Product Description

The first publication in the English language of the autobiography of one of the world’s most well known adventurers: Heinrich Harrer who died early in 2006.
Best known in book circles for his bestsellers Seven Years in Tibet (1953) and The White Spider (1958), this book brings to life those and his many other adventures.
Heinrich Harrer, traveller, explorer and mountaineer led one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century.
He famously spent Seven Years in Tibet (made into the film in 1997 starring Brad Pitt as Harrer himself) and was tutor, mentor and a lifelong friend of the Dalai Lama.
He made the first ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger in 1938 (told in his book The White Spider). The Eigerwand had been a scene of carnage in the years preceding Harrer’s success - an achievement partly overshadowed by the perennial debate over the extent to which the climbers were ‘sponsored’ by the Nazis.
In this dramatic autobiography he brings to life all of his adventures, from the early days of climbing in the Alps, through his time in Tibet, to his later expeditions including exploring the Congo with the King of Belgium and travels to remote parts of Asia, South America and Africa.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #206714 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 511 pages

Synopsis
Heinrich Harrer, traveller, explorer and mountaineer led one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. He famously spent Seven Years in Tibet (made into the film starring Brad Pitt) and was tutor, mentor and a lifelong friend of the Dalai Lama. He made the first ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger (told in his book "The White Spider") and summited unclimbed peaks in Alaska, the Himalaya and South America. In this dramatic autobiography, he brings to life all of his adventures, from the early days of climbing in the Alps, through his time in Tibet, to his later expeditions including exploring the Congo with the King of Belgium and travels to remote parts of Asia, South America and Africa.

Customer Reviews

Beyond the conventional
A classic account of the life of a remarkable man. Harrer was fortunate to live in a time when there were still areas of the world that were blank on the map. This inspirational book tells the fascinating story of a lifetime dedicated to the exploration of some of those regions. The German edition of the book sold over 60,000 copies.

Exciting page turning autobiography
This book is an exciting page turning autobiography of one the worlds most well known and controversial explorers. Harrer talks about all of his adventures during lis long life. He controversially puts his side of the story about his Nazi and SS membership in 1938/9 after his success of climbing the North Face of the Eiger. He talks about candidly his Seven Years in Tibet revealing many aspects not previously talked about in his previous books. Harrer had a great number of adventures after his time in Tibet that most people have no idea of. He went mountaineering in Alaska and the Andes, explored the Amazon, and the Congo with King Leopold of Belgium, went to West New Guinea where he made the first ascent of the 5000m Cantenz Pyramid, made the first crossing of Borneo and many more. What an amazing life!