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Title: Eiger Dreams : Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer ISBN: 0-385-48818-1 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 19 May, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.52 (42 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: fascinating short articles about mountaineering
Comment: This is my favorite of all the books I've read by Jon Krakauer; maybe because he's not trying to prove anything. It's a selection of short, non-fiction, stories about different aspects of mountaineering and the types of people that do it. Krakauer is very, very good at writing. He's funny and entrancing. This book is more about people than about mountaineering. Read it even if you're not into the sport, or if you're put off by macho posturing. It's not like that at all.
The articles in the book include a description of ice-climbing; a horrifying account of a particularly murderous year on K2; various profiles of particularly interesting mountaineers; a very funny description of what to do if trapped for days in a tent in a storm; a history of glacier flying; and some of the author's personal climbing experiences, including some awkward cross-cultural encounters with French climbers.
Rating: 4
Summary: A great read for those at sea level and rising
Comment: How to do justice to a writer like Krakauer....well, he's such a good writer that I feel any review I write would suffer compared to the source. Nevertheless, here I go.
This is Krakauer's first book. It's a collection of his previously published articles on mountaineering (save the last one about Devil's Thumb which was written for the book.) What a gread read too whether you are an afficionado of the sport or, like me, you've never seen a pair of crampons in your life (by the way, those are a set of spikes climbers strap to their boots to support themselves and prevent slipping on icy slopes.) Some of the famous peaks that make an appearance here include K2, Mt McKinley, and the titular Eiger. Throughout you will read about some of the eccentric personalities in the international climbing community, personal triumph and inspiration, offshoots like bouldering and waterfall climbing, and horrific tragedy.
If you read Into Thin Air, you'll be surprised at how funny this book is. Krakauer displays a wry, self-deprecating wit in several of these stories-something the somber subject matter of the latter book didn't permit. The last one, about his decision to solo the Devil's Thumb in Alaska in his early twenties is hysterical.
Anyone who can make a story about being tentbound or the inventor of the perfect ice axe riveting deserves attention. If you are on the fence, just go ahead and get this book. It's definitely worth it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Writing, Great Stories
Comment: I read Into Thin Air a few years ago. I found it compelling, but at points I felt that the writing was rushed. I just finished Eiger Dreams and was very impressed. Because all but one of these stories started as magazine articles (mostly in Outside, a tremendous magazine when it isn't a travel mag), they are well put together. Most of the stories are riveting (I read the book in one setting). Krakauer is a skilled author. A few times I found myself laughing. A few times I found myself tense from the suspense.
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Title: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer ISBN: 0385486804 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 20 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson ISBN: 0060730552 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: January, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith by JON KRAKAUER ISBN: 0385509510 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 15 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by JON KRAKAUER ISBN: 0385494785 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 19 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt ISBN: 0312965338 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 July, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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