Überlebt—Alle l4 Achttausender. Reinhold Messner. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich, 1987. 247 pages. Many photographs, mostly in color, route paintings.

On October 16, 1986 with the ascent of Lhotse, Reinhold Messner became the first to climb all the 8000-meter peaks. In this big, beautiful book, he describes how he accomplished this remarkable feat.

A separate chapter is devoted to each mountain. Each begins with a short history of the peak and a painting on which his routes are clearly marked. There follows the tale of his attempts and successful ascents. Interesting and apt accounts by other eminent mountaineers are interlarded. The text concludes with valuable appendices which give fascinating statistics. The very numerous beautiful photographs make this large-format book worth owning even for one who does not read German. The gorgeous pictures, taken by Messner himself or by his companions, have been beautifully reproduced.

Adams Carter