Women on High: Pioneers of Mountaineering [Paperback]

Rebecca A. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

These tales of courageous women of centuries past will captivate anyone who loves a good story of the mountains. In Women on High, Rebecca A. Brown traces the lives and achievements of the inspiring women of mountaineering's early days, who bravely bucked convention to pursue a passion for standing atop the world's highest places. Defying Victorian perceptions of women as frail, delicate creatures, these bold women traveled above and beyond where women--and most men--had gone before.

More than a retelling of first ascents and summits climbed, Women on High delves into the heart of what compelled these women to break with tradition to pursue these high peaks: the quest for independence, the search for spiritual and personal fulfillment, and the longing to step outside proscribed gender boundaries. Brown's riveting portraits of these pioneers of mountaineering reveal how their astonishing ascents of some of the world's highest summits are as extraordinary today as they were more than one hundred years ago.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nineteenth-century women took to the mountains for recreation, adventure, challenge, escape, or spiritual peace. The wealthy climbed with large entourages of porters; the less-well-off struggled with mutinous guides and men who chafed at female leadership. We can barely imagine the hardships mountaineers endured then with their heavy, low-tech equipment and clothing, but women also had to contend with corsets and voluminous skirts, not to mention societal restrictions. The author, a New Hampshire outdoorswoman and journalist, makes vivid use of these women's own words to tell their fascinating stories. Mostly American and British, these women climbed in the Alps, Alaska, South America, and the Himalayas. Sidebars discuss such topics as dress reform and Tschingel, a dog who accompanied Meta Brevoort on many climbs, including the Alps' highest peak, Mont Blanc. An excellent contribution to women's sports history, this book is recommended for all academic and public libraries.
Kathy Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, B.C.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Women on High vividly portrays the compelling stories of several of the world's most ambitious and adventurous women-female climbers who set high standards for all mountaineers who follow in their footsteps, regardless of gender. These women serve as role models for all of us."
--Charley Shimanski, Executive Director, The American Alpine Club

"Rebecca Brown's writing is so good I was swept up, a partner myself on these mountain adventures. Her book as done as much for the history of women's climbing as these women did for the sport itself."
--Laura Waterman, author of Yankee Rock & Ice

"Many of us have long yearned for a book that would uncover the fascinating lives and achievements of women who led the way in mountaineering. Women on High is a lucid, highly entertaining, and important historical account of these intrepid women and their extraordinary climbs. There is nothing like it available."
--Helen Whybrow, author of Dead Reckoning

"In Women on High, Rebecca Brown deftly captures the spirit, courage, and tenacity of these pioneer mountain climbers. Their successes, failures, frustrations and rivalries make for fascinating reading."
--Mike Dickerman, author of Along the Beaten Path

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929173423
• ISBN-13: 978-1929173426
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profiles of true grit., November 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Women on High: Pioneers of Mountaineering (Hardcover)

This book is exceptionally well written and recreates the agony and ecstasy of early women mountaineers. It demonstrates again that in sports of this nature women are often more gifted than men. A tour through this history will make any woman who reads it proud.