Lhotse ’75, by Riccardo Cassin and Giuseppe Nangeroni (in Italian).

Bologna: Art Grafiche Tamari di Bologna, 1977. 171 pages of text,

numerous photographs, drawings and maps. About $15.00.

Lhotse ’75 is a book compiled by Riccardo Cassin and G. Nangeroni, leaders of the 1975 Italian National expedition to Lhotse. This was a joint scientific-climbing venture sponsored by the Italian Alpine Club as well as by the National Research Council of Italy. As such the book is conspicuously divided in two. The first part deals with the unsuccessful attempt on the south face of Lhotse. Designed as a national effort, this expedition was led by Riccardo Cassin and included such well known mountaineers as Reinhold Messner and Alessandro Gogna. Pictures are mostly in full page color spreads and the maps and drawings record the beauty of Nepal and the savagery of Lhotse’s south face. Unsuccessful on the mountain, the book turns its attention to the quality of the mountaineering experience. Much like the early issues of Ascent the writing emphasizes the esthetics of the climbing experience—from optimism, enthusiasm, aggression and progress to despair at poor weather, avalanches and retreat. After reading these chapters written by all members of the climbing team, there can be no doubt that the south face of Lhotse is one of the great challenges in Himalayan mountaineering.

The remainder of the book is a mixed bag and has something of interest for just about everyone. Scientific observations are studiously recorded and chapters written on the geology, glaciology, geomorphology, architecture, and populations of the Nepal region surrounding Lhotse. The scientific illustrations are well reproduced as are the drawings and maps which accompany the text. Clearly this is not a book for everyone. Its high price and the extremely wide variety of its contents recommend it only for those few who read Italian, care specifically about the Lhotse region, or are simply connaisseurs of the Nepalese Himalaya.

Roy Kligfield