Boston, Bullfinch, 1998, 1st US edition. 304 pp, many color and b/w photos. Large format hardcover with dust jacket. Fine.
This is a heavy large format book. Extra postage will be requested for Media Mail, Priority Mail and International Mail.
Sixty nine articles by the world's greatest climbers on notable peaks they have climbed, including Everest, The Eiger, McKinley, Huascaran, Cerro Torre, Vinson, Mount Cook, K2, Gash IV, Nanda Devi, Kili, etc. Foreword by Chris Bonington.
World Mountaineering reaches a new summit. Organized by continent, this splendid, large-format climbing guide features 52 of the world's most spectacular mountains and their climbs, stepping far beyond the mere map-and-route delineations that define many climbing guidebooks. Even if the topographical descriptions and various routes snaking across the stunningly clear photographs were all that were here, that might seem enough.
Each mountain's entry also includes an aerial map, a timeline of climbing history, and practicalities such as access, red tape, the best times to climb, and suggested maps and guidebooks to bring along. Essays -- written by top mountaineers, such as Ed Webster on Mount Robson, or Hilary Boardman on the Carstensz Pyramid - recount personal experiences with each mountain. Suddenly the alpine world is above, shimmering and stirring, crisp and clear.
Route descriptions concentrate less on the step-by-step details and more on the legacy of those who have gone before, their equipment, their route's most difficult and salient features, and the official climb grading. Ideas for future climbs on each mountain suggest new routes on which to test and hone skills.
Sure, there are mountains here that one would expect - Everest, McKinley, K2, Kilimanjaro --but, as Chris Bonington writes in the foreword, 'We must remember that there are alternatives to Everest.... There is a wealth of superb climbing to be had around the world ... in places where there are few, if any, other people and still no tell-tale signs of man.' Bonington gives cautions about the crowding and development of popular mountains; editor Audrey Salkeld introduces the book with a history of climbing and thoughts on the future of mountaineering.
In all, World Mountaineering reveals the dazzling array of climbing possibilities and acts as much as an inspiration as a dependable guide to the top.
MOUNTAINS FEATURED:
