To the Summit: Fifty Mountains that Lure, Inspire and Challenge

by Joseph Poindexter, Stacy Allison (Introduction)

Introduction by Stacy Allison, the first American woman to successfully climb Mt. Everest. This wondrous large-format book, full of dramatic full-color spreads and in-depth text, takes armchair adventurers as well as experienced climbers to their heavens--the peaks of the 50 most awe-inspiring mountains in the world. Moving stories of staggering altitudes, the sheer will to survive and the quest for the summits inspire readers with the adventurer's spirit that has put mountain climbing at the height of its popularity. Organized geographically by continent, each chapter covers a different mountain: its history, physical characteristics, route descriptions and famous ascents. Excerpts from detailed accounts of legendary expeditions will thrill and shock readers including Jon Krakauer on the tragic 1996 season on Everest. Includes biographies of Sir Edmund Hillary, Stacy Allison, Chris Bonington and other noted climbers. From Mt. Everest and K2 in the Himalayas to Denali in Alaska, Mt. Rainier in Washington and Mt. Eiger in the Alps, mountains all over the world are captured in vivid color photos from expeditions new and old.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Mountaineering

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 1998

Reviews

[Peter McGinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't notice from the size and weight, this is a heavy, oversized coffee table book. Overall I think it is great. I saw negative comments in reviews about typos and the quality of the pictures, but golly I guess neither of those criticisms jumped out at me as I read the text and took in the pictures. My interest in the various mountains fluctuated a bit, I suppose, perhaps due to the stories accompanying them, but I have other books that talk about climbs on the well-known mountains (Everest, K2, Eiger, Annapurna, etc.) so I appreciate having a resource that discusses so many mountains that I haven't heard about. Heck, I haven't even read all of this yet and may not finish every chapter for months, but I already know this is a keeper in my mountaineering collection.

Because of the ease of shipping books via Media Mail and how slowly the cost of media mail rises, you should be able to buy this heavy book for just $4 or so, the same price as a small paperback. The disadvantage of Media Mail is that it can be soooo sloooow sometimes and even when the shipper has a tracking number, tracking is sporadic. If you are in a hurry or like to know where the book is in the shipping process, upgrade the shipping. But I haven't had a book not show up yet.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures. It's hit and miss. The book is ok.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

To the Summit: 50 Mountains That Lure, Inspire, and Challenge by Joseph Poindexter (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers 1998)(796.522). Organized by continent, armchair readers will thrill to famous ascents, routes, and insider details about the summits of the most famous and most dangerous peaks in mountaineering. My rating: 7/10, finished 2004.