K2, The Savage Mountain

From Library Journal
Houston and Bates were the first Americans to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain peak. Such an endeavor is remarkably dangerous even now, but reading of the use of equipment as simple as woolen mittens, canvas and wood packs, etc., illustrates the braveryDor perhaps foolhardinessDof such an undertaking then. Five Miles High covers their first climb in 1938 (this account was published a year later), while 1954's K2 chronicles the 1953 climb, which proved far more difficult. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times
Here is a great story, simply and grippingly told, which the glory of Everest should not be allowed to obscure.


Book Description
K2, the second highest peak in the world, is generally regarded as the most difficult and dangerous of all mountains. This is the dramatic story of the 1953 American expedition that was dealt a combination of terrible storms and illness, which stopped the climbers short of summit. It is the story, renowned in the annals of climbing, of how they made it back to safety after tragedy struck on the descent. K2, The Savage Mountain captures this sensational tale with an unmatched power that has earned this book its place as one of the classics of mountaineering literature.


From the Back Cover
K2, the second highest peak in the world, is generally regarded as the most difficult and dangerous of all mountains. This is the dramatic story of the 1953 American expedition when a combination of terrible storms and illness stopped them short of the summit. Then on the descent, tragedy struck, and how they made it back to safety is renowned in the annals of climbing. K2-The Savage Mountain captures this sensational tale with an unmatched power that has earned this book its place as one of the classics of mountaineering literature. (51/2 X 81/4, 336 pages, b&w photos, maps, illustrations)



About the Author
Charles Houston and Robert Bates organized the American expeditions to K2 in 1938 and 1953. Houston, a doctor of internal medicine, teaches at the University of Vermont. Bates, a past president of the American Alpine Club, received his doctorate in English and taught at Phillips Exeter Academy.


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Houston and Bates were the first Americans to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain peak. Such an endeavor is remarkably dangerous even now, but reading of the use of equipment as simple as woolen mittens, canvas and wood packs, etc., illustrates the bravery--or perhaps foolhardiness--of such an undertaking then. Five Miles High covers their first climb in 1938 (this account was published a year later), while 1954's K2 chronicles the 1953 climb, which proved far more difficult. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\


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