Synopses & Reviews
The Himalayas are home to the 14 greatest mountains on the planetand#8212;each towering over 26,246 feet. In breathtaking images and panoramic mountain maps, Himalaya marks the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's landmark ascent of Everest, as well as the 50th anniversary of the first successful American expedition. It examines the region's geographical origins, peoples, and discovery by the West, along with heroic pioneering ascentsand#8212;including K2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotseand#8212;and new frontiers, routes, and mountaineering techniques.and#160;Includes contributions from the world's preeminent mountaineers and alpine writers including Stephen Venables, Mick Conefrey, Peter Gillman, Stewart Weaver, and Amanda Faber as well as legendary passages from the likes of Maurice Herzog, Edmund Hillary, and Hermann Buhl. A series of 20 brand-new and#8220;vulture's eye'and#8221;panoramic mountain maps bring the world's highest peaks, and the routes by which they were conquered, into sharp focus for the very first time.and#160;
Synopsis
In breathtaking images and panoramic mountain maps, Himalaya marks the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's landmark ascent of Everest, as well as the 50th anniversary of the first successful American expedition. It examines the region's geographical origins, peoples, and discovery by the West, along with heroic pioneering ascentsand#8212;including K2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotseand#8212;and new frontiers, routes, and mountaineering techniques.
Synopsis
At some 1500 miles long and 250 miles at its widest, the Himalaya range is home to the fourteen greatest mountain peaks on the planet each of which towers over 8,000 metres. Celebrated by the region's early ancient kingdoms, many of these peaks remain sacred in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions and have additionally inspired western explorers and adventurers for some 300 years.
Himalaya examines the geographical origins of the region, its earliest peoples and the onward western discovery and exploration commencing with the Jesuits, progressing through myriad nineteenth century gentlemen surveyors, culminating in Edmund Hilary and Tensing Norgay's ascent of Everest in 1953 and continuing to the present day with extreme mountaineers and adventure tourists. However the book does not solely deal with the attempts to summit the majestic Everest. Its broader brief, and chronological structure, allows the inclusion of narrative and journal extracts from the equally heroic pioneering ascents of Himalayan peaks including K2 (1954), Nanga Parbat (1953), Annapurna (1950), Kangchenjunga (1955), and Lhotse (1956) as well as subsequent new frontiers, peaks, routes and mountaineering techniques.
The volume includes specially commissioned pieces where legendary climbers reflect on their intrepid experiences and heroism on the highest mountains on earth. These accounts are set beside stunning commissioned cartography, historical photographs, newly shot stills of ephemera and artifacts as well as the most recent Himalayan work from some of the world's leading adventure photographers.
About the Author
Writer and historian Philip Parker is former publisher of the
Times books list. He was responsible for Conway's
The Great Trade Routes,
The Times History of the World, and numerous titles on ancient civilizations. He is also the author of
The Empire Stops Here (Pimlico), a book acclaimed as and#8220;engagingand#8221; (
Financial Times), and#8220;awe-inspiringand#8221; (
The Scotsman), and and#8220;a quite breathtaking and eccentric edifice of scholarshipand#8230; extraordinaryand#8221; (the
Guardian).