A great review of South Carolina Low Country history through the trials and tribulations of some of its founding families. A great find for historians of the Low Country. All kinds of primary source documents and personal information of South Carolina residents over a three hundred year time span. Plantation owners, battles, sea captains, soldiers, generals, rebels, loyalists, colonists, farmers, doctors, disease, family squabbles, slaves, cities and towns are brought to life through the words of people who were actually there. Geography, climate, agriculture, economy, politics, it's all here. A gold mine for geneologists. Histories traced back to the kings and queens of England. Well indexed and referenced. A gem!

This is a book any nature lover should pick up. I'd heard Matthiessen's name but sadly hadn't read any of his work until now, and what a great collection this is to start off with. Matthiessen writes about the world around us vividly, lyrically and eloquently, without getting TOO florid and new-agey as some nature writers tend to do. He travels the world in this collection spanning his career, from shark observations to Himalayan treks to African safaris to New England fishing villages, always honest and compulsively readable. His description of a pack of wild dogs hunting zebra in Africa ranks with the best passages about wildlife I've ever read, and will floor you.

I had the good fortune of listening to McKay Jenkins read from this book at a conference, prior to the book's publication. When I got a chance to read The White Death, I was not disappointed. This is an engrossing book, with a powerful narrative at its core. The story of the climb of Mt. Cleveland and the rescue/search efforts is gripping. I found it more compelling than The Perfect Storm. The weaving of history and science--everything from avalanche rescue dogs to the physics of a snowflake--works wonderfully. I learned a good deal from such passages. And I found the conclusion--with its insightful analysis of the out-of-kilter "recreation" business--right on target. I highly recommend this book.

A great book! While telling the story of one ill-fated expedition in the mountains, The White Death explores side trails into a fascinating variety of high-altitude subjects. With amazing skill and a deep affinity for his subject, McKay Jenkins traces the history of mountaineering from its roots in antiquity, to the skiing boom that followed World War II, and into the current era of technologically assisted mountain recreation. Jenkins documents the toll avalanches have taken on alpine villages, mountain explorers, even a troop of elephants following Hannibal across the Alps. At the same time, he seeks to understand the psychological and spiritual rewards that have lured people to risk the dangers of mountain life. Finally Jenkins questions the changing relationship to wilderness that is putting more, often ill-prepared, people in the path of avalanches.

Along the way the book provides a rich introduction to avalanche research and snow science. Jenkins tells you what to watch out for in the mountains and explains the conditions that can turn an otherwise stable snowfield into a fatal torrent, ripping down a mountain with such force that even the wind pushed ahead of the snow can bend roadsigns and blow houses apart. But it's not all history and science. The White Death is above all an engaging story of the human longing for nature. The book is filled with captivating characters--from the group of young men who attempt the Mount Cleveland climb that gives the book its central story, to the rescuers and crusty avalanche experts who try to understand and explain the tragedy.

Don't miss The White Death; it's a peak experience.

Throughout history, mountains have held a certain irresistible appeal, an unknown feeling of holy ascendence. That appeal has held through the ages, and envelops people who have already done something important with their lives, those who haven't, and older people as well as young people. Being close to nature, risking everything for the beauty of the view from the top of a mountain, for the physical prize after a hard climb, for the closeness a peak brings heaven or any sentient all-powerful being; these are all rewards from a successful climb, and these are not all. But there is also so much to risk - life itself, which, being already so short, is worth more than anything imaginable. People risk themselves constantly through mountain climbs or extreme sports, believing the rewards far outweigh the losses. The White Death is a well-told story of five boys who risked it all for the climb of a lifetime.

McKay Jenkins transforms the elusive and unknown world of avalanches to an intriguing story of mountain rescues. Don't read this book expecting it to focus on the lost boys; it won't. But you'll learn all about avalanche rescue techniques, types of snow and how to test them for avalanche safety, helicopter rescues, et cetera. You get my point.

I would completely recommend this book to any skiier, boarder, hiker, climber, or person interested in the outdoors and rescues. I picked this book off the shelf because I liked the cover, then read the flap and borrowed it. It is definately worth the time to read "The White Death".