Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Paris, Le Livre de Poche
Description
One of Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports Books of All Time: A gripping firsthand account of one of the most daring climbing expeditions in history. #1 New York Times Bestseller Annapurna I is the name given to the 8,100-meter mountain that ranks among the most forbidding in the Himalayan chain. Dangerous not just for its extreme height but for a long and treacherous approach, its summit proved unreachable until 1950, when a group of French mountaineers made a mad dash for its peak. They became the first men to accomplish the feat, doing so without oxygen tanks or any of the modern equipment that contemporary climbers use. The adventure nearly cost them their lives. Maurice Herzog dictated this firsthand account of the remarkable trek from a hospital bed as he recovered from injuries sustained during the climb. An instant bestseller, it remains one of the most famous mountaineering books of all time, and an enduring testament to the power of the human spirit. … (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Annapurna: Conquest of the First 8000-metre Peak (1951) is a famous and important book in the Outdoor literature genre. It recounts the first successful climb of a mountain greater than 8,000 meters. There are only 14 such mountains in the world, all in the Himalayas, and they represent the super
Why is the book so famous? Maurice Herzog became the first living mountaineer to attain global celebrity status. National Geographic calls it the most influential mountaineering book ever written, as of 2000 it has sold over 11 million copies. I think a number of factors are at work. It was written in 1951 soon after WWII when millions of veterans accustomed to the adrenalin and danger of war were left with comparatively boring lives and looking for thrills to fill a void, not to mention a generation of young men who were too young to fight finding ways to prove themselves during peacetime. The idea of exploration caught the worlds attention, in particular climbing the worlds highest mountains was in the early 1950s the moon-shot of its time. The cover shows Herzog in a space-age like suit, straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie. Finally, the book is written with novelistic techniques, what we today call "creative nonfiction", although in some ways its firmly rooted in the 19th century traditions. The book itself I found to be a slog. The last 60 pages or so are fantastic, but the first two-thirds of the book are really boring and tiring. There is even a parody novel The Ascent of Rum Doodle (1956) which pokes gentle but pointed fun at Herzog's sometimes pompous writing style. I'm glad to have finally read it since it is so historically important and impossible to avoid in mountaineering and outdoor literature, but it's reputation has probably exceeded its aesthetic qualities compared to more modern works.
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bowl of climbing. When a French team led by Maurice Herzog climbed Annapurna in 1950, no one was sure these mountains could be climbed and survived. After he was done and famously wrote "There are other Annapurna's in the lives of men", it started the race for the ultimate prize: Mount Everest (first peaked in 1953 by Hillary). Himalayan mountaineering has never been the same since.Why is the book so famous? Maurice Herzog became the first living mountaineer to attain global celebrity status. National Geographic calls it the most influential mountaineering book ever written, as of 2000 it has sold over 11 million copies. I think a number of factors are at work. It was written in 1951 soon after WWII when millions of veterans accustomed to the adrenalin and danger of war were left with comparatively boring lives and looking for thrills to fill a void, not to mention a generation of young men who were too young to fight finding ways to prove themselves during peacetime. The idea of exploration caught the worlds attention, in particular climbing the worlds highest mountains was in the early 1950s the moon-shot of its time. The cover shows Herzog in a space-age like suit, straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie. Finally, the book is written with novelistic techniques, what we today call "creative nonfiction", although in some ways its firmly rooted in the 19th century traditions. The book itself I found to be a slog. The last 60 pages or so are fantastic, but the first two-thirds of the book are really boring and tiring. There is even a parody novel The Ascent of Rum Doodle (1956) which pokes gentle but pointed fun at Herzog's sometimes pompous writing style. I'm glad to have finally read it since it is so historically important and impossible to avoid in mountaineering and outdoor literature, but it's reputation has probably exceeded its aesthetic qualities compared to more modern works.
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
The tale of the first ascent of Annapurna in the Himalayan mountains is as classic as it is fraught with problems. The journey took place in mid-1950 by a team of skilled Frenchmen led by Maurice Herzog who was the expedition leader, and climbing Annapurna would be the first 8,000 meter summit in
The account is told from the perspective of the leader and the book's author, Herzog, and details the often routine and dangerous life of mountaineering pioneers in the mid-20th century. Their first objective was to scout out and attempt to scale another eight-thousander, Dhaulagiri, which stood at 8,167 meters. When that mountain proved too difficult and their time running out ahead of the monsoon season, they chose Annapurna, which stood equally formidable at 8,091 meters. Once the team located the best path up the mountain they hurriedly set about establishing the camps and making progress. The summit would be theirs, but not without considerable cost to their health and parts of their bodies succumbing to frostbite. The journey down would be agonizing for those in dire need and most affected by the elements.
My first problem with this book is the writing. Part of that is probably because it's been translated from French fifty years ago and part is probably because I am not a mountaineer and Annapurna was written by one. This story is for those who understand the heart of a climber; others will find it particularly self-absorbed. Another problem with this account, according to other reviewers, is that it is somewhat propaganda and not a true telling of what really happened. Herzog and Lachenal did reach the summit, but not necessarily in the heroic manner depicted in this book.
Annapurna is classic reading in the mountaineering genre, but that's probably because it was one of the first of its kind. It's status represents what it stands for and not what it says.
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history and therefore the highest peak reached to date. (Note: Mount Everest would not be summited until 1953 - three years later.)The account is told from the perspective of the leader and the book's author, Herzog, and details the often routine and dangerous life of mountaineering pioneers in the mid-20th century. Their first objective was to scout out and attempt to scale another eight-thousander, Dhaulagiri, which stood at 8,167 meters. When that mountain proved too difficult and their time running out ahead of the monsoon season, they chose Annapurna, which stood equally formidable at 8,091 meters. Once the team located the best path up the mountain they hurriedly set about establishing the camps and making progress. The summit would be theirs, but not without considerable cost to their health and parts of their bodies succumbing to frostbite. The journey down would be agonizing for those in dire need and most affected by the elements.
My first problem with this book is the writing. Part of that is probably because it's been translated from French fifty years ago and part is probably because I am not a mountaineer and Annapurna was written by one. This story is for those who understand the heart of a climber; others will find it particularly self-absorbed. Another problem with this account, according to other reviewers, is that it is somewhat propaganda and not a true telling of what really happened. Herzog and Lachenal did reach the summit, but not necessarily in the heroic manner depicted in this book.
Annapurna is classic reading in the mountaineering genre, but that's probably because it was one of the first of its kind. It's status represents what it stands for and not what it says.
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LibraryThing member RoaldEuller
Utterly riveted, I stayed up until the wee hours reading this when I was about 15 years old. It sparked a lifelong interest in mountaineering books.
LibraryThing member ianw
A well told story of Herzog's epic ascent of Annapurna (and his even more epic descent).
LibraryThing member cwflatt
One of the greatest early mountaineering adventures. Wonderful to story of brave and accomplishment at the top of the world
LibraryThing member TinaKady
Illustrations in color and monochrome-gravure; foldout map at end
LibraryThing member encephalical
Coming down was a more interesting story than going up.
LibraryThing member krazy4katz
Although not terribly well-written (or translated?), this is an absorbing account of trying to climb an 8,000 meter mountain with poor maps and uncertain provisions. First they had to decide which mountain to climb! Eventually, after much scouting, they selected Annapurna, but they really had no
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idea what would happen once they came nearer to their goal. They could only guess. Herzog makes it sound like they had a very well organized group with different skills (including a physician), which probably saved them from death. The rapid approach of monsoon season was also a great concern. Overall, an exciting account of an amazing adventure. Show Less
LibraryThing member wunder
This is a terrifying book.
Part of that is knowing how dangerous Annapurna is and how many climbers have died there. To the 1950 expedition, it was just another Himalayan peak, not obviously different from others.
The most terrifying part of the book was the pervasive bad decision-making and poor
This is the kind of mountaineering that Paul Petzoldt's reforms targeted. In The New Wilderness Handbook, he talks about plans for time, energy, and climate. Herzog's expedition failed to plan for each of those.
Go ahead and read this to get the testosterone-soaked version of mountaineering. Then read "The Ascent of Nanda Devi" (Tilman, 1936) and "Annapurna: A Woman's Place" (Blum, 1978) to get different approaches.
Of course, also read "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" (Bowman, 1956). Was Bowman thinking of Herzog's book when someone identifies some local flora as "Nostalgia, Melancholia, and old-fashioned Manspride"?
Finally, some maps would have helped, a lot.
Part of that is knowing how dangerous Annapurna is and how many climbers have died there. To the 1950 expedition, it was just another Himalayan peak, not obviously different from others.
The most terrifying part of the book was the pervasive bad decision-making and poor
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teamwork. Almost everything was done with macho heroics and dictatorial leadership. It is normal for Himalayan mountaineering to be done at the very edge of the ability of the most capable climbers, but it isn't normal to so misjudge a hike between camps that you run out of food and crawl the last hundred yards calling for help.This is the kind of mountaineering that Paul Petzoldt's reforms targeted. In The New Wilderness Handbook, he talks about plans for time, energy, and climate. Herzog's expedition failed to plan for each of those.
Go ahead and read this to get the testosterone-soaked version of mountaineering. Then read "The Ascent of Nanda Devi" (Tilman, 1936) and "Annapurna: A Woman's Place" (Blum, 1978) to get different approaches.
Of course, also read "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" (Bowman, 1956). Was Bowman thinking of Herzog's book when someone identifies some local flora as "Nostalgia, Melancholia, and old-fashioned Manspride"?
Finally, some maps would have helped, a lot.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1951 (French)
1952 (English)