Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes

by Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver

Book Overview

The story of the world's highest peaks and the remarkable people who have sought to climb them The first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa teammate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300115016
• ISBN13: 9780300115017
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 579 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.3" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

Oh, The Humanity Of It!

Finally, a truly comprehensive history of Himalayan climbing. Among many fine narratives of the world's tallest peaks, "Fallen Giants" goes farthest in locating mountaineering in proper sociopolitical context. Treatment of the Sherpas, in particular, takes full account of their improved status from being treated as colonized porters to equal expedition partners. (Cf. S. Ortner, "Life & Death on Mt Everest.") In an overdue tribute to their unmatched contributions, heroes like Ang Tharkay and especially Tenzing Norgay receive their due, along with many others who left thinner paper trails. There's more analysis than in other mountain classics, which may bother some climbers, but the politics of expeditions matter, especially back when Europe ruled much of the world. But this is no mere radical tract: the humanity of all participants is the main focus. The authors deplore the sensationalism and commercialism of recent decades, seeing a decline from an earlier if not exactly golden age. The 1953 attempt on K2 is a fine centerpiece to the whole. The monumental compassion of that team, who abandoned their chance to summit K2 in a futile attempt to save stricken Art Gilkey, still inspires people in all fields of endeavor. Pete Schoening's remarkable belay which saved 6 men from a 10,000-foot fall---arguably mountaineering's most dramatic moment---is eclipsed by the awesome possibility that Gilkey sacrificed himself to save those trying to save him. Truly an epic of humanism, one of many shared here.

A great read for an armchair mountaineer

This is the ultimate book for a mountaineering junkie. Fair, comprehensive and enormously entertaining. In lieu of a guide to all the photos and maps, however, I made up my own and used it as a bookmark. I couldn't have sustained interest without being able to refer to it often. Other than that, it was an excellent book.

Moutaineering Classic

This well written and balanced history of Himalayan Mountaineering entertainly describes the adventures,personalities, and climbing culture of a truely facinating place and era . I think that anyone who has climbed in North America and the Himalayas and had had the pleasure of meeting or reading the accounts of the individuals covered in this history will highly enjoy this book. The numerous notes and cited materials are a great resource for readers of climbing literature.

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.

The Age Of Adventure

Mountain climbing has always had a last frontier quality. The race to the North and South Poles ended in the early 1900's, Africa and South America were explored by the 1930's, leaving the Himalayan Mountains as the last challenge for adventure. Mr. Isserman and Mr. Weaver has written a comprehensive history of the conquests of the world's highest peaks. Starting from the competitive nationalist expeditions of this century to the solo attempts of today, the book is clearly written and well-researched, with over 100 pages of documentation and notes. The reader can read as a follow-up Maurice Herzog's "Annapurna" (1952), an epic tale of the French harrowing attempt to be the first to conquest a Himalayan peak.