BOOK
FALLEN GIANTS: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from
The Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes by Maurice Isserman,
James L. Ferguson Professor of History and Stewart Weaver,
579 pages. New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 2008. $39.95.
"Strange long-haired youths of dirty aspect with little respect for authority became common sights" (382). As Professor Isserman read this quote to his audience at the Logos Bookstore in New York City on October 27, one would think he was talking about the hippie revolution of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco. On the contrary, the James L. Ferguson Professor of History at Hamilton College was talking about his exciting adventures and his new book on the History of Himalayan Mountaineering, Fallen Giants. Hamilton College alumnus Harris Healy '78 hosted the event at his bookstore along with Co-Presidents of Hamilton's New York Alumni Association Robert Hansmann '82 and Kate Horn '88.
Most of the world is familiar with the Golden Age of Himalayan mountain climbing thanks to the amazing adventures in 1953 of Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, but few know of the intimate stories of those who followed in their daring footsteps trying to reach the Summit of Mount Everest during the years of 1960-1996. An interesting aspect of the book concerns "The Climbing Counterculture." During the sixties, the Beatles and the Grateful Dead were affected by the spiritual writings of the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Book of the Dead; which brought Eastern culture closer to Western culture. Fallen Giants describes a century of extraordinary accounts of courageous climbers who dared to reach K-2. The maps and sketches by Dee Molenaar are helpful in explaining the various routes taken to the Summit. There are historical black and white photographs that compliment these amazing stories. The New York Times Book Review called Fallen Giants "An awe-inspiring work of history and storytelling." Readers don't need climbing experience to enjoy Isserman's book; just a love of adventure and a respect for those who sought to climb the world's highest peaks.
-Rosemarie Moreno P'11
FALLEN GIANTS: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from
The Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes by Maurice Isserman,
James L. Ferguson Professor of History and Stewart Weaver,
579 pages. New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 2008. $39.95.
"Strange long-haired youths of dirty aspect with little respect for authority became common sights" (382). As Professor Isserman read this quote to his audience at the Logos Bookstore in New York City on October 27, one would think he was talking about the hippie revolution of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco. On the contrary, the James L. Ferguson Professor of History at Hamilton College was talking about his exciting adventures and his new book on the History of Himalayan Mountaineering, Fallen Giants. Hamilton College alumnus Harris Healy '78 hosted the event at his bookstore along with Co-Presidents of Hamilton's New York Alumni Association Robert Hansmann '82 and Kate Horn '88.
Most of the world is familiar with the Golden Age of Himalayan mountain climbing thanks to the amazing adventures in 1953 of Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, but few know of the intimate stories of those who followed in their daring footsteps trying to reach the Summit of Mount Everest during the years of 1960-1996. An interesting aspect of the book concerns "The Climbing Counterculture." During the sixties, the Beatles and the Grateful Dead were affected by the spiritual writings of the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Book of the Dead; which brought Eastern culture closer to Western culture. Fallen Giants describes a century of extraordinary accounts of courageous climbers who dared to reach K-2. The maps and sketches by Dee Molenaar are helpful in explaining the various routes taken to the Summit. There are historical black and white photographs that compliment these amazing stories. The New York Times Book Review called Fallen Giants "An awe-inspiring work of history and storytelling." Readers don't need climbing experience to enjoy Isserman's book; just a love of adventure and a respect for those who sought to climb the world's highest peaks.
-Rosemarie Moreno P'11
