Annapurna

As an account of heroism, comradeship and self-sacrifice, this is a stunning book. It's inspired generations of climbers. If you're of a macabre turn of mind, it's worth reading for the frostbite scenes alone.
There's just one catch: It isn't really the truth. Beyond simply presenting the viewpoint of one participant, Annapurna involves whitewashing and even, more or less, lies. Dialogue scenes are Herzog's after the fact inventions, and events are manipulated to present a picture of unanimous heroism, with Herzog always in the lead.
I used to recommend this book as a matter of course. Now, I think anyone reading it should read Roberts' True Summit, and the writings of Herzog's team members, as well. That's the only way you'll get any picture of what the first ascent of Annapurna was really like.

I am thinking that the book like this might never come out again. This book must be the best, or at least one of the best about the mankind's extreme mountaineering activities. The French expedition's whole travellings,its great summit attack and harrowing sufferings are still vividly alive in my heart and in my memory. This book is not only about the fact itself - the first conquest of Annanpurna, but also, by far more moving and tears-generating, about the enduring will, the unbelievably impregnable spirits of sacrifice and the utmost overcoming of ordeals, definitely shown by all members in the expedition. They decided to attack the Annapurna-the first conquest of 8,000 meter peak, but under the conditions in the year 1950, when plastic boots, gore-tex gears, even the correct map were not available at all. They had to spend a long, long period even on getting to the Annapurna area and locating the Annapurna itself correctly. We can fully imagine how much difficult it was even to spot the feasible climbing route. Compared to the present mountaineering conditions, it was surely full of ordeals, disaters and anguish. Many of the members in the team had to suffer severely from casualties like frostbite, amputaion and white blindness. Some of them had to have cut their frostbitten limbs, sometimes without necessary medicine, in the tent or even on the roads full of disorders and dust. I should remark with heartful respect the fact that they all acted as one body, more than one family, in helping the seriously wounded get down safely to the bottom from as high as 8,000 meter summit, which is rarely seen nowadays. Very well translated and perfectly written about the whole processes of the expedition's attacking the summit, all members' detailed characters, their thinkings and their minds, and finally their all ordeals and their endless spirits of enduring. This book must be read not only by climbers, also rather by everybody.

I read this book and passed it on some months ago, so while I have had time to digest its overall impact, I have forgotten specific details I could cite. In particular I wish I could quote Herzog's poetic summit musings. This must be left to be rediscovered...what has stayed with me the most is how likeable M. Herzog is. His humorously low-key impressions of avalanche and other disasters seems genuine and is winning. For me this was proven by how I was moved to tears at his account of ghastly frostbite treatments (arterial injections!) and his painful, dreamlike trek out of the Annapurna region. The only flaw of the book worth mention (aside from the mediocre quality of the maps in the edition I had) is that the initial reconnaissance of the expedition in the Dhaulagiri - Annapurna area, and the other preparatory phases of the mission are dull and tend to stall the reading pace. However, once the climbing was on in earnest I was caught! This book definitely belongs in any serious personal library of mountaineering classics.

Kindle edition is missing all of the images which are in the print versions. Really liked the book, but is incomplete without the pictures.

The tale of the first ascent of Annapurna in the Himalayan mountains is as classic as it is fraught with problems. The journey took place in mid-1950 by a team of skilled Frenchmen led by Maurice Herzog who was the expedition leader, and climbing Annapurna would be the first 8,000 meter summit in history and therefore the highest peak reached to date. (Note: Mount Everest would not be summited until 1953 - three years later.)

The account is told from the perspective of the leader and the book's author, Herzog, and details the often routine and dangerous life of mountaineering pioneers in the mid-20th century. Their first objective was to scout out and attempt to scale another eight-thousander, Dhaulagiri, which stood at 8,167 meters. When that mountain proved too difficult and their time running out ahead of the monsoon season, they chose Annapurna, which stood equally formidable at 8,091 meters. Once the team located the best path up the mountain they hurriedly set about establishing the camps and making progress. The summit would be theirs, but not without considerable cost to their health and parts of their bodies succumbing to frostbite. The journey down would be agonizing for those in dire need and most affected by the elements.

My first problem with this book is the writing. Part of that is probably because it's been translated from French fifty years ago and part is probably because I am not a mountaineer and Annapurna was written by one. This story is for those who understand the heart of a climber; others will find it particularly self-absorbed. Another problem with this account, according to other reviewers, is that it is somewhat propaganda and not a true telling of what really happened. Herzog and Lachenal did reach the summit, but not necessarily in the heroic manner depicted in this book.

Annapurna is classic reading in the mountaineering genre, but that's probably because it was one of the first of its kind. It's status represents what it stands for and not what it says.

One of the best books I have read. An incredible, original, first-hand account of one of history's great expeditions.

The book was written during the 1950s in French and reflects the style of its day and the challenges of translation.

It has been criticized for glossing over conflict within the group and for telling the story from only Herzog's perspective. Well, I think those are both pretty obvious characteristics of the book and the reasonably sophisticated reader will look between the lines, realizing that there is always more than one perspective in a story. This is a primary historical source, not a meta-account of the expedition carefully compiled after exhaustive interviews. When read with an educated mindset, it remains a great book.

First and foremost, the topic of the book is of historical significance in the world of climbing, so it's a "must read" if you are into that sort of thing. If you aren't, it's still a great adventure read. Well worth the time. I'm glad I read it and would recommend it to people who enjoy outdoor adventures.

The text itself is written well, flows nicely, and is generally an easy read. I also found it to have a good balance between the characters emotions, the activity of the climb, and local color and flavor.

Something I found interesting was the attitude of Herzog. Granted, this was written in the 50's, but it was intersting to see his attitudes towards the local people. He certainly had a "I'm better than you" attitude towards the local Porters and Sherpas. He also displayed a lot of attitude towards other members of his expedition. At one moment he would be very condescending and critical, then a few pages later he would be singing their praises.

I wish the book had a bigger glossary than it does. I frequently found myself going to the glossary to look up the meaning of a word that was used, and didn't find it. Here, I'm talking about "climbing lingo" and words and phrases that Herzog uses that are relative to the language of the locals in Tibet and India.

I also didn't care for the placement of the photographs. They often didn't follow the text. A picture could preceed or follow the pertinent text by 100 pages, which made for a lot of "page flipping". It would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the photographs before reading the text, so that you know when to go back and find a specific photo.

Outside of this book, I've learned that there is a lot of controversy over what "really" happened and Herzog's attitude and motivations. If you read this book, keep in mind that this isn't necessarily what actually happened, but more of an account of what Herzog wanted you to know. Take most of it with a grain of salt, and do some additional research to get the full picture.

Also, understand that this climb was a "first" at that height, and was using technologies and understanding of altitude at that time. A reader with current climbing knowledge will often read a passage and think to himself "No Kidding, Dummy!", but we know that hindsight is 20/20. Their accomplishment is all the more exciting knowing that things we know and understand today, were unknown to them... and don't forget, they didn't have the high tech equipment that todays climbers have.

This book is so good I never get it back after I have lent it out, hence I am replacing it again! I am especially moved by the outstanding character of the climber. When faced with disaster, pain and the incredible odds against them in this daunting undertaking the writer and his friends maintain true dignity and outstanding bravery. I was moved to tears by this book and have gained a respect for these "old" climbers that has not been exceeded by any other mountaineering adventure books I have read.

Wow! This is one of those real life adventure stories that has you wondering how much more the people can endure before they collapse and die. These guys climbed one of the world's most difficult mountains with old climbing technology. What they lacked in modern equipment, they made up for with strength and fitness. The more I read about mountaineering, the more I agree that it is 75% mental and 25% physical. Being in the best physical condition possible definitely gives you a better opportunity for success on high ground. If you liked this book, I encourage you to read my book "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection". Best wishes on your adventures in life!

I had heard good things about it, but I found it boring.