The Ascent of Manaslu in Photographs. The Japanese expeditions of 1952 to 1956, by Takayoshi Yoda. Tokio: The Maiinichi Newspapers. 186 photographs, 9 in color. Price Yen 1,000. (Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Yt. $5.00.)

Seldom has a mountaineering picture book contained so many excellent and delightful photographs as this volume which tells the story in pictures of the five Japanese expeditions to Manaslu in the Nepal Himalaya. The fifth expedition culminated in success on May 9, 1956, when the Sherpa Gyaltsen (who attained the summit of Makalu with the 1955 French expedition) and Toshio Imanishi planted the Rising Sun and the flag of Nepal on Manaslu’s 26,657-foot summit. Two days later, on May 11, Kiichiro Kato and Minoru Higeta also struggled to the summit. Thus, after one reconnaissance and three failures, the Japanese added an eight- thousander to their climbing laurels.

Leaving Katmandu in Nepal early in March, it took 18 days for the expedition members to march to the foot of Manaslu. The photographs depict the route into the mountains as well as the ascent.

Although the text is in Japanese, a descriptive list of the photographs is given in English. Remember that in reading a Japanese book, you start at the right and work to the left.

Freda B. Walbrecht