Into Thin Air: Personal Account of the Everest Disaster |
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Jon Krakauer
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Pages: 293 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0330353977
Pub: Pan Books
Pub date: 1998-08-07
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1788
Editorial Review:
Into Thin Air is a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.
Reader Reviews:
Into thin air (0/1 people found this helpful)
This has to be the best book I have read in a long time. I literally could not put it down ! It was gripping. The mountineering side of it is explained in laymans terms and overall it is extremely well written. Probably the kind of book I will even read twice over.
An intense read (2/2 people found this helpful)
There are a lot of books knocking about that cover the horrific story of the 1996 storm on Everest,this is without doubt one of the better ones.Jon Krakauer is a journalist by profession and his pedigree becomes evident right from the get go.He presents the reader with an intense honest and gripping account of his own personal battle with the malevolent forces of nature.We get a first hand account of the avarice of expedition operators,we see the poor judgement of inexperienced guides,the fury of mother nature and the sheer bad luck that befell many a climber that fateful day.This book became a no 1 best seller and the catalyst for a long running argument with other members of the climbing community. READ IT
More a novel than reality (0/0 people found this helpful)
Having also read (like many people) "The Climb" by Anatoli Baukreev i found Krakauers book to be filled with what appear to be speculative and unsupported comments and statements about many events that he was not privvy to.
Although its a good "novel" to read i think his book has to be seen as more fiction than fact and that should be kept in perspective when reading about his account of the late Anatoli Baukreev.
A very personal account. (1/1 people found this helpful)
Because this is such a personal account, I would suggest that those who criticize it for being one sided are wide of the mark. Krakauer himself acknowledges the difficulty he had in remembering accurately and in comparing his memories with those of others. Much of what he is recalling happened when he and others were suffering from severe exhaustion, oxygen deprivation and altitude sickness. He also admits that writing this book was a cathartic exercise for him, which has resulted in his readers being less well served than they should have been. Yes, he criticizes others and questions their actions and motives, but he is also hard on himself, and he does recount the heroic deeds of others (such as Anatoli Boukreev) as well as their questionable ones. I suppose that for the sake of completeness it would be interesting to read Boukreev's account, but not essential. This book stands on its own.
And what a book it is! I would defy anyone, be they an experienced climber or someone with no no previous interest in mountaineering, to put it down once begun. This is the antidote to all of those coffee table books that present only the benign, picturesque face of Everest. From the squalid conditions on the walk-in and at base camp to the harrowing climax in the death zone, I was struck by the honesty of this book. The characters involved are also well drawn, though some may not like the way Krakauer paints them. There are some great climbers who are not good enough writers to do justice to their exploits. Krakauer would not count himself as a great Himalayan mountaineer, and would perhaps question whether his trip to Everest in 1996 was worth while at all. Nevertheless, his ability to write about his experiences makes this book a very worth while read.
Summit Fever on Everest (0/0 people found this helpful)
A gripping account of summit fever. Hopefully the days of extreme tourism and queues at the Hilary Step are long gone. But I doubt it.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> True Endurance & Survival
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Sports, Hobbies & Games -> Climbing & Mountaineering -> Mountaineering History & Biography
Books -> Subjects -> Sports, Hobbies & Games -> Climbing & Mountaineering -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Sports, Hobbies & Games -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Sports, Hobbies & Games -> General AAS
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Font Size (format_browse-bin) -> Regular Size