Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend The first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa teammate Tenzing Norgay is a familiar saga, but less well known are the tales of many other adventurers who also came to test their skills and courage against the world’s highest and most dangerous mountains. In this lively and generously illustrated book, historians Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver present the first comprehensive… Product details and pricing info |
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8 Customer Reviews Posted
- To Pedantic
- Much of the book is long on words (may need dictionary at you side) and short of interest to hold great appeal. I'm still working my way through the book with the help of Wikipedia. This tome has over 100 pages of notes and bibliography. However, the subject matter, the Himalaya, is fascinating and "Fallen Giants" may be OK for those who already have good knowledge of its history.
- 2008-12-21, 2 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Almost perfect with little mistakes
- The basis of this book is easily described, it's about how to survive and get on the summit. Although the structur of it could be better, noone wants to know how each single expedition had failed to get there, what they exactly did when they realized there is no way to manage this.
There are not few repeats of such moments.
Just pick up the most interesting events.
However it`s a must for everyone who wants to know, what it means to be on the top without realy having to be there.
Thanks for reading - 2008-12-12, 0 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- An Uplifting Read
- This is an excellent history of mountain climbing in the Himalaya. Isserman and Weaver do a masterful job, not just of recounting the history, but placing the efforts in political and cultural context. There were long periods where access to these mountains was restricted or forbidden. There has also always been a competitive thread to the missions, as climbers tried for all kinds of "firsts." Of course the history is filled with both triumphs and tragedies, and the authors tell these stories in a most engaging way. I have only two small nits with the book. First, it ends in the mid 90s, even though the book was published this year. And second, while there are lots of photos and maps, I wish there were more of the latter, as I kept looking for the mountains, glaciers, towns, and other geographical entities. But these aside, this is an altogether wonderful book.
- 2008-11-07, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Climbing history
- Excellent review of climbing history in both Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. Not a picture book, but there are loads of them out there. This tome covers first ascents and failures, AND is well written. A dream book for this history lover. A real treasure and endlessly fascinating.
- 2008-11-02, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Fallen Giants
- Wonderful, well written, interesting book. Held me fascinated through all it's many pages. Read it just after finishing "Three Cups of Tea". A good match, now I can understand the politics of the area and the difficulties of the climbs that lead up to the present. Fascinating how they are all intertwined.
- 2008-11-02, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
