Villard Trade Paperback with 291 pages. Colored & Black/White Photo's and B/W illustrations. Picture on back of book is: Late April, 1996, Mt. Everest Base Camp: Rob Hall's team poses for a group portrait at 17,600 feet in front of a Buddhist altar shortly before the ill-fated summit push.
Into Thin Air
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More About the Author
Jon Krakauer is the author of Under the Banner of Heaven, Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild, and Into Thin Air and is editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
205 of 217 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I first read "Into Thin Air" right after it was first published five years ago. It haunted me at the time, and it continues to do so today. By now, the story has been told so many times and by so many different people that it hard to remember that Krakauer's original account is the one that made it famous to begin with. Were it not for his incredible abilities as a storyteller, it is doubtful that anyone outside the world of mountaineering would remember what happened at the peak of Everest in that fateful May of 1996.
Krakauer's account is so compelling because it reads like a book length confession, which it is in a sense. The author worked through his very considerable feelings of survivor's guilt in the book's pages. His descriptions and not inconsiderable opinions have become legendary. For example, how many people read of AOL Chairman Robert Pittman's recent outster from the company and remembered him as the husband of Sandra Hill Pittman, who personified the rich amature climber who buys their way to the top of the world's tallest peak and who has no business being there? Krakauer's descriptions of Mrs. Pittman on the mountain are an example of his simple but devastating observations.
Krakauer's highly readable prose make the book read like fiction, probably another reason why it was so popular. He signed on for the Everest climb intending to write a standard mountaineering magazine article. That he chose the fateful May 1996 climb is simply a rare case of someone being at the wrong place at precisely the right time. Though it caused him plenty of personal torment, it also allowed him to write a story for the ages.
Overall, "Into Thin Air" fantastic storytelling make it one of the best non-fiction books published in the last decade or so.
74 of 79 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even if you already know the story of the deadly Mt. Everest expeditions of 1996, you will appreciate Jon Krakauer's own first person account of the Adventure Consultants and the Mountain Madness groups. Both of these expeditions were led by well-seasoned Everest climbers---Rob Hall from New Zealand and Scott Fischer from the States--and had the aid of expert guides, Sherpas from Nepal and "outsiders". But we soon find that even these experienced people are not immune from the human frailties of greed, denial and self-serving. Those Achilles' heels will cause both expeditions to completely fall apart. At the same time, human error combined with the unforgiving terrors of high altitude climbing sets the scene for heroism in many of the climbers and crew.
Krakauer, a journalist who signed on with Hall's expedition to do a story for Outside magazine, doesn't disappoint as weaver of a tale. I took the book everywhere with me while reading it, always eager to find out what would happen next.
If a book that explores deftly our desire to reach an unreachable summit appeals to you....especially when that book does not shy away from the tragedy caused when the desire to reach it undoes common sense and humanity....I highly recommend "Into Thin Air."
114 of 125 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having never understood why people climb mountains, and after seeing Beck Weathers on
television last year, I bought INTO THIN AIR in order to gain more insight. Krakauer delivered.
television last year, I bought INTO THIN AIR in order to gain more insight. Krakauer delivered.
Have some time on your hands, because once you begin reading Jon's story depicting the turn of
events throughout his journey on Everest in the Spring of '96, you won't be able to stop reading until you've read the last word in his book. This account of summitting Everest is a page turner even though the outcome is old news. It will leave you wanting to know more about other attempts made
on Everest, both failed and successful.
For those who don't understand why on earth anyone would want to do something as dangerous as
climbing "Into Thin Air" on rock and ice ... this book answers that curiosity. Because Jon introduces his readers to the backgrounds and personalities of the main characters in his book, we can better comprehend the different reasons people spend thousands of dollars and two or more months of their lives in "hell" on a mountain - freezing and injured - 'just to get to the top'. We learn through Krakauer why they continue their ascent even though the conditions are pure torture and more life threatening with each step; why they don't give it up once they've lost feeling in their extremities, separated their ribs, lost their vision, can no longer breathe due to oxygen depleted air, why they don't turn back even when they see the dead who've attempted to reach the summit on prior expeditions. You'll understand because of Krakauer's talent as a writer ... his ability to replay his emotions, his thoughts, his experiences, and his opinions through writing.
You'll feel the frigid wind, the snow, the ice, the pain, the desperation, the sorrow, the regrets. The "if only's" will torture your soul just as they have and continue to torture Jon's.
He writes in such a way you will have no choice other than to join him on that mountain. You'll meet and get to know the members and guides of Rob Hall's team as well as Scott Fischer, his guides,
and some of his team members whom you will respect even though you may not like. Unfortunately,
not everyone on the mountain was a "good guy" ... you'll be livid thanks to the danger the teams
encounter due to the inexperience, egos, arrogance, and ruthlessness of the few "bad apples".
For the survivors, Jon's book is an avenue in which fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and other loved ones are portrayed as the heroes they were. Although some of the deceased's relatives were upset with Krakauer, it will seem unjust because of the respectful way in which he depicts his fellow mountaineers and the Sherpas.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wow!
I've heard so much about this book and wanted to check it out on my own. A great story about a topic I find so fascinating. A must read!
[...]
[...]
Published 1 day ago by Jennifer
Descriptive Journalism At Its Best
The book is breathtaking and an excellent read. Jon has a talent to convey senses in his writing. Even after many years that I last read it, I can still feel the chill whenever I... Read more
Published 6 days ago by Lulu Cerne
Intriguing read that is hard to put down
Wow, what a suspenseful, intriguing book.
Jon Krakauer is my favorite author I was excited to be able to read this book of his own account on Everest. Read more
Jon Krakauer is my favorite author I was excited to be able to read this book of his own account on Everest. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Natalie Thomas
Great Book
This book provided a very interesting perspective on mountain climbing. It made it easy for someone who has no experience in that area to understand all the aspects of an ascent of... Read more
Published 23 days ago by G. Goudeseune
Good, but self-serving, story
I thought this was a very good book, but gave it a 3 because it is self-serving and, I think, an attempt by the author to shape public opionion and deflect criticism of the... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Carrie Cupcake Plum
An incredible tale of tragedy on Everest
Fascinating. knew nothing about Everest before I read this. Absolutely compelling right from the opening. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Jon Breakfield
Excellent account of Everest Disaster
I read Jon Krakauer's book Under the Banner of Heaven and it was so full of factual errors that I was very wary of reading Into Thin Air. Read more
Published 25 days ago by P. J. Scott
Hemingway would be jealous
The story of the Mount Everset Disaster of 1996 is very compelling. Even if written in third person by a competent author with no mountaineering experience, it would still be... Read more
Published 28 days ago by G. Binda
A great story that pulls you in
This is an amazing read and, although it's about the deadliest year on Everest, it makes me want to climb a mountain. This pulls you right in and you never want it to end. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Dave
The kindle version is an out-and-out fraud
An out-and-out fraud. The kindle version of this book contains missing sentences every 500 words or so. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Richard S. Sherman
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
summit assault, bottled oxygen, safety tether, summit push, fellow clients, seven summits, upper mountain, summit day, summit attempt, oxygen canister, mountaineering boots, commercial expeditions, fixed ropes, summit ridge, mess tent, vertical feet Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Base Camp, South Summit, South Col, Camp Four, Ang Dorje, Camp Two, Rob Hall, Andy Harris, Camp Three, Southeast Ridge, Hillary Step, Lhotse Face, Scott Fischer, South African, Mountain Madness, New Zealand, Mike Groom, Adventure Consultants, Anatoli Boukreev, Doug Hansen, Yasuko Namba, Beck Weathers, Makalu Gau, Sandy Pittman, John Taske New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
summit assault, bottled oxygen, safety tether, summit push, fellow clients, seven summits, upper mountain, summit day, summit attempt, oxygen canister, mountaineering boots, commercial expeditions, fixed ropes, summit ridge, mess tent, vertical feet Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Base Camp, South Summit, South Col, Camp Four, Ang Dorje, Camp Two, Rob Hall, Andy Harris, Camp Three, Southeast Ridge, Hillary Step, Lhotse Face, Scott Fischer, South African, Mountain Madness, New Zealand, Mike Groom, Adventure Consultants, Anatoli Boukreev, Doug Hansen, Yasuko Namba, Beck Weathers, Makalu Gau, Sandy Pittman, John Taske New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 24
books:
See all 24 books this book cites
100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- Everest: The West Ridge by Thomas F. Hornbein on 5 pages
- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer on 4 pages
- Seven Summits by Dick Bass on 4 pages
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer on 4 pages
- The Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics) by Apsley Cherry-Garrard on page 347, and Back Matter
See all 24 books this book cites
- Peak Experiences: Walking Meditations on Literature, Nature, and Need (Under the Sign of Nature) by Ian S. Marshall on 8 pages
- The American Alpine Journal 1998 Vol. 40 Issue 72 by American Alpine Club on 6 pages
- Leading at the Edge : Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition by Dennis N. T. Perkins on 4 pages
- The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev on 4 pages
- Writer's Guide to Nonfiction (Writer's Compass (Perigee)) by Elizabeth Lyon on 4 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
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