Hermann Buhl: Climbing Without Compromise [Hardcover]

Reinhold Messner (Author), Horst Hofler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

An in-depth biography of one of this century's most inspiring climbers.

A legendary German climber, Hermann Buhl was the first man to summit Nanga Parbat. His account of that climb, Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage (see page X), remains a mountaineering classic, and Buhl himself continues to inspire today's mountaineers. This biography, written by Reinhold Messner and journalist and mountaineer Horst Hfler, includes material from Buhl's previously unavailable diaries, as well as interviews with Buhl's family and climbing partners, and essays and commentary by Messner, Hfler, and Buhl's own daughter. The book covers Buhl's childhood and development as a climber, his ascent of Nanga Parbat, his disappearance on Broad Peak (which he climbed with Kurt Diemberger), plus later views of his accomplishments.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866782
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866780
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars -a solid addition to the mountaineering literature, June 6, 2001

By 

"maguzza" (eastern United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hermann Buhl: Climbing Without Compromise (Hardcover)

Hermann Buhl was one of the greatest mountain climbers of the last century and this book consists primarily of excerpts from his climbing diaries, starting from his earliest climbs as a teenager in the Dolomites, continuing through his major triumphs, including, of course, the conquest of Nanga Parbat that made him world famous, and ending with his ill-fated attempt on Chogolisa. There are also several biographical essays, including contributions by his daughter and a long-time climbing friend, and many of the diary excerpts are accompanied by further editorial details about the circumstances of the climbs. The ugly politics that were involved in the Nanga Parbat climb and their effect on Buhl are also discussed in the commentaries.

Although it is not as detailed an account of Buhl's climbing life as "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage", this newer book has several advantages over Buhl's autobiography. The perspectives offered by the third-party commentators are very useful. There is a full description of Buhl's final climbs and untimely death. "Climbing Without Compromise" is nicely illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs that make a great contribution (although the story would be easier to follow in places with the addition of some maps). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, one gets to read Buhl's story in his own words. According to the editors Messner and Höfler, Kurt Maix, the editor of "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage", re-wrote considerable portions of Buhl's text using far more flowery and poetic language than Buhl himself would have chosen. In any event, the two books, while overlapping to a degree, do complement each other as well. (And where there is repetition, the English-language reader will benefit from having access to two translations.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific way to get to know a legend, August 22, 2005

By 

Eric Kassan (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hermann Buhl: Climbing Without Compromise (Hardcover)

Hermann Buhl: Climbing Without Compromise does a great job of engaging the reader on several levels. Firstly, the photos are absolutely stunning. I've seen books with only photos, not as good as those included here, that retail for more than this book. The second way this book engages readers is through the well-told story of one of the most interesting characters in mountaineering history. Finally, and perhaps best of all, by using extensive source material from Hermann Buhl directly, this book actually comes across as a personal introduction to the legend, Hermann Buhl, himself.