The American Alpine Journal

Five LOFTY Stars!! This is Volume 49, Issue 81: the 2007 worldwide 'Journal of Record' for active and armchair mountain climbers. A whole year of monthly climbing magazines can't touch AAJ for completeness with nearly 500 pages of what are often first-person, multi-page descriptions of climbs, expeditions, and surrounding stories from far-flung places such as Antarctica, Alaska, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, the USA, and beyond. Many, but not all, GPS locations, pitch technical descriptions, overall route grades, in-place hardware, 'route-marked' photos, weather difficulties, and other related information on the climb (such as the cleaning of hardware) are here. Some are merely word descriptions. Even notable unsuccessful 'summit-ing' is here because failure under duress is also a part of the big-wall learning experience. The significant achievements in the world of bouldering are not covered. There are in-depth book reviews. Sadly, even those notable climbers who passed away are saluted, like Sue Nott and Charlie Fowler, who disappeared in separate incidents with their respective rope mates on distant peaks. What a diligently compiled book!! Thanks to editor John Harlin III and the American Alpine Club. My Highest Recommendation. Five INSPIRING Stars. (Paperback, 496 pages, with color and black & white photos and some maps)

i've got them all since 1929 and they just keep getting better. 2006 is no exception.