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Michelle Wildgen: IMG A Few Initial and Not-Comprehensive Meditations on Group Novels



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Into Thin Air

by Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air Cover

Staff Pick

My "to read" list is long as it is, so I usually put off reading bestsellers until (a) the hype dies down and used copies start to become available or (b) someone chastises me for not having read something that came out forever ago. And so it was that 10 years after its release, I finally got around to reading Into Thin Air. Turns out the hype was justified. Krakauer's personal account of the deadliest season in Everest's climbing history is, hands down, one of the most riveting, harrowing, and thoughtfully written books I have read. I cannot recommend it enough.
Recommended by Tove, Powell's City of Books

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10,1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds...

Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step by step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has his readers shaking on the edge of their seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is is about Everest that has compelled so many poeple--including himself--to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense?

Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.

Review:

"Into Thin Air ranks among the great adventure books of all time . . . a book of rare eloquence and power that could remain relevant for centuries."

--Galen Rowell, The Wall Street Journal

From the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jon Krakauer is a part-time mountaineer and a full-time writer. He is a contributing editor at Outside magazine and writes for many national magazines and newspapers. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780385492089
Introduction:
Krakauer, Jon
Author:
Krakauer, Jon
Author:
Krakauer, Jon
Publisher:
Random House
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Specific Groups
Subject:
Adventure
Subject:
Essays & Travelogues
Subject:
Mountaineering
Subject:
Everest, mount (china and nepal)
Subject:
Mountaineering accidents
Subject:
Mountaineering accidents -- Everest, Mount (China and Nepal).
Subject:
gountaineering expeditions -- Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)
Subject:
Special Interest - Adventure
Copyright:
Edition Description:
1st Anchor Books ed.
Publication Date:
April 1998
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbou
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
416
Dimensions:
6.92x4.21x1.14 in. .43 lbs.

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