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Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Metre Peak

Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Metre Peak

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  • Create Date：2021-08-21 06:56:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Maurice Herzog
  • ISBN：0099541467
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Summary

One of the finest mountaineering books。 A phenomenal tale of strength and valour。

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOE SIMPSON

In 1950， no mountain higher than 8，000 meters had ever been climbed。 Maurice Herzog and other members of the French Alpine Club resolved to try。 This is the enthralling story of the first conquest of Annapurna and the harrowing descent。 With breathtaking courage and grit manifest on every page， Annapurna is one of the greatest adventure stories ever told。

As well as an introduction by Joe Simpson， this new edition includes 16 pages of photographs， which provide a remarkable visual record of this legendary expedition。

The distinguished French mountaineer Maurice Herzog was leader of the 1950 expedition to Annapurna。 He was one of the two climbers to reach the summit。

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Reviews

Olga Podgayna ，

Inspiring， but sometimes boring。 Before the start， you should expect the real notes， rather than the novel。 But honestly I liked it

Sarokar Parajuli ，

Extraordinary and marvellous 。 What a adventure they had。 Must read book。

Dariusz Nawojczyk ，

Well， it is an old-school book which results in lack of all this modern mountain-oriented drama。 For my corrupted mind seems boring。 But， definitely the story worth knowing。

Beti ，

" W WYSOKICH DOLINACH HIMALAJSKICHJesteśmy w Azji ，w sercu Himalajów ， otoczeni najwyższymi górami świata。Tego ranka，22 kwietnia 1950 roku， łagodne ciepło panuje w dolinie Kali Gandaki;rzeka szumi w oddali。（。。。。。。）Mnie nie dało zasnąć pragnienie ，by ujrzeć miejsca ， o których tak wiele myśleliśmy。"Annapurna pierwszy ośmiotysięcznik zdobyty przez Maurice'a Herzoga oraz Louis'a Lachenala 。Jakim kosztem zdobyty ？ To była ciężka wyprawa z tragarzami ， żeby porozumieć się z drugim obozem ，wysyłało si " W WYSOKICH DOLINACH HIMALAJSKICHJesteśmy w Azji ，w sercu Himalajów ， otoczeni najwyższymi górami świata。Tego ranka，22 kwietnia 1950 roku， łagodne ciepło panuje w dolinie Kali Gandaki;rzeka szumi w oddali。（。。。。。。）Mnie nie dało zasnąć pragnienie ，by ujrzeć miejsca ， o których tak wiele myśleliśmy。"Annapurna pierwszy ośmiotysięcznik zdobyty przez Maurice'a Herzoga oraz Louis'a Lachenala 。Jakim kosztem zdobyty ？ To była ciężka wyprawa z tragarzami ， żeby porozumieć się z drugim obozem ，wysyłało się kuriera 。 Szczyt został zdobyty ，ale jakim kosztem ？？？？Przyznam się szczerze że prawie czułam ten ból ， ja kiedyś przemroziłam tylko dłonie ，a tu przemrożone zostało prawie całe ciało 。 Z jednej strony podziw dla tych ludzi z drugiej strony to czyste szaleństwo 。 Przy schodzeniu z ośmiotysięcznika ，panowie nie mieli łatwo ，krew mi cierpła w żyłach czytając te opisy ， zdarta skóra na odmrożonych rękach ，bolesne zastrzyki i na koniec amputacja bez znieczulenia 。Bolało czytanie tych wspomnień ，bo jakim trzeba być zdeterminowanym człowiekiem żeby poświecić tyle i aż tyle 。 Stracić częściowo lub w całości części rąk czy nóg 。Mocna i wstrząsająca książka ，polecam nie tylko miłośnikom wspinaczki górskiej 。Książka którą ja posiadam została wydana przez Wydawnictwo Iskry w 1960 roku 。 。。。more

Apski ，

quintessential adventure book。 the writing isn't spectacular， but to give this book anything less than 5 stars would feel pedantic and unjust。 what herzog and his expedition did remains an incredible achievement to this day。 conquering annapurna even now requires real skill and technical mountaineering （unlike some other big， commercialised hills in the region。。。 starting with 'e'， perhaps。。。） david lama's （RIP） short documentary on annapurna 3 provides great insight into what it actually takes quintessential adventure book。 the writing isn't spectacular， but to give this book anything less than 5 stars would feel pedantic and unjust。 what herzog and his expedition did remains an incredible achievement to this day。 conquering annapurna even now requires real skill and technical mountaineering （unlike some other big， commercialised hills in the region。。。 starting with 'e'， perhaps。。。） david lama's （RIP） short documentary on annapurna 3 provides great insight into what it actually takes to walk up to the top of such big hills。i could make some snide remark about how reading annapurna is not unlike actually climbing it in that it is laborious and often boring。 the book conscientiously recounts all the minutiae involved in scaling for the first time an 8000m+ peak in 1950 with dubious equipment; that is to say， therefore， that most of the book revolves around food， porters， failed reconnaissance missions， and mail。 but there are moments of brilliant prose and an interesting （though thankfully subtle） undercurrent of classically droll french nihilism。 cracking stuff indeed。 。。。more

Alberto ，

Dictado desde la cama de un hospital， Annapurna es un libro que no fue escrito para disfrute del lector。 Es el testamento de un hombre que lo arriesgó todo para lograr algo inédito en la Historia de la Humanidad: la conquista de un ocho mil。Las primeras cien páginas del libro son tediosas， sumergidas en una infinidad de detalles logísticos en las que Herzog explica cómo descartaron al Dhaulagiri para la gesta y en su lugar eligieron la ruta de ascenso al Annapurna， hasta entonces completamente i Dictado desde la cama de un hospital， Annapurna es un libro que no fue escrito para disfrute del lector。 Es el testamento de un hombre que lo arriesgó todo para lograr algo inédito en la Historia de la Humanidad: la conquista de un ocho mil。Las primeras cien páginas del libro son tediosas， sumergidas en una infinidad de detalles logísticos en las que Herzog explica cómo descartaron al Dhaulagiri para la gesta y en su lugar eligieron la ruta de ascenso al Annapurna， hasta entonces completamente inexplorado。Sin adornos y sin atención al estilo literario， Herzog relata el duro ascenso a la cumbre del Annapurna y el éxtasis tras su conquista。 Sin embargo， resulta mucho más sobrecogedor el tormento que sufrió en el regreso， atravesando glaciares， ríos y bosques mientras sufría las más horrorosas amputaciones por las congelaciones sufridas en el ascenso al Annapurna。Aunque la prosa de Herzog no está a la altura de escritores profesionales como Krakauer， esto queda compensado con creces gracias a la autenticidad del relato。 Las páginas en las que cuenta cómo en la flor de la vida y tras lograr su mayor éxito， en un estado de total desesperación se entrega a la muerte -que no le llegó por suerte y gracias a los cuidados que le prestaron sus compañeros de expedición- son inolvidables。En definitiva， Annapurna es un libro muy recomendable que refleja de manera fiel y auténtica una de las mayores gestas de la Historia。 。。。more

Mariana ，

Цікаво， що 1/3 книги - це про їх спуск， а точніше про операцію по спасінню。 Я не впевнена чи в сьогоднішніх умовах хтось би був готовий на такий тривалий похід і випробування。

Vikas Pathak ，

Must read for those interested in Moutaineering

Emily Jones ，

Slow burn to an intense ending。 Amazing to read what the group was able to accomplish with such limited equipment （such determination and grit）， but doesn't age particularly well。 Still a great read if you are interested in climbing/mountaineering - Herzog's love of the mountains is beautifully told and highly relatable。 Slow burn to an intense ending。 Amazing to read what the group was able to accomplish with such limited equipment （such determination and grit）， but doesn't age particularly well。 Still a great read if you are interested in climbing/mountaineering - Herzog's love of the mountains is beautifully told and highly relatable。 。。。more

Kathryn Neale ，

I think maybe only a mountain climber can appreciate Herzog’s single mindedness about being the first person to summit Annapurna。 I found the first half of the book slow going。 However my guess is that is how climbing is-lots of planning and talking before a climb。 The second half is the ascent and aftermath， which I found riveting。 But I didn’t get the sense that Herzog had any insight into the actual cost to others of his pursuit of this goal。 Maybe the lack of oxygen at that height impaired h I think maybe only a mountain climber can appreciate Herzog’s single mindedness about being the first person to summit Annapurna。 I found the first half of the book slow going。 However my guess is that is how climbing is-lots of planning and talking before a climb。 The second half is the ascent and aftermath， which I found riveting。 But I didn’t get the sense that Herzog had any insight into the actual cost to others of his pursuit of this goal。 Maybe the lack of oxygen at that height impaired his judgment or maybe he didn’t care about the cost to others of his desire to be the first to summit Annapurna。 The actual cost of taking care of him （in dollars and human cost） and getting him off the mountain just seemed absurd to me。 However I was able to get a glimpse into this world of climbing。 。。。more

Anvesh ，

This is an account told of the first summit expedition to Annapurna （first 8000 meter summit） in 1950。 Narrated by Herzog who is one of the two people who summited is a tale of expedition spread over 2-3 month period April-June of 1950。 It was a remarkable feat considering that they had to establish trails， identify route to summit and climb probably one of the most difficult peaks in the world （highest death rate after K2）。 It is a story of perseverance， grit and brotherhood that helped the tea This is an account told of the first summit expedition to Annapurna （first 8000 meter summit） in 1950。 Narrated by Herzog who is one of the two people who summited is a tale of expedition spread over 2-3 month period April-June of 1950。 It was a remarkable feat considering that they had to establish trails， identify route to summit and climb probably one of the most difficult peaks in the world （highest death rate after K2）。 It is a story of perseverance， grit and brotherhood that helped the team scale the first 8k mountain。 It also acknowledges how important the Sherpas were to the success of entire expedition。 There were some areas where author uses "wild" to describe people of Nepal but i believe we should read this from perspective of 1950s rather than applying today's etiquette。 Overall an amazing tale and shows mountaineering is not for the faint hearted。 。。。more

Epp ，

On selliseid raamatuid， mis kõnetavad sind kuidagi nii， et tähtis polegi enam selle raamatu enese sisu， vaid see， mis ta sinu sees avab。 Võibolla tekstina polnudki see teos nii eriline， aga millegipärast vallandas nii palju mõtteid enda sees。 Miks me küll ronime mägede tippu？ Teades， et me pole loodud seal olema。 Teades， et riskime tervisega， eluga。 On see hälve， on see asi， mille üle uhke olla - see mägede vallutamise kihk inimeses？

PijanaPoMalinach ，

。。。"W najgorszych chwilach udręki wydawało mi się， że odkryłem głębokie znaczenie istnienia， którego dotychczas nie byłem świadomy。 Zrozumiałem， że lepiej być lojalnym niż silnym。 Na ciele noszę znamię gehenny。 Zostałem uratowany i zdobyłem wolność。 Ta wolność， której nigdy nie stracę， dała mi pewność i spokój spełnionego człowieka。 Dała mi rzadką radość kochania tego， czego niegdyś nie doceniałem。 Rozpoczęło się dla mnie nowe wspaniałe życie"。。。Annapurna， ten mieszczący się w centralnym Neapolu 。。。"W najgorszych chwilach udręki wydawało mi się， że odkryłem głębokie znaczenie istnienia， którego dotychczas nie byłem świadomy。 Zrozumiałem， że lepiej być lojalnym niż silnym。 Na ciele noszę znamię gehenny。 Zostałem uratowany i zdobyłem wolność。 Ta wolność， której nigdy nie stracę， dała mi pewność i spokój spełnionego człowieka。 Dała mi rzadką radość kochania tego， czego niegdyś nie doceniałem。 Rozpoczęło się dla mnie nowe wspaniałe życie"。。。Annapurna， ten mieszczący się w centralnym Neapolu szczyt mierzy 8091 m n。p。m。 i jest dziesiątym， co do wielkości wierzchołkiem Ziemi。 Choć zaliczany jest do tak zwanych niskich ośmiotysięczników， uznawany jest za jedną z niebezpiecznych gór świata。 Nic więc dziwnego， że wejście na jego szczyt kusi nie jednego wytrawnego himalaistę， jej zdobycie zapewnia nie tylko swego rodzaju prestiż， ale i pewne miejsce na kartach historii。 Jak potwierdzają dane statystyczne do 2007 roku， zarejestrowano 153 ataki szczytowe。 58 z nich skończyło się śmiercią himalaisty。Kiedy w roku 1950 francuska wyprawa pod przewodnictwem Maurice'a Herzoga i Luisa Lachenala wyruszyła w Himalaje， zdobycie Annapurny zdawało się być szczytem marzeń。 Dysponujący prymitywnymi i mało dokładnymi mapami terenu， pozbawieni butli tlenowych i lin wspinaczkowych， o górze i warunkach nań panujących wiedzieli tak naprawdę niewiele。 Urzekająca i intrygująca góra， której zdobycie wymagało nie lada zacięcie， odwagi i hartu ducha。 Oraz szczęścia。A szczęścia ekspedycji nie zabrakło。 Pomimo trudnych warunków atmosferycznych。 licznych problemów psycho-fizycznych w dniu 3 czerwca 1950 roku ekipie udało się zdobyć szczyt i pomyślnie z niego wrócić。 W wyniku odmrożeń Herzog stracił jednak wszystkie palce u nóg i większość u rąk。 Dzięki zawziętości himalaisty， szczyt Annapurny przestał być przysłowiowym lądem dziewiczym， a jego nazwisko na trwałe zapisało się na kartach historii。Książkę czyta się dziś jako rozczulająco anachroniczne świadectwo minionej epoki， jak pomnik wystawiony pierwszym zdobywcom gór najwyższych。 Tekst wzbogacony jest licznymi fotografiami， które świetnie oddają atmosferę opowieści， ukazują piękno i grozę Himalajów。 Lodowce， seraki i granie dokumentują dokonania pierwszych zdobywców， a także pokazują ich cierpienie po dokonaniu tego， co w latach pięćdziesiątych XX wieku wydawało się ludziom niewykonalne。Lektura "Annapurny" skłania do refleksji nad tym， jak wiele jesteśmy w stanie poświęcić， oddając się w pełni swojej pasji。 Czy kalectwo， widmo niepełnosprawności do końca życia nie jest zbyt wysoką ceną za dokonanie niewyobrażalnego？ "Każdy ma swoją Annapurnę" - tak na to pytanie odpowiadał Herzog。Naprawdę polecam i nie tylko miłośnikom gór！！！ 。。。more

Evan ，

In the fog of war， as they say， the first casualty is the truth。 And then there's that age-old question: "What is truth？"In recounting battles， human struggles involving multiple and shifting individual perspectives -- from individuals focused intensely on their own pains， goals， survival fears and tunnel visions -- which of their accounts best tell a tale？ This perpetual conundrum， it seems， applies just as equally to the avocation of mountaineering， typically a group activity where humans are In the fog of war， as they say， the first casualty is the truth。 And then there's that age-old question: "What is truth？"In recounting battles， human struggles involving multiple and shifting individual perspectives -- from individuals focused intensely on their own pains， goals， survival fears and tunnel visions -- which of their accounts best tell a tale？ This perpetual conundrum， it seems， applies just as equally to the avocation of mountaineering， typically a group activity where humans are struggling to conquer in the face of great suffering。 When you're struggling up a vertical ice glacier， trying merely to keep a toe hold and not fall to your death， can you see much of what's going on around you？ After the famous disaster on Mt。 Everest in 1996， a slew of books from different participants on that fatal tragedy all presented their own takes; different fingers pointed different ways。 Who were the heroes and who were the villains depended on which witness you asked。 One， as a reader， has to consider the kaleidoscope through different prisms to settle on one's own version of what happened。For decades， this Ur-text of the mountaineering literature， Annapurna。。。 by French mountaineering leader， Maurice Herzog， was the only book about the famous 1950 expedition and successful summiting of Annapurna in the Himalayan range， the first conquest of an 8，000-meter peak in history。 It told the story entirely from Herzog's view， with his prejudices， his self-serving motivations， his perspective on what it meant to climb and to relate to others， both his French companions and the "backward" locals。 The book held generations of mountaineering aspirants in thrall。 In the days before mountaineering books became as common as vampire romances， there wasn't much to choose from， and this book held sway among the sparse pickings。 It's easy to see why it made such an impression。 It's flavorful， highly detailed， sometimes exciting， often banal in the way that detailed things can be， occasionally wryly humorous， and variable in its quality。 Herzog can be a poet one minute and a dullard the next。 As a non-writer， he did pretty well， all told。Years later， controversy emerged as historians， mountaineers and others affiliated with the Herzog expedition began to discount large parts of his story。 Much of it seems to center around Herzog taking too much credit for things other people did， or for being a less chivalrous leader than he depicted himself to be。 The recent book， True Summit purports to deflate some of these alleged myths and offer a more balanced account of the adventure。 Until I've read it， I can't proffer a judgment。 I can only work with the book at hand。Reading this， Herzog seems to take great pains to be charitable and fair to his companions。 Maybe this is a kind of bluster or false humility， but I can't quite see it。 I'm not gonna lie， the first half of the book is a bit of a slog。 After awhile， the details of traversing this pass or that pass become kind of generic。 Herzog's crew wandered into virgin territory for Western men; the maps they were using sucked and they had no idea where they were or how to actually get to Annapurna。 Their first plan to scale the even-taller Dhaulagiri I， was thwarted by their failure to find a feasible approach， necessiting a shift toward Annapurna。 All this mucking about caused them to lose so much time that by the time they'd found a way to Annapurna they were too far behind schedule， and the monsoon season they feared was only days away。 This， as it happened， turned out to be a big problem。The second half of the book is best。 The actual climb up Annapurna and the even more hazardous descent， that led to severe frostbite and the sacrifice of a lot of fingers and toes to amputation and painful treatments at crude field hospitals， is the best prose in the book。The book can't escape the casual racism common to Western accounts of other lands and peoples， though Herzog does often express sensitivity， particularly to the religious ceremonies。 That doesn't obviate some fairly cringe-inducing periodisms。 At one point， Herzog seems a bit too taken by an adolescent mountain girl， hanging around to comb her hair and remark on her beauty。 Hey， they call him Maurice， the Pompatus of love。。。Still， in all， I can't discount the courage of these guys。 Herzog， a French partisan in World War II， was working with men hardy from the war， and their use of terms like "assault" and "attack" in surmounting their obstacles seems understandable and appropriate。 This insane pursuit is a kind of warfare， not far from a suicide mission。 After surviving Nazi occupation， there's a certain poignancy to stalwart men wanting to live life this large。The most interesting takeaway from this account， perhaps， is the working out of the logistics of a large-party climb up a world-class Himalayan peak。 There were no good maps， no established trails， no pitons left in the rocks and ice by any previous parties。 These guys were working completely from scratch。 No Euros had attempted this before， and there was no blueprint， no known dos and don'ts established for such missions: how to divvy up the loads， what was actually essential to take in the heavy packs， how to utilize the Sherpas， where and how often to set up intermediate camps， how long to acclimatize at these heights， whether to risk climbing under severe time constraints or sit it out， etc。 Everything， including the gear， was untested in this scenario。 The waxing and waning of each man's endurance demonstrates the difficulty in getting all hands in sync at any given time。Oddly enough some of the best writing in this has nothing to do with mountaineering， as toward the end of the book when the sickly Herzog refuses to take nourishment and his companions chide him into eating protein-rich kidneys to get his strength up。 These little moments really add flavor to the account; no pun intended。 Herzog even injects a bit of gallows humor as his fingers are being hacked off， which takes the French attitude of c'est la vie to a whole new level。A question is， does this mountaineering book hold up， now that great writers like Jon Krakauer and Robert Macfarlane have written on the subject in their inimitable ways？ Perhaps not， and I'd even hesitate to call it essential at this point， but it's worth the doing if you have an abiding interest in the history of mountaineering。EG-KR@KY 2021 。。。more

Kris Karim ，

Can’t wait for the movie adaptation。

Clara Mazzi ，

Ah， Herzog che si accende una bella sigaretta， come prima cosa， quando arriva ad un campo base… Herzog che si fa la barba ogni due giorni， perché… perché si fa così， nel 1950 anche se stai scalando un 8000… Questi sono i dettagli che rilevano quanto i tempi siano cambiati – questi sono i dettagli che ho adorato。Una bella storia vera。 Alla Walter Bonatti， dove alpinismo， scoperta e sofferenza （non potrebbe essere Bonatti， senza！） si mescolano insieme。 Una vicenda che in qualche modo comincia a ch Ah， Herzog che si accende una bella sigaretta， come prima cosa， quando arriva ad un campo base… Herzog che si fa la barba ogni due giorni， perché… perché si fa così， nel 1950 anche se stai scalando un 8000… Questi sono i dettagli che rilevano quanto i tempi siano cambiati – questi sono i dettagli che ho adorato。Una bella storia vera。 Alla Walter Bonatti， dove alpinismo， scoperta e sofferenza （non potrebbe essere Bonatti， senza！） si mescolano insieme。 Una vicenda che in qualche modo comincia a chiudere coi libri di alpinismo “vecchio stampo”， cioè quelli dove le riflessioni dell’alpinista sono praticamente assenti perché è la scoperta， è l’azione che la fa da padrona， lasciando spazio （ma ancora poco） alle riflessioni personali。 Ma è giusto così: quando la squadra francese partì per l’Annapurna， andava scoperto tutto e così la prima parte del libro è avventura – ma mi è piaciuta di più di quelli di Shifton， per esempio， che si concentrava sempre ed unicamente sui paesaggi e sulle difficoltà delle vie da aprire mentre Herzog bilancia bene sia la parte di scoperta che quella dei suoi protagonisti e quindi （se si conosce qualcosa di loro） è bello vedere Lionel Terray， Louis Lachenal e Gaston Rébuffat （che squadra！） in azione， tutti insieme， sentire le loro battute， i loro scherzi， le loro imprecazioni。 Ma è la seconda parte del libro e quindi della vicenda， quella della discesa e del lunghissimo rientro in condizioni terribili sia perché Herzog e Lachenal stavano malissimo per i congelamenti alle mani e ai piedi ma anche per le difficoltà intrinseche del percorso， ricoperto in gran parte sotto le piogge torrenziali del monsone che la fa da padrona: le operazioni del medico， apprese durante la seconda guerra mondiale， e che applica in quei campi ancora alti per cercare di salvare il più possibile sia Herzog che Lachenal; il dolore fisico tremendo per quelle cure e il dolore per capire che comunque si sarebbe arrivati a casa mutali; la paura di affrontare una nuova vita con dei moncherini; e poi quel monsone incessante che li incalzava， che li infradiciava e quella strada infinita per arrivare alla civiltà che durò quasi tre mesi perché procedevano con estrema lentezza， visto che Herzog e Lachenal andavano trasportati a spalla e non c’erano né mezzi di trasporto o di soccorso nel 1950。In questo mi ha ricordato la storia di Joe Simpson， “La morte sospesa” perché lo stesso si può dire anche della sua storia: è la parte del rientro che resta ancora più impresso che l’impresa （anche perché， nel caso di Simpson， non c’era poi stata nessun arrivo in vetta， né si trattava di una qualche prima via）。 Forse un alpinista moderno avrebbe sfruttato di più la pena per imbastirne delle riflessioni sul senso dell’impresa， su come affrontare la vita prendendola da un altro angolo， in breve， su come Herzog sia riuscito a riprendersi dopo una durissima convalescenza di circa un anno in cui， lo dice lui stesso， spesso avrebbe voluto o preferito morire。 Herzog invece fa solo qualche accenno di riflessione （e in quella sobrietà di parole， sono già molto commoventi） ma sia per il contesto storico， che per indole o per formazione， di più non dice。 Ma quel poco è stato sufficiente per entrarmi molto dentro。 Un bel libro anche se datato e che in qualche modo mi frena sul giudizio incerto e negativo su Herzog che mi ero fatta dopo quel libro （terribile！） scritto dalla Catherine de Baecque。 。。。more

William Altmann ，

As many have said， this is one of the classics of mountaineering books！ When one remembers that this took place in 1950， only 5 years after WW2 ended， it's amazing the rather naive approach， the hubris in tackling what they imagined was just a "larger Alpine mountain"， and the nationalism that went into the effort。Herzog's style of writing compels the reader to race to the end。 It's exciting， and you begins to feel as if you are actually on the mountain with him。 As many have said， this is one of the classics of mountaineering books！ When one remembers that this took place in 1950， only 5 years after WW2 ended， it's amazing the rather naive approach， the hubris in tackling what they imagined was just a "larger Alpine mountain"， and the nationalism that went into the effort。Herzog's style of writing compels the reader to race to the end。 It's exciting， and you begins to feel as if you are actually on the mountain with him。 。。。more

Joseph Benentt ，

I thought that this book was pretty good。 Sometimes it got pretty boring and felt like a slow-read， but other than that I think this was a very good book to read。 I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the history of 8000 meter climbs and to anybody that wants to read an inspiring， adventurous story。 It was interesting reading about how they had to create their own maps， basically， and experience something that nobody before them had。 It is cool to think about being i I thought that this book was pretty good。 Sometimes it got pretty boring and felt like a slow-read， but other than that I think this was a very good book to read。 I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the history of 8000 meter climbs and to anybody that wants to read an inspiring， adventurous story。 It was interesting reading about how they had to create their own maps， basically， and experience something that nobody before them had。 It is cool to think about being in their shoes as the expedition goes on and the challenges they had to discover and push through。 I am having a great time reading and learning from this book and hope that you will too。 。。。more

Stuart Marcy ，

An excellent tale of exploration and adventure， with occasional meditations on human nature and the drive to achieve ones dreams。 Once in a while you have to overlook a dated turn of phrase of the mid-century white alpha male of empire variety。

Jelena Shipton ，

Beautifully written。 Magical。 I read it before I knew about the controversy regarding Herzog's leadership。 Beautifully written。 Magical。 I read it before I knew about the controversy regarding Herzog's leadership。 。。。more

Jake Crozier ，

（4）

Brooks ，

I liked the part about climbing the mountain， less so the part about slowly having all your fingers and toes cut off。 Casual racism （of the time？） was a bit glaring， reading it 70 years later， but it seems like a lot of Himalayan Expeditions are still like that。

Lukas Gräf ，

Incredible account of the first summit by humans above 8，000 meter， crazy to think they were smoking cigarettes and using 1950s technology while doing it。 I would have wished to hear a few more opinions of the other expedition participants， since it becomes quite focused on Herzog alone to the end。 Also， what was their lives like after they returned to Paris？ Did any of them go back to the Himalaya for other expeditions？

Helena ，

denne var ganske rett fram， enkel og forstå， og wow eg las pensum ei halv veke før tida igjen？

Andrew Y。 ，

Considered one of the classics of mountaineering books， I finally got around to reading it。 I found the story to be interesting and compelling， however the focus on logistics and details made it a bit difficult to stay engaged。 Overall a good book and I'm glad to have read it。 Considered one of the classics of mountaineering books， I finally got around to reading it。 I found the story to be interesting and compelling， however the focus on logistics and details made it a bit difficult to stay engaged。 Overall a good book and I'm glad to have read it。 。。。more

A Nikhil ，

Self flourishing narrative indeed。Author seems to give ZERO fuck about others。It's always about 'I' not 'WE'Maurice Herzog conquered the mighty Annapurna with partner Lachenal。 If you google the climb you wouldn't find his partner's name in achievement！But if you put controversy aside it's great read。。。 Self flourishing narrative indeed。Author seems to give ZERO fuck about others。It's always about 'I' not 'WE'Maurice Herzog conquered the mighty Annapurna with partner Lachenal。 If you google the climb you wouldn't find his partner's name in achievement！But if you put controversy aside it's great read。。。 。。。more

Sally C ，

I love mountaineering books because the people who risk their lives climbing these dangerous mountains fascinate me。 And to have done so in the 1950s with less equipment？ I can't even imagine。 Knowing the race between countries at the time to be the first， post-WW2， to reach the peak of a 8，000 meter mountain， this story becomes even more enticing。 Be warned this narrative is written by a Frenchman born in 1919 so his portrayals of native cultures and people （who played a large role in this expe I love mountaineering books because the people who risk their lives climbing these dangerous mountains fascinate me。 And to have done so in the 1950s with less equipment？ I can't even imagine。 Knowing the race between countries at the time to be the first， post-WW2， to reach the peak of a 8，000 meter mountain， this story becomes even more enticing。 Be warned this narrative is written by a Frenchman born in 1919 so his portrayals of native cultures and people （who played a large role in this expedition） will not be in accordance with our modern sensibilities。 That's the nicest way I can put it。 Read this book， and then read True Summit as a companion to hear two sides of the story。 I had no idea until I started looking up the various characters from this memoir that there is some controversy surrounding it。 。。。more

Susan Kasza ，

I know this is a true story， so some of my critiques are of the expedition， not the book itself。 I think it’s pretty crappy that so many people risked their lives to go on this expedition， and only the leader and one person he picked got to summit。 Did the others know they were just going along to prop up his dream？ It seems like once they reached the summit， they forgot they were elite mountaineers， as the story of the descent from the very top is nothing like the competent， professional ascent I know this is a true story， so some of my critiques are of the expedition， not the book itself。 I think it’s pretty crappy that so many people risked their lives to go on this expedition， and only the leader and one person he picked got to summit。 Did the others know they were just going along to prop up his dream？ It seems like once they reached the summit， they forgot they were elite mountaineers， as the story of the descent from the very top is nothing like the competent， professional ascents of the days previous。At the end of the book， I would have liked more of a wrap-up。 How much permanent damage did Herzog and Lachenal end up with？ Were they able to keep parts of their hands and feet？ Were they able to hike or climb in the mountains again？ And did they think it was worth it？ 。。。more

Santa Laurinovica ，

An exciting book about alpinism and people's bravery， but after reading a lot of side stories about this expedition and knowing the danger and anxciety level that this sport brings， seems a little bit too positively edited。 An exciting book about alpinism and people's bravery， but after reading a lot of side stories about this expedition and knowing the danger and anxciety level that this sport brings， seems a little bit too positively edited。 。。。more

Skyeofskynet ，

Ugh。Okej， czytając zdawałam sobie sprawę， że to książka napisana w 1951 roku， a więc powinnam przymknąć oko na pewne rzeczy。 Jak rasizm， wyższość białego człowieka， takie tam。To jednak książka o zdobyciu pierwszego ośmiotysięcznika w historii， co samo w sobie jest fascynujące， bo wspinacze musieli najpierw znaleźć samą górę。 Przetrzeć szlak， gdy okazało się， że mapy są całkowicie niezgodne z rzeczywistością。 Wyznaczyć trasę i jeszcze tam wejść。I do pewnego momentu to się czyta dobrze。 Ale potem Ugh。Okej， czytając zdawałam sobie sprawę， że to książka napisana w 1951 roku， a więc powinnam przymknąć oko na pewne rzeczy。 Jak rasizm， wyższość białego człowieka， takie tam。To jednak książka o zdobyciu pierwszego ośmiotysięcznika w historii， co samo w sobie jest fascynujące， bo wspinacze musieli najpierw znaleźć samą górę。 Przetrzeć szlak， gdy okazało się， że mapy są całkowicie niezgodne z rzeczywistością。 Wyznaczyć trasę i jeszcze tam wejść。I do pewnego momentu to się czyta dobrze。 Ale potem jest już tylko ból dupy， męskie braterstwo， cierpienie， opisy amputacji， które radośnie omijałam， patetyczny styl i jeden wielki wyrzyg wszystkiego。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Metre Peak

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Metre Peak&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Metre Peak&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0