Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1199 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 293 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Into Thin Air is a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions.

Synopsis
This is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.

From the Publisher
Other books by Jon Krakauer
Readers might like to know that there are two other books by Jon Krakauer currently available. Into The Wild (according to Paul Theroux 'a fascinating story of idealism, fantasy and the dark side of the wilderness experience) is a Macmillan hardcover price £14.99, coming in Pan paperback in March 1999 at £5.99 and Eiger Dreams, a riveting collection of Jon Krakauer's writings on mountaineering is currently available in Pan paperback at £5.99

Customer Reviews

A very personal account.
Because this is such a personal account, I would suggest that those who criticize it for being one sided are wide of the mark. Krakauer himself acknowledges the difficulty he had in remembering accurately and in comparing his memories with those of others. Much of what he is recalling happened when he and others were suffering from severe exhaustion, oxygen deprivation and altitude sickness. He also admits that writing this book was a cathartic exercise for him, which has resulted in his readers being less well served than they should have been. Yes, he criticizes others and questions their actions and motives, but he is also hard on himself, and he does recount the heroic deeds of others (such as Anatoli Boukreev) as well as their questionable ones. I suppose that for the sake of completeness it would be interesting to read Boukreev's account, but not essential. This book stands on its own.

And what a book it is! I would defy anyone, be they an experienced climber or someone with no no previous interest in mountaineering, to put it down once begun. This is the antidote to all of those coffee table books that present only the benign, picturesque face of Everest. From the squalid conditions on the walk-in and at base camp to the harrowing climax in the death zone, I was struck by the honesty of this book. The characters involved are also well drawn, though some may not like the way Krakauer paints them. There are some great climbers who are not good enough writers to do justice to their exploits. Krakauer would not count himself as a great Himalayan mountaineer, and would perhaps question whether his trip to Everest in 1996 was worth while at all. Nevertheless, his ability to write about his experiences makes this book a very worth while read.

Summit Fever on Everest
A gripping account of summit fever. Hopefully the days of extreme tourism and queues at the Hilary Step are long gone. But I doubt it.

Gripping!
I bought this for my holiday a couple of days ago and made the mistake of opening it - finished it before holiday has even started! It is a gripping story well told. I don't know about apportioning blame etc but I thought he gave a pretty balanced view, in that he comes across as a thoughtful and fairminded person. Brilliant read - just need a replacement now!