“The editor, Bob Godfrey, has mixed Kor's own narrative with accounts written by various of Kor's climbing partners. This is a technique that worked well for Godfrey in the book Climb! A History of Rockclimbing in Colorado, but it works even better here. People such as Robbins, Goss, Pratt, and Beckey (among others) have written with warmth, humour, and candor of their experiences with Kor. Such generous prose is refreshing in our current age of climbing literature where in writers all too often dwell on every-ones weaknesses save their own. The passage of time between the deeds and the telling lends the text a timeless quality that virtually assures the volume a place alongside other mountaineering classics. But it is not by any means heavy reading. (…)

“Beyond the metaphorical vertical is a place where the search for oneself, the achievement of excellence, the desire for risk, and the struggle for survival become indistinguishably interwoven. Through topologically fertile landscapes, Layton Kor visited this place with an intensity that was rare.

According to the Boulder Daily Camera, this autobiography of the archetypal climber was the best seller in Boulder during December, 1983. Given that Kor is a local and that Boulder is home to thousands of climbers, this book should also have strong personal appeal among the laity. Though not cheap at $35, it makes a quality gift for someone special, and for what we get, it's a bargain. Even the sophisticated will be appalled by the dust-jacket photo. Remove and save it; like other classics about mountaineering, Beyond the Vertical will increase in value. Inside the rich red cover glow 172 color plates, many of which are stunning full- or two-page spreads, documenting outrageous journeys.