All Fourteen 8,000ers | 
 enlarge | Author: Reinhold Messner
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Category: Book
Buy Used: $42.50
Used (5) from $42.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 687064
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 248
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 9.1 x 1
ISBN: 089886660X
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.522092
EAN: 9780898866605
ASIN: 089886660X
Publication Date: November 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: hardcover with dj. clean unmarked text. hardcover and binding strong. dj clean, some edgewear.
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Book Description
Reinhold Messner is recognized as one of the greatest mountaineers of all time. When he reached the 8511-meter summit of Lhotse in Nepal, he became the first man to stand on all 14 of the world's 8000-meter peaks-an unbelievable achievement and a sensation in mountaineering history. What motivated Messner to be so dedicated in pursuit of his goal, despite unbelievable hardships, to keep confronting danger and death, loneliness and self-doubt? What thoughts and feeling occupied him when faced with his inner self and the highest mountains of the world? The answers to these questions can be found in this revealing memoir. Through engaging text and full-color and black-and-white photos, readers will get a glimpse of the preparation, organization, and running of an expedition, and share rare moments on the summits of the world's highest peaks. This updated edition also includes Messner's comments on Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Illustrated with 113 color and 76 black & white photos throughout.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
Great For Reference & Display January 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great reference and probably a must for every mountaineer or fan of mountaineering history's bookshelf or coffee table. Though Reinhold Messner has no shortage of critics, he is still the first man to make it up all the 14 8000m peaks. Hence, this book, with all its beautiful illustrations and photos, is a valuable historical reference.
This book also lacks a lot of the "clutter" that is characteristic of Messner's books. The articles are basically quite straightforward and to the point. There is a fair bit of background information and some digressions, but still very well-edited and organised. Read what interests you and leave the rest. The layout of the book allows the reader to do that.
 The Himalayas - the only stage big enough for Messner's ego... December 30, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Certainly Reinhold Messner is one of the greatest living mountaineers, and his ascents of all 14 8000 meter peaks, and the fact that he did it first, are very inspiring. Has he done all of these peaks in, as he would like the reader to believe, the best style possible? Others have done these climbs as well, perhaps in better style, alpine-style - just take a look at Andy Fanshawe and Stephen Venables "Himalaya Alpine Style", and Messner's accomplishment can be judged in perspective. The Catalans on Annapurna I's Face, Loretan, Troillet, Kukuzcka, Profit, Doug Scott, Alex McIntyre... there have been other climbers pursuing the same goals, with the same style, and Messner was not all that far ahead, and often his routes were not as technically demanding as many other climbers.
He is a fascinating man, with a real ethos about what he does, and how he does it. But the man's ego is just too much often - and he is rather thin skined to boot, so he spends much of the book carping about his critics. And then thre are contributions from teammates, small side-articles, that are also usually a lot of fawning over Messner. The book constantly announces his importance and the uniqueness of the mighty Messner - it gets a bit nauseating after a while. For example, in one part, he describes some Tibetan jewlerey he wears, and how the Tibetans have come to regard him "as one of their own", and come up to touch him. Well, stricly speaking in Tibetan Buddhist concepts, were all are related, we are all one. He takes himself SOOOOOO seriously. The writing, as with most mountaineering books, is stilted, unimaginative, and filled with cliches. But at least you get the insights of a great mountaineer on some of his more interersting climbs - the Gasherbrum traverse, Kanchejunga, etc. The descriptions are all a bit truncated - put that together we the narcissistic qualities that marr the text, and you get an interesting but very uneven read.
 Five Stars for the 14 8Ks December 6, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Messner has provided a valued coffee table expose of his climbing, his life, and his fears.
Color and b/w photos support the storied climbs of Messner. Value is added by the numerous friends and climbing colleagues who add their personal thoughts about Messner, acute descriptions of similar climbs, and a myriad of topics shared by climbers, not all of which are sympathetic to Messner.
Messner's writing style leaves out the fluff, giving the writer only the gut intenseness that is Messner.
A Must Have February 26, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
As usual, Reinhold delivers a facinating glimpse into his life above 8,000 M. I have several of his books now and highly recommend this one. The pictures and illustrations are grand and numerous, with details and historical info about each mountain climbed. Reinhold comments on what happned at Nanga Parbat (very controversial as of late!) and also again about his amazing solo of everest. This book is like an archive! Lots of info and huge mezmerizing photos! Reinhold you are a f*** stud!
Incredible achievement January 3, 2002
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Back in the '70's and early '80's, I eagerly awaited each issue of Mountain Magazine. It was my link to the climbing world. Time after time, a small paragraph or two would appear about another 8,000 meter peak that Messner had summited - all without bottled oxygen, all in exemplary style. The editor of Mountain was no fan of Messners, so the write-ups were overly brief. Still, I knew I was witnessing the work of a master. This book compiles Reinhold's views on his biggest alpine climbs and still, we are sandbagged. What this man and his partners achieved is difficult to fathom two decades later because his impact has been absorbed into the whole. Before Messner, oxygenless attempts on the big mountains had fallen out of style but now, few world class mountaineers would dare consider it's use. Before Messner, huge seige expeditions were the norm but today, many emulate Reinhold's gutty, stripped down approach and the environment has benefitted. Reinhold is the man !
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