Ascent of Manaslu in Photographs 1952-56. Tokyo, 1956, Japan, Mainichi-Newspapers, 1st edition. 19 pptext, 8 pp color photos, 96 pp b/w photos, map page (9 color photos, 177 b/w photos, 2 maps). It is primarily a photo essay of the Japanese mountaineering expeditions to Manaslu from reconnaissance in 1952 through the first ascent in 1956. The text is in both Japanese and English as follows: Title page and 14 pages text in Japanese & 5 pages of text in English which are detailed captions for the photos. Photo captions are in Japanese.
This is one of the most desirable books on Manaslu and on a first ascent of an 8000 meter peak.
With a summit at 8163 meters Manaslu is the 8th highest mountain on earth. It is located in the Nepal Himalaya in the Gandaki Section of the Gurkha Himal. The name means mountain of the spirit. One of the first westerners to explore it was H.W. Tilman in 1950, but his expedition did little more than photograph the mountain since they weren't prepared to climb such a big, remote peak. In 1952 the Japanese made a reconnaissance of the mountain and then sent big expeditions until finally making the first ascent in 1956.
Original light tan silk, silver lettering cover & spine. The book is in Near Fine condition as well. There are no marks or writing on any pages. No pages are torn or creased or folded. No missing pages. Some extra inserts advertising other books in Japanese are loosely placed between pages in a couple places, including a small illustrated advertisement for this book. Includes original black slipcase as shown. The Slipcase has some edge wear and a 1' piece missing from one edge, otherwise Near Fine.
