Nepal: Annapurna Circuit Trek
Recommended reading
The following books are some of many we would recommend for reading before coming to Nepal. Some are what we would call 'background' reading, some are specific to the trip you will be doing, and all are excellent preparation and fun to read, counting the days before your holiday begins...
Books about Nepal and Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya - Annapurna Region
H.W. Tilman: Nepal Himalaya
Nepal Himalaya is a book from the days of great travel writing. It is a witty, ironic and romantic description of three journeys made in 194950, just before the downfall of the Rana regime, to the Langtang, Annapurna and Everest regions.
"Excellent read... an often amusing account of some early trekking expeditions together with the odd mountain assault which had, by today's standards, an amazing lack of advance planning." - Hugh Finlay, Nepal (Lonely Planet)
"Chatty account of the first mountaineering reconnaissance of Nepal in 194951... Tilman was one of the century's great adventurers and his writing remains fresh and witty." - David Reed , Nepal (Rough Guides)
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Lonely Planet: Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya
Everest, Annapurna, Kanchenjunga, Machhapuchhare, Makalu - a roll call of inspiration awaits trekkers in the Nepal Himalaya. Discover its famous peaks and unique culture in this authoritative guide by one of the region's most experiences trekkers.
-22 new contour maps for major trekking areas, supplemented with the author's GPS data
-Detailed trek notes covering the popular routes and little-visited alternatives
-Cultural insights, language guide, plus information on responsible trekkin
-Expert health and safety advice for trekkers
-Practical advice about organising your own trek or choosing a trekking company
-Illustrated guide to Himalayan wildlife
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Andrew Stevenson:
Annapurna Circuit-Himalayan Journey
Many disenchanted Westerners have gone to the Himalayas in search of renewal, but few have written about the experience as perceptively or as intimately as Andrew Stevenson. A traveler all his life, Stevenson responds to people and places with an openness unique to the cultural nomad. His portraits of the people of the Annapurnas, and of the fellow trekkers who intermittently shared his journey, are a delight, and his descriptions of the landscape, and the physical hardships of the trek, are enthralling. Like every travel book of quality, this is also the record of a spiritual journey, and Stevenson movingly records his impressions of the Buddhist teachings lived out around him. A richly rewarding read on every level. |
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Travel Literature and Mountaineering Tales - Annapurna Region
Maurice Herzog: Annapurna
Before Everest, there was Annapurna.
Maurice Herzog led an expedition of French climbers to the summit of this 26,000-foot Himalayan peak in 1950.
At the time of the assault, it was the highest mountain ever climbed, a remarkable feat in itself made all the more remarkable by the fact that it had never previously been charted. Herzog and his team not only had to climb the darn thing, they had to find the route.
As riveting as the tale of the ascent remains nearly half a century later, the story of the descent through virtually unsurvivable--think avalanche and frostbite, for starters--conditions is unforgettable.
Herzog's masterful account, finally back in print, is a monument of courage and spirit, an epic adventure excitingly told.
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Chris Bonington: Annapurna South Face
In 1970, Chris Bonington and his now-legendary team of mountaineers were the first climbers to tackle a big wall at extreme altitude. Their target was the south face of Nepal's Annapurna: 12,000 feet of steep rock and ice leading to a 26, 454-ft. summit.
As serious armchair climbers will tell you, Annapurna South Face is better than all but a handful of equally gripping classics. One could also argue that all that has happened in the big mountains in the past 30 years has come out of this expedition and out of this book.
Bonington and his team--most of whom subsequently died in the mountains--represented a kind of "greatest generation" of modern mountaineers. They pioneered a new, bolder approach to high altitude climbing, and this book is about how they hit the big time.
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| Peter Matthiesen: The Snow Leopard
"At sunrise the small expedition meets beneath a giant fig beyond Pokhara -- two white sahibs, four sherpas, fourteen porters.
The sherpas are of the famous mountain tribe of north-east Nepal, near Namche Bazaar, whose men accompany the ascents of the great peaks..."
This is Peter Matthiessen's classic book on his 250 mile trek in the Himalayas to observe the Himalayan blue sheep and to possibly observe the elusive and almost mythical snow leopard.
But what began in part as an expedition patiently documenting nature became a personal journey of self-discovery, a reflection on the meaning of life. Written in the form of a diary, this is an account of Matthiessen's meditations during the trek through stunning landscapes and remarkable people which end with him viewing the world from a Buddhist perspective.
Winner of the US National Book Award and the American Book Award.
"Classic of travel writing" -- John Whelpton, Nepal (ABC/Clio) |
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