I found this book special. As a climber, I've admired Walter Bonatti for a long time, and after reading this book, more.

He was a personality in the italian climbing circles, a bright star in european alps who was discouraged by his participation in the victorius italian expedition to K2.

You have the possibility of knowing more about this great climber, way ahead of his time. The book records some of his famous climbs and trips, and behind them the philosofy of the climber, adventurer and the man.

I began to be highly interested in mountanieering when I read Bonatti's books.Apart from being an excellent writer,that is proved by his too accurate and at the same time impassasionated descriptions of landscapes,figures,whether changes and effects of light,he called my attention mainly by his ideas about contemplative mountanieering versus sportive mountanieering.That is,climbing as a way to self-knowledge rather than a competition between two men.Bonatti the poet,Bonatti the photographer,are not so far away from Bonatti the climber,but one would say that his artist vein is only a coherent consequence of his whole human perception.He is known to be able to climb down from the Mount Blanc whatever the whether conditions be,as he proved when involved in the famous tragedy on the Freney Pillar,but his knowledge of the mountain trascends,so to say,farther the mere geographical aspect of the matter,and that was what fascinated me."The evening fell and I was walking alone uo to the highest regions of Mont Blanc",writes Bonatti in another book of his,The mountains of my life.He has gone beyond technical details and mere time measures,and has therefore achieve,through extreme pain many times,an ecstatic vision about the awfulness and solitude in the highest peaks.

Walter Bonnati was born in Bergamo, Italy in 1930. By the time he was invited to join the Italian expedition that completed the first ascent of K2 in 1954, Bonatti had already completed a number of climbing routes in the Western Alps that others had deemed unclimbable or impossible. Bonatti often climbed solo and with a panache and minimalist approach that amplified the magnitude of his accomplishments. Along the way, he was inducted into the French Legion of Honor. Despite (or perhaps because of) his astonishing talent and climbing feats, Bonatti was controversial and often found himself at odds with others in the climbing community. Having accomplished much and become jaded with the climbing community, Bonatti moved on to a new career as photojournalist and explorer.

"The Mountains of My Life" is a wonderful translation of stories about climbs that few other climbers would even dare contemplate. The book also examines the controversy about events of the Italian expedition to K2 that reads with the intrigue of a "who dunnit." The book is illustrated with Bonatti's breathtaking photos of mountains and routes he climbed.

Doug Scott, one of the greatest British mountaineers, described Bonatti as "perhaps the finest alpinist there has ever been." Jon Krakauer considers Bonatti a "personal hero." Those are mighty strong statements, but after reading this immensely readable collection of tales, it is hard to argue with the assessments of Bonatti. Robert Marshall did a wonderful job in translating Bonatti's beautifully written stories. Definitely an important addition in the library of mountaineering classics.

Bonatti is one of the boldest and leading figures in mountaineering of the 20th century; he is also one of the most creative of his peers in communicating his feelings on the subject. This book is interesting in the context of the author's youth in post war Europe and the effects this had on his life. Unfortunately, the author was subject to a smear campaign regarding his contributions to the first ascent of K2 for reasons outside of his control and this book reveals the injustice and presents a convincing case as to how the whole episode originated. So, part mystery story, part eloquent ode to mountains and climbing. It's a winner on both fronts and Bonnatti emerges as a champion not only of technical mastery of climbing, but mountaineering ethics and of mans relationship to the outdoors. I rate this as a must read.

Walter Bonatti is an Italian mountaineer, famous in climbing circles if not with the general public. This collection of his essays describing his most famous climbs - and discussing a nasty controversy involving the first ascent of K2 - is a terrific read. Anyone who has enjoyed best sellers such as "Into Thin Air" should give serious consideration to this volume. The clean, even elegant translation represents a wonderful example of the translator's art (and why doesn't the publisher give translator Robert Marshall credit on the book's cover?). There is an in-depth analysis of a famous (in Italy) libel trial over accusations against Bonatti that reads almost like a whodunit instead of a climbing saga. All in all, this book is inspirational, exciting, and a stirring way to get some sense of the thrill of extreme adventure without leaving the comfort of your centrally-heated home. This is the second book I've read in the Modern Library Exploration Series edited by Jon Krakauer (the other is The Last Place on Earth, about Scott's and Amundsen's race to the South Pole) and this series is a five-star winner for me so far.