Everest

It'a a very nice book about about mountains and mountaneering in general. Does not focus only in Everest but all the mountains around the world and its people. A must for all climbers and mountaineers!

Although other reviewers dissed the title as inappropriate to content, "Everest" is a DK Eyewitness book, which means it delves into the subject, including all peripheral topics. In this case: Mountains of the world, the Seven Summits (tallest mountains on all seven continents), mountain features, weather, flora, fauna, people who live(d) in the shadows of the mountains, Gods and myths, mountaineering and peripherals, and Saving the Summits. Where does Everest fit into this spectrum? At the very highest, tallest, biggest, baddest mountain in the world. Thus DK Eyewitness has a logical reason to entitle its book "Everest." It is the epitome of Mountain: living, sporting, climbing, defeating. Although climbing Everest does not begin until page 42, the mountain is actually first included on the title page, but that photo is not labeled until page 10 where it is identified as the tallest summit in Asia. However, Everest is first mentioned on page 6, the first page of text. Do you know that Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii, rises 31,988 feet from its ocean bed, almost 3000 feet higher than Everest at 29,029 feet. Another fact I did not know: Mountain Ranges run thousands of miles on most continents. The Himalayas and Karakoram include the first 67 highest mountains. The 68th highest is Aconcagua in the Andes in Argentina. It stands at 22,835 feet. The highest in North America is Mt. McKinley (20,320 feet) in Alaska and has the coldest summit in the world. It lies just a few degrees below the Arctic Circle. I'm always fascinated by life in adverse conditions. Life on mountains is hardy and thrives in various microclimates found on a mountain's face from bottom and ends where ice and snow are permanent. The clean air of mountain regions provides ideal habitats for lichens, food for sturdy mountain goats. Even red algae can flourish in ice glaciers. Pumas, ptarmigans, eages, black bears, gorillas live in these microclimates. In the European mountains dairy farming, grain cultivation thrives. Then the mountaineering section begins on page 42 and recounts the history of climbers, clothing, equipment, accidents, rescues, climbing techniques, winter sports associated with mountains, and saving the summits concludes the last third of the book. Overall, "Everest," like other DK Eyewitness books is well-worth the price and is an excellent book to peruse for its excellent photographs and fascinating text!