The Mountain Encyclopedia: An A-Z Compendium of More Than 2,300 Terms, Concepts, Ideas, and People

The volume is functional as a compendium of mountaineering information...It could certainly be useful in a public library setting... * Booklist, 1/1/2006 * With no comparable equivalent, this resource is an easy-to-use, interesting, inexpensive, and worthwhile addition to any reference collection. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. * CHOICE * A physicist and a reference librarian who are avid mountaineers have compiled this excellent broad, yet fundamental, encyclopedia on mountains. The A-Z listings cover everything connected to mountains, yet are brief, basic, and easy to use....This book is highly recommended for both public and academic libraries. * American Reference Books Annual * This compendium is presented as the first in English devoted to mountain-related topics. Avid climber/US physicist Hartemann introduces the encyclopedia with his reflections on why we are so attracted to mountains. He and fellow enthusiast Hauptman (St. Cloud State U.) feature terms and information on aspects including mountain geography, geology, ecology, sports, and noted explorers and mountaineers. Appendices list the highest mountains worldwide and by region, and major unscaled peaks. Visual offerings include topographical maps, technical drawings, and photographic images. J. Tenzing Norgay, whose father climbed Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, supplies the foreword. * Reference and Research Book News * Any insider in the mountaineering world will love this book....This will go directly into any self-respecting reference and personal collection on the subject...Likely to delight are about 100 pages of colour photographs...deeply evocative of the compelling attractions and memories of mountaineering....the bibliographic side of this encyclopedia is strong, with an expertly-chosen bibliography... * s * The Mountain Encyclopedia, with more than 2,300 entries spanning from Abruzzi to Zurbriggen, provides a wealth of information on the mountain environment, film, history, music, people, technique, and terminology. Whether researching Saint Elmo's Fire or planning a trip to the Aigulles of Chamonix, this most useful reference will guide you and open up an expansive new world. -- Greg Glade, www.topworldbooks.com Frederic Hartemann and Robert Hauptman have gathered facts and information from every corner of the mountaineering world, in a comprehensive, instructive, and entertaining reference and guide to the principles and workings of the mountains, climbing, and other outdoor pursuits. This is no mere catalogue, nor is it anything like other books, or even what it might seem to be at the surface. One has to handle, sample, and ponder to understand the true objective of the authors. The overview is unique, making a fresh penetration of ideas and concepts. At times there is a certain high elegance. Hartemann and Hauptman don't shy away from the complexity and depth of their subject. -- Pat Ament The vastness of the mountain landscape, both literal and allegoric, is aptly presented in this wonderful book: from the science of volcanoes, to the music of the mountains; from the techniques of ice climbing, to the poetry of a moonrise over a high ridge; from the snow leopard, to satellite cartography; from haunting tragedies to sheer triumph; innumerable aspects of the high realm are presented in detail, along with beautiful color photographs and maps. -- Jamling Tenzing Norgay