The Eiger Obsession
Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father
- Paperback
320 pages
- Release Date
3 August 2009
Summary
This is an unforgettable story about fathers and sons, climbers and mountains, and dreamers who dare to challenge the earth.
In the 1960s an American named John Harlin II changed the face of Alpine climbing. Harlin successfully summitted some of the most treacherous mountains in Europe. But it was the North Face of the Eiger that became Harlin’s obsession.
John Harlin III was nine years old when his father put together a terrific team for an ill-fated direct ascent of the noto…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780099525141 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0099525143 |
| Author: | John Harlin III |
| Publisher: | Cornerstone |
| Imprint: | Arrow Books Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 3 August 2009 |
| Weight: | 224g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 20mm |
What They're Saying
Critics Review
In his gripping, graceful account of his own attempt on the Eiger some 40 years after his father’s fall in 1966, Harlin elegantly combines a frank biography of his frequently absent parent, “the Blond God”, as he was dubbed by the press, with a vivid memoir of his own childhood. * Sunday Times *
Excellent … Superbly written … John Harlin III has shown a non-specialist public that he can write lucidly and beautifully about mountains and the men and women who live for them, die on them … It deserves to be read * Independent *
At once a tribute to a legendary climber and a celebration of a very personal triumph, this book will captivate the imagination of anyone who reads it. * Booklist *
As close to being a ‘page turner’ as any climbing-related book I’ve read since Touching the Void – Stephen Goodwin * Alpine Journal *
It’s the differences between the father and the son, not the similarities, that infuse this book with such poignant force * Men’s Journal *
About The Author
John Harlin III
John Harlin III is editor of the American Alpine Journal and contributing editor for Backpacker. A former cohost of PBS’s Anyplace Wild, Harlin is a frequent contributor to numerous publications, including Outside magazine. He lives in Hood River, Oregon, and Oaxaca, Mexico, with his wife, Adele Hammond, and their daughter, Siena.
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