Ils ont conquis l'Himalaya

Publication Year: 1980.

Ils ont conquis l’Himalaya by Bernard Pierre. Paris: Pion, 1979. 243 pages, 61 photographs, half of them in color.

Bernard Pierre knows the high mountains of the world, having among other things led the successful expedition to Nun in 1953 and having been a member of the joint French-American group which in 1952 made the first ascent of Salcantay in Peru. He is one of the most distinguished French members of the American Alpine Club.

Ils ont conquis l’Himalaya is an excellent history of Himalayan climbing from its beginning to the autumn of 1979. It is not a dry listing of events but a delightfully and often dramatically written account of all the important expeditions, fairly and accurately portrayed. To be sure, in the number of pages at Pierre’s disposal, all details have not been given, but the essential facts are there. For the climber who reads French, this is a splendid addition to his library.

H. Adams Carter