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The White Spider | 
| Author: Heinrich Harrer
Publisher: Tarcher
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy Used: $5.09
You Save: $10.86 (68%)
New (21) Used (28) from $5.09
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 26671
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0874779405
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.5220949454
EAN: 9780874779400
ASIN: 0874779405
Publication Date: September 28, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The White Spider dramatically recreates not only the harrowing, successful ascent made by Harrer and his comrades in 1938, but also the previous, tragic attempts at a wall of rock that was recently enshrined in mountaineer Jon Krakauer's first work, Eiger Dreams. For a generation of American climbers, The White Spider has been a formative book--yet it has long been out-of-print in America. This edition awaits discovery by Harrer's new legion of readers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Memories from my youth... August 24, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I spent the summer of 1977 as an American college student hosteling my way across Europe. I bought this book in a small bookstore in Grindelwald, Switzerland and then proceeded to enjoy a blissful couple of days sitting on the front balcony of the Grindelwald youth hostel, reading The White Spider, with the north face of the Eiger towering overhead. I would read from the book, and then gaze up to identify the exact routes and landmarks described in the book, which were clearly visible on the massive wall of rock before me. It remains one of the great youthful literary/adventure experiences of my life, and fires my imagination to this day.
The White Spider of the title, for those who are curious, refers to a difficult network of ice-filled cracks and crevasses high on the face of the Eiger through which all the early routes passed.
 Boring November 6, 2006
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
Good reading, but the 40's style of writing is definitely boring, uses many and desnecessary words, frases, paragraphs, useless descriptions. I mean things like spending of 6 pages just to tell why the author decided about the importance of write a book about the Eager, talking about the persons who told him to write and who told him not to write! Ouch, how it's boring!
 The White Spider September 3, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I enjoyed the book and recommend it to all who enjoy the challenges of climbing. The historical account of climbing the north face of the Eiger is quite impressive. The author, having climbed this route, conveys a real sense of the terrain/conditions and the emotions associated with the seriousness of the situations. In the spirit of climbing a route, the author also includes a description of the route for aspiring ones at the end.
Beautiful, Magnificent Eiger May 19, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I love this book, and I love all of the writings of Mr. Harrer. The two Tibet books and this are must reading if you love Mountain books, and if you are interested in Tibet. Another fantastic book to read about the Eiger is The Climb Up To Hell, by Olsen. Mr. Harrer was on the team that made the first successful ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. It is an incredible event, truly one of the most fantastic in the history of mountaineering. I have to laugh sometimes when I see and hear about all the "extreme" sports and athletes, letting us all know how radical they are, using their thousands of dollars of equipment and guides to do these things. Just wait until we can get helicopters to fly higher in thin air, then we'll ALL be able to get to the summits of these mountains and have a beer and a bratwurst. Until then, do yourself a favor and read Mr. Harrer's books.
Facing down the North Face of the Eiger December 3, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book details Heinrich Harrer's participation in the first successful ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in the Alps. Harrer goes far beyond simply recounting the story of their 3-day ascent and describes the earlier unsuccessful and often fatal efforts that helped pave the way for their ultimate ascent and several of the subsequent successful and tragic ascents as well. Although written in a somewhat dispassionate manner that may be due to the translation from original German, this book is a very comprehensive description of the story behind the climbs of the Eiger. Worth reading.
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