had grown immensely. His companions and his detractors appear in True Summit to have been more disagreable than hinted at in the book Annapurna. And Roberts comes across as mean-hearted...part of a group attacking a man who managed to have a productive life and to inspire new generations of climbers in spite of having lost his toes and fingers. Herzog wasn't perfect, but who is perfect?

As for being self-centered at the expense of others, or for literaty effect, how is it that Roberts himself becomes a primary character in a book about Annapurna while he does almost nothing to cover the lives of the sherpas who were so essential to the trip? The tales of Roberts' climbing adventures become almost as central as those of Herzog, even though Roberts never got anywhere close to Annapurna. I'm not saying that Roberts' experience is uninteresting or irrelevant. But is he not succumbing exactly as Herzog did to a temptation to center on the self and to create a literary effect at the expense of providing more factual information about people essential to the trip up Annapurna?

Over fifty years ago, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of a French expedition, reached the top of the Himalayan mountain, Annapurna. At 26,493-feet it is the tenth highest mountain in the world.

This first conquest of a peak over 8,000-meters (26,240-feet) was for France, then mired in a post-war depression, paramount to Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon.

The stirring book that followed, "Annapurna," written by Herzog, the expedition's leader, has been published in over 40 languages and has sold over 11-million copies becoming the best selling mountaineering book of all time.

For Herzog, who lost all his fingers and toes to frostbite, the book brought a life of fame and fortune. Although he never again did any serious climbing, Herzog became mayor of the famous French skiing town of Chamonix, served as Minister of Youth and Sports under Charles de Gaulle, was president and CEO of several major businesses, and served for many years on the International Olympic Committee.

In the years that followed, most of the world, including France, forgot about the expedition's three professional mountain guides: Lachenal, who lost all his toes after reaching the summit and died in a skiing accident in 1955; and Lionel Terray and Gaston Rebuffat, who gave-up their own summit bid to rescue the frostbitten Lachenal and Herzog.

In a 1980 article for the Sierra Club's journal "Assent," David Roberts, an acclaimed mountaineer himself, ranked "Annapurna" as the best mountaineering book ever written. Like most of the great climbers of the later 20th century, it was this eloquent and passionate book that first inspired him to seriously climb. So it was a bitter disappointment when in 1996 Roberts met Michel Guerin, a specialty publisher of mountaineering books in Chamonix, who revealed for him the truth behind "Annapurna."

In addition to an oath of unquestioning obedience to Herzog, the climbing team was required just before boarding the airplane to Nepal, to sign a contract forbidding them to publish anything about the expedition for five years after returning to France. Many of the climbers considered abandoning the expedition but relented. It was to be for each of them, their first trip to the Himalayas.

Near the end of the moratorium, Lachenal was preparing an autobiographical memoir, including all of his plainspoken criticisms of Herzog and the expedition. But after his death, Herzog was appointed tuteur, a legal guardian, of Lachenal's family. Along with Lucien Davies, the most influential man in French alpinism and the author of the oath and publishing moratorium, Herzog "pruned every scrap of critical, sardonic, or embittered commentary the guide had penned," about the Annapurna expedition. The whitewashed book, "Carnets du Vertige," was published in 1956.

For Herzog, sacrificing his fingers and toes was a minor price for the sublime victory that was reaching the summit of Annapurna. For Lachenal, it was merely a waste.

In TRUE SUMMIT, Roberts chronicles and analyzes the controversy stirred by the 1996 publishing of an unexpurgated version of "Carnets" and a subsequent biography of Rebuffat, which also revealed a highly critical view of the abilities and motives of Herzog, now the only surviving climbing member of the expedition.

Until his death from cancer in 1985, Rebuffat hid the negative of a photograph Herzog made Lachenal take on the summit, showing Herzog holding the banner of the tire company that employed him, the company that had contributed 500,000 francs to the expedition. For this treason, Rebuffat was never again invited on an official French mountaineering expedition.

The unveiling portrait of Davies and Herzog begins to ring similar to Ayn Rand's insincerely-altruistic and power-hungry characters Ellesworth Toohey and Peter Keating from her 1943 novel, "The Fountainhead."

Roberts' research is thorough as it is engaging, including numerous interviews with Lachenal's son, Rebuffat's widow and one with Herzog himself.

But what makes TRUE SUMMIT a truly enjoyable journey is Roberts' personal connection to the characters. As a young climber in the 1960s, tackling many dubious assents in Alaskan range, Roberts and his partners imagined themselves being Lachenal, Terray and Rebuffat. This book finally gives credit where credit is due. TRUE SUMMIT is a must-read for any serious armchair, or actual, climber.

This book explores what may actually have happened during the 1950 French expedition to the Himalayas which was 'led' by Maurice Herzog. This expedition was the first to summit an 8,000 meter peak, and it was the cause for much nationalist pride in post-war France.

'True Summit' is a very interesting read in terms of its research, as well as its historical and archival detail. Its author, David Roberts, is himself a mountaineer and has an innate understanding of the subject matter of the book, which contributes to its success.

I would, however, highly recommend that one first read Maurice Herzog's "Annapurna" which is Herzog's first person, romanticized account of the expedition and the source for much of what is analyzed in this book. Reading it will ground readers of 'True Summit' in the context out of which this book arises, and will make it that much more enjoyable.

After the ostensible summit of Annapurna (more about this in 'True Summit') by Herzog and Louis Lachenal who were aided in their harrowing descent by fellow expeditioners, Lionel Terray and Gaston Rebuffat, only Maurice Herzog went on to become a national hero in France. The other three mountaineers, all of whom were more experienced and proficient, were largely ignored in what was to become a carefully orchestrated, media event around Maurice Herzog.

"True Summit" attempts to set the story straight and right past wrongs. It also helps to debunk the self-serving, though gripping, sanitized account authored by expedition leader Maurice Herzog. What emerges is a more realistic picture of what may have actually transpired during that fateful, 1950 French expedition.

This book ensures that the contributions of three of the main protagonists, Lachenal, Terray, and Rebuffat, all highly experienced mountaineers from the Chamonix region of France, will not be forgatten. It is a memorial to their efforts during that expedition and well worth reading.

A talented and energetic mountaineer in his own right, rubber company executive Maurice Herzog did not worry about returning to work after Annapurna. Knowing that, it is no wonder the professional Chamonix guides, Louis Lachenal, Lionel Terray, and Gaston Rebuffat were more concerned about keeping their digits than reaching the summit.

Most moving is the story of Lachenal accompanying Herzog to the summit not because he cared about the summit, but because his professionalism compelled him to return his partner to safety. Lachenal lost his toes and never again climbed professionally.

This is the story of the guides, talented, courageous, and imperfect, whom we can respect and learn from, for quietly rising to the challenge of making the most of a compromising situation. While the the author's own mountaineering experiences in the chapters on Rebuffat and Terray could arguably have been saved for a different book, they explain the spirituality and passion he conveys as he interviews their survivors.