The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father

Book Description

In the 1960s an American named John Harlin II changed the face of Alpine climbing. Gutsy and gorgeous -- he was known as "the blond god" -- Harlin successfully summitted some of the most treacherous mountains in Europe. But it was the north face of the Eiger that became Harlin's obsession. Living with his wife and two children in Leysin, Switzerland, he spent countless hours planning to climb, waiting to climb, and attempting to climb the massive vertical face. It was the Eiger direct -- the direttissima -- with which John Harlin was particularly obsessed. He wanted to be the first to complete it, and everyone in the Alpine world knew it.

John Harlin III was nine years old when his father made another attempt on a direct ascent of the notorious Eiger. Harlin had put together a terrific team, and, despite unending storms, he was poised for the summit dash. It was the moment he had long waited for. When Harlin's rope broke, 2,000 feet from the summit, he plummeted 4,000 feet to his death. In the shadow of tragedy, young John Harlin III came of age possessed with the very same passion for risk that drove his father. But he had also promised his mother, a beautiful and brilliant young widow, that he would not be an Alpine climber.

Harlin moved from Europe to America, and, with an insatiable sense of wanderlust, he reveled in downhill skiing and rock-climbing. For years he successfully denied the clarion call of the mountain that killed his father. But in 2005, John Harlin could resist no longer. With his nine-year-old daughter, Siena -- his very age at the time of his father's death -- and with an IMAX Theatre filmmaking crew watching, Harlin set off to slay the Eiger. This is an unforgettable story about fathers and sons, climbers and mountains, and dreamers who dare to challenge the earth.

Customer Reviews:

Living in the shadow of the mountain and one's father .......2007-04-06

An absorbing tale of adventure and exorcising personal demons. John Harlin III is an outdoorsman and mountain climber and successfully navigated climbing the face of the Eiger, where his own father had died some forty years earlier. Notwithstanding the book's subtitle, the mountain did not kill his father, a broken rope led to his father's fall.

In any event, the reader does not get the impression that the younger Harlinis obsessed by any particular Oedipal complex. We can empathize with his plight of living in the shadow of an iconic, larger-than-life mountain climber. At one point in his life, he is tormented by the question, "What have you done in life, other than be the son of a famous man?"

We may all overtly or subliminally have the challenge of surpassing the accomplishments of our fathers. John Harlin III provides a touching memoir of struggle and transcendence, freeing himself from the haunting memories of his father's unsuccessful attempt to climb a mountain that became his obsession.

A SON FACES HIS FATHER'S DEATH, OBSESSION, & HISTORY ON THE EIGER DEATH WALL.......2007-03-27

Five FATEFUL Stars!! "The EIger Obsession" is written by John Harlin III, the moutaineering son of the famous American Alpine big wall climber John Harlin II and recounts the Harlin family's involvement with life, love, death, and the world of climbing over the decades. He focuses mainly on the general climbing history of the Swiss rockface called "the Eiger" (aka "the Ogre") and the Harlin family legacy surrounding this imposing and unforgiving rockwall's routes, among others. John Harlin II, an audacious larger-than-life character, was the 28th person to die on the Eiger in an accident: by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was attempting his self-conceived "Direttissima'" (direct) route, "straight up" the center of the 6000 ft wall, with most of the climbing world aware of the attempts. Harlin joined a long line of famous climbers who were either successes like the famed Heinrich Harrer who was amongst four in the 'first to the top' group in 1938, or failures like the equally famous Toni Kurz, who with the other three members of his team dead including Hinterstoisser, was trapped by an ice storm and with a horribly frostbitten hand, he would die inches from rescuer's hands, tearing at the knotted rope that sealed his fate with his teeth. The elder Harlin fit both categories, success and failure. The stories are mesmerizing, as are the stories of the Harlin family coping with circumstance and the Eiger route attempts by the father and, decades later, the son.

Climbers all over the world, even those who have never been to Europe, can recite from memory the features of the Classic Route of the Eiger: "the Difficult Crack", "Rote Flüh" (Red Crag), the 'point of no return' "Hinterstoisser Traverse", "the White Spider", "the Death Bivouac", "the Swallow's Nest", "the Traverse of the Gods", and so on, up to the "Exit Cracks", recounted here in intense, vivid detail. Harlin tells us the stories and difficulties which drew many famous climbers to attempt the Eiger as a test of will and ability. Harlin II had already climbed the Classic Route and had been on the mountain many times, but his "Direct Route" 'upped the ante' considerably and Harlin assembled a 'crack team' that included Americans (himself and rock technician Layton Kor) and Europeans (Sir Chris Bonington and Dougal Haston) to climb it. The book details how after Harlin II perished, a combined team, cut off from retreat and having to literally finish the route to save their lives, did so while suffering greatly, and named the "John Harlin Direttissima Route" in his honor. Also how the family fared after his death over the years.

In the book, Harlin III, now a 50 year old expert climber in his own right, admits he has been obsessed by his father's death and the Eiger's 6000 foot deadly wall. "I can't go climbing without Dad's shadow hanging over me. And I love that shadow as much as it appalls me." With his own wife and daughter watching through the telescope at the world-famous Kleine Scheidegg, this book puts you on the mountain during the climb, as John Harlin III attempts to complete the Classic route and deal with it's many psychological implications. For many of us, decades after his father's death, this book finally gives closure to the John Harlin-Eiger story. Meanwhile the Eigerwand continues to lure climbers with the death toll now in the 60's at this point in time, and despite the recent availability of helicopter rescues, some of the unprepared and unlucky climbers will continue to perish. Kudos to John Harlin III for an excellent climbing and life experience book. My Highest Recommendation!! Five "White Knuckled" Stars!!

Climbing Anchors, 2nd (How To Climb Series)

Average customer rating:

too complicated to be useful ?
Concise, informative, and well researched
Building Solid Climbing Anchors
The last word on climbing anchors
Rocked my world

Climbing Anchors, 2nd (How To Climb Series)
John Long , and Bob Gaines
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0762723262

Book Description

The comprehensive guide to anchoring systems for rock climbers.

Customer Reviews:

too complicated to be useful ?.......2007-10-02

I was a little disappointed about John Long new anchor book. I felt the book lost touch with the reality that climbing safe often means climbing fast, especially in the mountains and on long routes. . While the new tests reported on belay anchors are interesting, they seem to miss statistical validity and the conditions used to carry out the tests seem very extreme and seldom occur in real climbing. What the book does not say is how many accidents have occurred in the real climbing world because of the type of failures that were observed in the testing lab. If that is a significant number, I am willing to change the way I rig my anchors, otherwise it is probably better if I stick to my older simpler method. The solutions proposed to make better (more equalized) anchors are so complicated that it is difficult to imagine how to rig them properly after you climbed 20 pitches with a power bar for lunch. Maybe the information disclosed in the book is useful in specific cases, when all your pieces are awful. I am not an expert, but I just wonder if trying to make belay anchors so complicated at all the time, even when your pieces are great, may cause more accidents due to mistakes and more epics due to wasted time. I would appreciate an expert opinion on this matter. Thanks.

Concise, informative, and well researched.......2007-06-13

This is a well written and well researched book. The most significant aspect for me are the new tests on various anchors presented in the book. As a novice outdoor climber, I was most interested in rigging good top-rope anchors and was quite surpised to learn about the faults of the cordelette. Fortunately he introduces a better alternative called the equalette. He also dispels some myths about the sliding X and the fear many have of potential shock loading. The chapter where he describes the tests of various anchor setups is quite eye opening. It really begs for additional tests to be performed and has me thinking about what other false assumptions exist in this sport. A good reference and essential reading for any outdoor climber.

Building Solid Climbing Anchors.......2007-04-12

This newly updated reference guide will teach you how to build safe and secure anchors while climbing. These techniques have been scientifically tested.

The last word on climbing anchors.......2007-03-31

Climbing Anchors (2nd Edition) by John Long is a newly updated guide and reference to building safe and solid climbing anchors. It combines the best content from "Climbing Anchors" and "More Climbing Anchors" published in 1993 and 1996 respectively.

Here in one comprehensive volume is all the necessary instruction to help climbers place pro, tie critical knots, and construct SRENE anchors. Introduced in this volume is the "self-equalizing" but "limited extension" Equalette anchor system. This technique is an important one to have in a climber's anchor-builing arsenal.

Rocked my world.......2007-01-09

John Long has done the climbing community a great service with the publication of his updated climbing anchor book. His previous works helped create a defacto standard for anchor construction, but suffered from a lack of objective data to support its assertions.

In this new book Long has worked with others to scientifically test the anchoring technique he popularized with his last book, the cordelette. Through this testing he discovered that the cordelette is seriously flawed as a technique for equalizing anchors and puts forth the alternative of the "equalette", a technique that he has worked with others to test extensively in the lab and the the field.

I strongly recommend this book to any climber. As a climber with well over a decade of experience it challenged my assumptions and opened my eyes.

George Marsden
Los Alamos, NM

Average customer rating:

Dimensions
Only Book that comes close to doing the GC Justice!

The Grand Canyon
Letitia Burns O'Connor , Tom Bean , and John Blaustein
Manufacturer: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography

ASIN: 0883637928

Customer Reviews:

Dimensions.......2006-10-30

Just thought you might like to know the book's size: 16" x 12" x 3/4"

Only Book that comes close to doing the GC Justice!.......2002-06-30

It might be clumsy and big, but so were my numerous expeditions into the mighty Grand Canyon. For all who have seen the G.C. firsthand, the "coined" phrase is: "Pictures don't do it Justice." Which is absolutely true. However, this is the only book I have found that comes fractionally close to relating the G.C.'s awesome scale & vistas! It makes a perfect book for the cocktail table. This is the "creme de la creme" of G.C. Pictorial books. Get it! You won't be disappointed.

Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon: National Parks (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

perfect
Recommended Resource Guide for Visitors to Southern Utah National Parks
Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon: National Parks
Lonely Planet Zion and Bryce
Terrific guide to southern Utah

Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon: National Parks (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)
Jeff Campbell , John A. Vlahides , and David Lukas
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Rayovac SPHLTLED 3-in-1 LED Head-Lite

ASIN: 1740599365

Book Description

Wild, vast and rugged, Zion and Bryce Canyon are among America's most dramatic national parks, filled with towering cliffs, hanging gardens and a riot of surreal, rainbow-striped rock formations. Whether you want to hike narrow slot canyons or admire stunning views, our indispensable guide will help you explore these desert jewels, plus the best of southern Utah's other parklands.

• ROCK ON - view spires, arches, bridges and hoodoos, and learn what forces created this eerie desert landscape

• GET ACTIVE - hiking, canyoneering, mountain biking, rock climbing, river rafting, horseback riding and more

• EXPLORE FURTHER - with chapters on Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Arches National Parks, plus Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the outdoor mecca of Moab

• KID AROUND - recommended sights, activities and accommodations for the whole family

• REST EASY - camp under the stars, pamper yourself at a luxury resort or bed down at a working horse ranch

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2007-08-14

This was an invaluable resource for our 16 day trip to southern Utah. This book also includes information for the other national parks in Utah. We used it every day on our trip.

Recommended Resource Guide for Visitors to Southern Utah National Parks.......2007-05-14

This book is the best and most informative source of useful information for visitors to the national parks of southern Utah that I have found. It provides information on: the most popular hikes, popular restaurants, good camping sites, activities, descriptions of geology, flora and fauna, and brief histories of the early cultures, explorers and settlers. The book is very well written by authors who obviously know their stuff. All material is presented clearly and concisely and in a manner that enhances its usefulness. I recommend this book whole heartedly.

Lonely Planet Zion & Bryce Canyon: National Parks.......2007-04-13

Great little book. I do not know why it is named "Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks". This book covers all the national parks, monuments and State Parks in Utah. For each area, the book gives information on what to see depending on the amount of time you have to visit(half day, one, two, three or more days). For each location it gives you the sights to see, trails to hike and other activities to do in the area. Along with places to stay (Hotels, Motels and campgrounds), places to eat, equipment rental and more. This book is small enough to put into your glove box.

Lonely Planet Zion and Bryce.......2006-11-10

Excellent book. My husband and I recently went on vacation to Southern Utah. We planned on visiting 5 national parks in Utah. I had purchased other books in addition to this one to prepare for the trip. I had no idea that this book would contain so much information about Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. It was far more than I expected from the title. It even covered Moab. We booked everything last minute and called from one location before arriving at the next to secure hotel rooms. All the recommendations for lodging and dining were accurate. We were so pleased with this book that we purchased the Lonely Planet guide to the Grand Canyon while we were in Moab since we were visiting the Grand Canyon as part of this trip. I will definitely use their guide books again. They are well organized and are great for a quick reference. I kept this copy in my purse the entire trip. I would pull it out frequently to look up information about touring the parks or to find a place for dinner.

Terrific guide to southern Utah.......2006-10-22

The title is slightly problematic, as this book covers much of southern Utah, its national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonland, Capitol Reef, Arches), national monuments, and other places worth of a visit. The maps are crisp and readable, though a few more detailed topo lines would help. Trail descriptions and recommendations for visits are generally pretty good as are estimates of time. Suggestions for places to eat and stay were also worthwhile. Other more specialized books are available if you want to spend most of the trip in one specific area, but this is a great survey of southern Utah.

Average customer rating:

For serious readers...

The Magic Mountain (Everyman's Library)
Thomas Mann
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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German | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1400044219
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Book Description

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

With this dizzyingly rich novel of ideas, Thomas Mann rose to the front ranks of the great modern novelists, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. The Magic Mountain takes place in an exclusive tuberculosis sanatorium in the Swiss Alps–a community devoted to sickness that serves as a fictional microcosm for Europe in the days before the First World War. To this hermetic and otherworldly realm comes Hans Castorp, an “ordinary young man” who arrives for a short visit and ends up staying for seven years, during which he succumbs both to the lure of eros and to the intoxication of ideas.

Acclaimed translator John E. Woods has given us the definitive English version of Mann’s masterpiece. A monumental work of erudition and irony, sexual tension and intellectual ferment, The Magic Mountain is an enduring classic.

Customer Reviews:

For serious readers..........2006-07-17

It is almost pointless to assess a star rating to a book like this - a novel that breaks most of the conventions of the genre. I am a fan of Thomas Mann - I love Death in Venice and his short stories. This book however, taxed my abilities as a reader to the limit. It took me about two months to finish it. I don't pretend to have absorbed everything in it. It is an 854-page philosophical novel without any real plot.

It tells the story of Hans Castorp - an average Joe from Germany - who goes to visit his cousin in a health spa for three weeks and ends up staying for seven years. The trip isn't so much a vacation for him but a period of intellectual development - sort of like going to college. The bulk of the book is taken up with philosophical discussions with the humanist Settembrini and the radical Naptha. In all this, it is very difficult to tell where Mann's sympathies lie.

One of the joys of reading Mann is that his sentences evoke a Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. This however, wears thin over 800 pages. As A.S. Byatt points out in her wonderful introduction, one tries to hurry along but the novel demands to be read at its own speed. At the end of the novel, there is the fear that you missed something and didn't get everything out of it. Mann's advice was to simply read it twice. John Irving loves the book and claims to have read it more times than he can count. I may read it again - but not for a long time.

Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography

Average customer rating:

Not what I thought
The finest Grand Canyon book at the lowest price....
off the charts superb stunning startling good heavens
Review by Jennifer Owings Dewey, author/illustrator
A superb choice as a Memorial Fund acquisition for any library system

Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography
Stephen Trimble
Manufacturer: Northland Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Pictorial | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0873588940

Book Description

One of the most photographed subjects on earth, Grand Canyon continues to inspire awe, admiration, and frustration for those who attempt to capture its majesty with a camera. Reaching back 125 years into the photographic record of the Canyon, this book artfully explores the experiences of the earliest photographers and today's most exceptional artists.

Accomplished writer and Ansel Adams Award-winning photographer Stephen Trimble deftly navigates the stories of the Canyon's photographic history and takes us down the river and along the rim with the next generation of photographers and their photographs. Also included are twenty-one essays by the finest contemporary photographers recounting their experiences at Grand Canyon, along with fascinating details of changing equipment and a timeline of important moments in the Canyon's photographic record.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I thought.......2007-09-13

I bought this as a present for my wife. We had just returned from a trip that included a visit to the Grand Canyon, and I wanted to get her a memento of the visit. This book sounded good, but was not the one that included the beautiful vistas that we wanted. There are some photos too dark to really discern why they are included. There are some photos of a boat on the bank of the river. That could be from anywhere.
Although I suppose others may find it interesting, we didn't want a book of prose, we just wanted amazing photos. This was not that book.

The finest Grand Canyon book at the lowest price...........2007-02-15

This book is so awesome, and of such high quality, that its Amazon price seems surreal...I have two copies and am ordering a third, for posterity or whatever.

Intensely beautiful photographic prints, at the very leading edge of Canyon photos....almost beyond description!

If you buy one copy of this book, you'll then want another for a gift, and another for your own collection.....etc.

off the charts superb stunning startling good heavens.......2006-11-03

Yes, you would expect truly astounding photography here, and you get exactly that, in lots of different flavors too, but the stories are deft and revealing -- far more than in a book of photos alone of a place that you couldn't take a bad photo if you tried. Trimble himself is a master craftsman with the camera, but his service here is to gather some really remarkable work and voices into a tome that anyone who has gaped and prayed there will want to paw through before you get major brownie points for giving it to someone else. Terrific work.

Review by Jennifer Owings Dewey, author/illustrator.......2006-09-28

Lasting Light is a treasure, a compilation of photographs taken of the Crand Ganyon over a broad stretch of time. The viewer/reader may gain a sense of history, passing from the old to the new. The book is an experience in images of the vast wonder of the Canyon and the smallest, most discreet detail. Because the text is direct and not-technical, anyone interested in what is grand and lit by extraordinary light, the Grand Canyon itself, will find this work a delight.

A superb choice as a Memorial Fund acquisition for any library system.......2006-07-10

Lasting Light: 125 Years Of Grand Canyon Photography by award-winning author and photographer Stephen Trimble is a visual celebration and documentation of the beauty and grandeur of one of the most photographed subjects on earth -- the Grand Canyon. Comprised of the best of 125 years of great photographs beginning with the pioneering glass plate negatives of the 19th century to the digital images of the 21st century, Lasting Light produces spectacular visuals enhanced with an accompanying text of fascinating details regarding the advances of photography, stories of various individual photographers, and the relationship between the photographers and the unique American icon that is the Grand Canyon. As a coffetable art book, Lasting Light is a simply wonderful contribution to any personal, academic, or community library photography reference collection and would make a superb choice as a Memorial Fund acquisition for any library system.

Average customer rating:

I remember reading this book in junior high.
Mind Enslavement
Patrick Micheal Dawson's Book Reveiw
The White Mountains
The White Mountains

The White Mountains
John Christopher
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0689856725

Book Description

35th Anniversary Editon with new Text and a New Preface by the Author!

Long ago, the Tripods -- huge, three-legged machines -- descended upon Earth and took control. Now people unquestioningly accept the Tripods' power. They have no control over their thoughts or their lives.

But for a brief time in each persson's life -- in childhood -- he is not a slave. For Will his time of freedom is about to end -- unless he can escape to the White Mountains, where the possibility of freedom still exists.

Customer Reviews:

I remember reading this book in junior high........2007-09-07

I'm very happy to see that this entire "White Mountains" trilogy is still in print. I remember reading this in my early teen years, and how much I enjoyed it. Even then, I knew it was inspired by The War of the Worlds, but it creates an entirely different narrative around the "tripod" invasion and take-over of Earth. I enjoyed the entire trilogy. A great choice for the young sci-fi fan.

Mind Enslavement.......2007-08-02

You're only free to think and feel the way you like until you're 14 and ready for adulthood. Then you must be "capped" (and controlled) by the ruling, mysterious, and god-like Tripods. This is the story of Will, Henry and Beanpole in their dangerous and desperate adventure to escape the enslavement of capping. A gripping story. A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

[Science fiction suitable for the intermediate and junior high grades, if not beyond.]

Patrick Micheal Dawson's Book Reveiw.......2006-10-25

This story is about a kid named William who starts a journey to find the White Mountains a place were men are free from the tripods, a unknown species of giant three leged metal creatures that have taken over the world! When he tries to sneak out he is caught by his curios cousin (who's mom has just died). His cousin decides to go with him ,so they travle to the ocean where they meat Captin Curtis who takes them across the ocean. There they meat up with a boy named Zahn Phole, but they nick name him Bean Pole. Then they start there dangerous journey across the world to the White Mountains!
Will they ever make it?
Find out by purchising this book!

The White Mountains.......2006-10-24

(Science Fiction)

The White Mountains is about three boys who know the secret of being Capped. When you're Capped, aliens known as Tripods take you on your thirteenth birthday and shave your head to then apply a wiry mesh of metal that is welded deeply through all the layers of your skin and then through your skull to just gently reach the brain. What this does is let the Tripods control their minds and ultimately make the humans their slaves. So you can't ask a Capped what it's like to be Capped because the Tripods will make them say "it's just wonderful!" And now one knows this all of this except three boys and a village hidden from all the quiet chaos: The White Mountains, where all is free and no one is Capped. Join Will, Henry and Jean-Paul during their amazing journey to the White Mountains.

What I loved about John Christopher's writing was that there was never a dull moment. The boys were always doing something worth the reader's attention let it be stealing food from locals or escaping encounters with Tripods and risking everything. This was definitely a great book and a page-turner.

The White Mountains.......2006-10-24

Average customer rating:

A book of so-so quality for AA's gem prints

Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail
Ansel Adams , and William A. Turnage
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 082125717X

Book Description

A rare jewel has been discovered in the oeuvre of Ansel Adams.SIERRA NEVADA: THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL, originally published in an edition of only 500 copies in 1938, is an extraordinary publication in many respects. Adams, at the age of 36, was commissioned to prepare a book of his photographs taken along the world-famous John Muir Trail as a tribute to Pete Starr, a young American mountaineer (and son of a Sierra Club president) killed in a climbing accident. Composed of 50 photographs of the Sierra Nevada--many never published again--the book is an exquisite portrait of the mountain world of the High Sierra in California. When first published, it set a new standard for fine photographic reproduction in book form. Little, Brown takes great pride in announcing a new edition of this magnificent book.

Customer Reviews:

A book of so-so quality for AA's gem prints.......2006-11-01

It is always told that AA put enormous energy and care in producing his 1938 edition of "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail", originally published in only 500 copies and a fine art book of highest quality at the time.

I never saw a copy of the origional edition and my comment is purely on what I see in this 2006 standard edition. I don't know how this book is made from the original edition. It says tri-tone but the printing quality is so-so. Some images are a little vague, some losing details in shadow or highlight. The book is pale in compasrison with some great AA books published by Bulfinch in the past, such as "California" or "Yosemite and the High Sierra". You can find some images from this book in other AA books and in better quality. Overall, it would make AA uneasy to stamp his famous AA Authorized Edition to the book. If it were not for its historical value, I'd skip this book.

Now Bulfinch also offers a 2006 deluxe edition at $1,200. Again I haven't seen a copy but perhaps the pricier version can live up to the standard of the original edition.

The trend looks a little worrisome recently in AA books pulished by Bulfinch. The printing quality goes down from "California (1997)" to "Ansel Adams at 100 (hardcover 2001)". "Trees (2004)" rebounds just a little but "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail (2006)" is a little disappointing. I would hope the next AA book by Bulfinch can rejuvenate the printing quality, even if doing so means a higher price tag.

Average customer rating:

Fielder
Mountain Masterpiece !
A New Colorado Must-Have
Mountain Ranges of Colorado vs. Colorado: Moments in Time

Mountain Ranges of Colorado

Manufacturer: Westcliffe Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1565794966

Customer Reviews:

Fielder.......2007-01-16

He's number one when it comes to capturing the beauty of Colorado. Awesome pics and some decent commentary.

Mountain Masterpiece !.......2004-12-26

We have some nice mountain scenery here in New Zealand but never has it been showcased in a book of such class and quality as this one from Westcliffe. I do have two other books of Colorado from Fielder, "Colorado's CDT" and "To Walk In Wilderness" and I think about 4 of the photos look familiar out of the 200 or so in this book.
This is a large, heavy and classy book. The photos are generally full page, some double page, and are crystal clear with superb colouring and lighting. A page of text introduces each mountain range featured followed by the photos with interesting captions under each one but the emphasis is on the photos. The photos make you feel like you want to be in the scene enjoying what Fielder was obviously enjoying at the time too. The book retails at $75 but I consider it a bargain at Amazon's discounted price for what you are getting.
If you are a mountain lover like I am then this book is a must have. There has been and will be very few books like this ever published - thoroughly recommended.

A New Colorado Must-Have.......2004-12-16

Over the years, Fielder has taken many a spectacular photo. In John Fielder's new book, Mountain Ranges of Colorado, all of his greatest images over 15 years form a complete and comprehensive view of the reason for Colorado's trademark beauty: the Southern Rockies. The book not only goes range by range through the entire state, but presents some of the best images Fielder has ever done. A granite-feel cover, along with the photos, guarantees that there isn't a book like this out there, and there won't be unless Fielder does a sequel.

Mountain Ranges of Colorado vs. Colorado: Moments in Time.......2004-11-02

A few years ago I wrote a review of "Colorado: 1870-2000" by John Fielder and "Colorado: Yesterday & Today" by Grant Collier. These two photographers both have new coffee table books out: Fielder published "Mountain Ranges of Colorado" and Collier published "Colorado: Moments in Time." These are two of the nicest color photography books published on Colorado in quite a while, so I thought I'd write another reviewing comparing the books of two of Colorado's best photographers. For the reasons listed below, I've concluded that Collier's new book is a little better than Fielder's.

1) Quality of photos: The photos in both of these books are very nice and really show how spectacular Colorado is. I think Collier does a better job compositionally, while Fielder's shots have a little better lighting and colors. My own complaint with Fielder's shots is that many of them have been published in previous books and calendars, so if you own any previous work by
Fielder, you may be disappointed to see the same photos published here. EDGE: Colorado: Moments in Time

2) Design & Appearance of Book: Fielder's book has a cool backdrop of granite and Collier's book has a nice backdrop of wavy sand. The interior of both books is also very well designed and the photos are nice and big. Fielder's book seems to be printed on somewhat cheaper paper, but the overall design is very comparable. EDGE: Even

3) Reputation of Photographers: John Fielder has published many books and is very well known, while Collier is a newer photographer, who is not yet as well known. EDGE: Mountain Ranges of Colorado

4) Written Text: In addition to taking the photos, both photographers wrote the text for their books. Collier is nearly as good a writer as he is a photographer. He wrote concise and very information essays on various aspects of the history of Colorado that really complemented the images in the book. Fielder text was not as well written, although it was an improvement on his previous attempts at writing. The text tends to ramble on and the writing style could use some improvement. But there is some good information in there if you look hard enough. EDGE: Colorado: Moments in Time.

Overall Vallue: Fielder's book has a retail value of $75, while Collier's book has a retail value of $45. Both books are very large. Fielder's is just a little bigger, but not much. So, even with the large discount that Amazon.com currently provides on Fielder's book, Colorado: Moments in Time is still priced lower. I therefore believe that it is, by a small margain, the best book and the best overall value.

The High Lonesome: Epic Solo Climbing Stories

Average customer rating:

Fast read
Good reasons to not climb alone
Damn Good Book
Excellent stories of climbing fear and extreme desire
Very good collection

The High Lonesome: Epic Solo Climbing Stories
John Long
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Essays | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Solo Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 156044858X

Book Description

Epic solo climbing stories that carry the reader to the world's great mountain ranges in pursuit of the ultimate climbing experience.

Customer Reviews:

Fast read.......2006-09-05

Another great John Long compilation!! Read while on a business trip & could hardly put it down, really saved me from the travel boredom. Any climber can relate to the drama & excitement!

Good reasons to not climb alone.......2003-08-02

This is an easy, quick read that will entertain if you like climbing stories. While I enjoyed reading this book as I have all of Long's climbing stories, I just can't see the thrill of tackling mountains alone. The element of danger is raised exponentially. Therefore, I didn't identify with the climbers and why they take this risk. It does detail these climbers and why so many feel the desire to climb alone in dangerous conditions. Personally, it just made me more comfortable on an indoor rock wall. Climbers will still enjoy the read however.

Damn Good Book.......2002-02-01

This Book was awesome. It kept me on the edge of my feet. John Long is a great climbing author and I haven't read a bad book from him yet. If you want to be on your feet and like to be excited, this is the one for you.

Excellent stories of climbing fear and extreme desire.......2001-08-06

I am an avid novice rock climber and this book is a great series of short vignettes that explore the many different facets of the most extreme side of climbing: the free solo. Hard to imagine, this is true "working without a net" extreme sport, that is really not so extreme when you hear it told from the perspective of folks with lots of ability and desire, and the fortitude to constantly battle the fear that creeps into such attempts. I enjoyed this book and found the first person perspectives were fresh and insightful without getting metaphysical.

Very good collection.......2000-10-19

This is an excellent anthology of writing about solo climbing. Highlights include Croft's Minarets trip report and Twight's (perhaps inadvertently) hilarious The Abattoir.

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