Download or read book Into Thin Air written by Jon Krakauer and published by Anchor. This book was released on 1998-11-12 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray. "A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism." —PEOPLE A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself. This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I. In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."

Download or read book The World s Most Amazing Survival Stories written by Tim O'Shei and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2007 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Describes 10 of the world's most amazing survival stories in a countdown format"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Lost in the Wild written by Cary Griffith and published by Minnesota Historical Society. This book was released on 2008-10-14 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "True survival odysseys of two wilderness adventurers who entered the woods in search of tranquility-- but found something else entirely"--Page 4 of cover.

Download or read book Survivors written by David Long and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Best Book With Facts Blue Peter Book Award 2017. Amazing real-life stories about extreme survival.Beautifully presented in a large, paperback format, and fully illustrated in colour throughout, this wonderful anthology is a treat for all the family. Be shocked and amazed by these incredible real-life stories of extreme survival, including . . .The Man Who Sucked Blood from a Shark, a sailor who survived for 133 days on a raft in the Atlantic when his ship was torpedoed, using shark's blood in place of fresh water. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a teenager who fell 2 miles from an aeroplane and trekked through the Amazon jungle to safety. The Woman Who Froze to Death - Yet Lived, a woman who was trapped under freezing water for so long her heart stopped. Four hours later, medics managed to warm her blood enough to revive her. Combining classic tales such as Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic voyage, as well as more modern exploits such as the adventurer who inspired the movie 127 Hours, these astonishing stories will be retold by young readers to all of their friends.'A gorgeously presented hardback book, full of incredible real-life stories of extreme survival . . . Ultimately an inspirational book, beautifully illustrated.' Angels and Urchins'True-story fans will love this.' Inis Children's Books Ireland'A wonderful mixture of the scariness of peril and the glorious uplift of survival. It's insightful, inspirational and all absolutely true.' Bookbag

Download or read book 81 Days Below Zero written by Brian Murphy and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2015-06-02 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A riveting...saga of survival against formidable odds" (Washington Post) about one man who survived a World War II plane crash in Alaska's harsh Yukon territory Shortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska's Ladd Field on a routine flight to test their hastily retrofitted B-24 Liberator in harsh winter conditions. The mission ended in a crash that claimed all but one-Leon Crane, a city kid from Philadelphia with no wilderness experience. With little more than a parachute for cover and an old Boy Scout knife in his pocket, Crane now found himself alone in subzero temperatures. Crane knew, as did the Ladd Field crews who searched unsuccessfully for the crash site, that his chance of survival dropped swiftly with each passing day. But Crane did find a way to stay alive in the grip of the Yukon winter for nearly twelve weeks and, amazingly, walked out of the ordeal intact. 81 Days Below Zero recounts, for the first time, the full story of Crane's remarkable saga. In a drama of staggering resolve and moments of phenomenal luck, Crane learned to survive in the Yukon's unforgiving wilds. His is a tale of the capacity to endure extreme conditions, intense loneliness, and flashes of raw terror-and emerge stronger than before.

Download or read book The Greatest Survival Stories Ever Told written by Lamar Underwood and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many adventures begin when a storm descends, a boat overturns, a plane crashes, a grizzly attacks out of nowhere, or a wilderness traveller becomes lost. From the tropics to the Arctic Poles, here are 27 epic tales of survival and adventure, both fact and realistic fiction.

Download or read book The Greatest Survival Stories of All Time written by Cara Tabachnick and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-07-23 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of survival stories recounts the harrowing true experiences of people across the globe who faced certain death—and survived. The stories in this riveting volume seem too unbelievable to be true. Lost individuals facing the most severe natural disasters, the most dangerous situations, and the most inhospitable conditions . . . somehow making it out alive. From plane crashes and sinking ships to surviving in freezing forests and scorching deserts, this anthology includes some of the most famous, unbelievable tales of beating the odds. This book features gripping tales of sheer bravery and quick thinking, including: Juliane Koepcke, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Peruvian Amazon Jose Salvador Alvarenga, who floated for thirteen months alone in the Pacific ocean Aron Ralston, who cut off his arm to escape the canyon he’d been trapped in Lincoln Hall, who was abandoned on Mount Everest . . . and many more.

Download or read book Adrift written by Steven Callahan and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2002-10-17 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan’s dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. “Utterly absorbing” (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library.

Download or read book 33 Incredible True Stories of Survival written by Martin K Ettington and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-14 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I have my own survival stories and maybe this is part of the reason why all these other stories interest me so much.Everyone loves to learn about survival stories because it confirms the importance of the human spirit to live through trying and deadly situations.I've included thirty three true life stories in this book. The criteria was that the persons in these events had to make a conscious decision to live. They decided not to give up and some did truly incredible things to survive.We need to ask ourselves could we do some of the things they did to survive. For example, how many of us could cut off a hand to live if we were trapped in the wilderness?How many of us could survive a raft in the sea for a month to then be put into a POW prison and survive harsh treatment and torture there.These people have all illustrated the power of the human spirit to live through these experiences. And these experiences made them more confident people and better able to live through difficult situations in the future.These stories are divided up into five categories: -Survival In War-Survival in the Wilderness and Mountains-Survival in the Ocean-Survival in the Arctic and Antarctic-Surviving the Desert-More Survival Stories for Ones which don't fit a category

Download or read book Incredible Survival Stories written by Jay Cassell and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-01-31 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scale the world’s highest peaks, plunge to the depths of the ocean, wade through the dense jungles of the Amazon, and cross every terrain in between in Incredible Survival Stories. Featuring more than a dozen firsthand accounts from celebrated explorers and adventurers, this collection includes some of the most perilous accounts of man versus nature ever to be penned. Prepare to be amazed, as within these pages you’ll: • Join Theodore Roosevelt’s standoff with an African lion • Descend to the depths of the deepest cavern with Norbert Casteret • Battle a sandstorm in the Gobi Desert with Sven Hedin • Discover uncharted American territory with Lewis and Clark • Follow Ernest Shackleton’s perilous Antarctic voyage • Soar through the skies with Charles Lindbergh • And tag along on more than a dozen more adventures! With more than three dozen photographs and illustrations that help bring these astounding tales to life, Incredible Survival Stories is a must-have for every armchair adventurer and aspiring explorer.

Download or read book 438 Days written by Jonathan Franklin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history. For fourteen months, Alvarenga survived constant shark attacks. He learned to catch fish with his bare hands. He built a fish net from a pair of empty plastic bottles. Taking apart the outboard motor, he fashioned a huge fishhook. Using fish vertebrae as needles, he stitched together his own clothes. Based on dozens of hours of interviews with Alvarenga and interviews with his colleagues, search and rescue officials, the medical team that saved his life and the remote islanders who nursed him back to health, this is an epic tale of survival. Print run 75,000.

Download or read book Extreme Survivors 60 Epic Stories of Human Endurance written by Bear Grills and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of 60 of the most astonishing stories of human endurance and endeavour. Now available as a small paperback the short stories make it perfect for the work commute or summer holiday.

Download or read book Endurance written by Alfred Lansing and published by Voyages Promotion. This book was released on 2000 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adventure, shipwreck, storms and survival on the high seas. ENDURANCE is the story of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded. In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men set sail for the South Atlantic on board a ship called the Endurance. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in ice. For five months Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways on one of the most savage regions of the world. This utterly gripping book, based on first-hand accounts of crew members and interviews with survivors, describes how the men survived, how they lived together in camps on the ice for 17 months until they reached land, how they were attacked by sea leopards, the diseases which they developed, and the indefatigability of the men and their lasting civility towards one another in the most adverse conditions conceivable.

Download or read book Rescue written by David Long and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Astonishing real-life rescue missions from on, under and above the earth from the award-winning team behind Survivors and Heroes.How far would you go to save a life? Scrambling from the wreckage of his school after an earthquake, a nine-year-old Sichuan boy rescued two unconscious friends. 'I was hall monitor,' he said afterwards. 'It is my job to look after my classmates.'Whether dragging a friend from a blazing car, masterminding a search far below the earth's surface, or recovering astronauts from an aborted space mission, Rescue reveals the ingenuity, courage and doggedness of the human spirit all over the world.Another unputdownable collection of eye-opening and moving true adventures, both contemporary and historical. Impeccably told by David Long and brought to vibrant life by illustrator Kerry Hyndman.Praise for the series:'True-story fans will love this.' Inis Children's Books Ireland 'Full of incredible real-life stories . . . Ultimately an inspirational book, beautifully illustrated.' Angels and Urchins'A great collection of harrowing, true survivor stories.' Kirkus

Download or read book Mawson s Will written by Lennard Bickel and published by Steerforth. This book was released on 2011-08-30 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic story of explorer Douglas Mawson and "the most outstanding solo journey ever recorded in Antarctic history" (Sir Edmund Hillary, mountaineer and explorer) For weeks in Antarctica, Douglas Mawson faced some of the most daunting conditions ever known to man: blistering wind, snow, and cold; the loss of his companion, dogs, supplies, and even the skin on his hands and feet. But despite constant thirst, starvation, disease, and snow blindness—he survived. Sir Douglas Mawson is remembered as the young Australian who would not go to the South Pole with Robert Scott in 1911. Instead, he chose to lead his own expedition on the less glamorous mission of charting nearly 1,500 miles of Antarctic coastline and claiming its resources for the British Crown. His party of three set out through the mountains across glaciers in 60-mile-per-hour winds. Six weeks and 320 miles out, one man fell into a crevasse—along with the tent, most of the equipment, the dogs' food, and all except a week's supply of the men's provisions. Mawson's Will is the unforgettable story of one man's ingenious practicality, unbreakable spirit, and how he continued his meticulous scientific observations even in the face of death. When the expedition was over, Mawson had added more territory to the Antarctic map than anyone else of his time. Thanks to Bickel's moving account, Mawson can be remembered for the vision and dedication that make him one of the world's great explorers.

Download or read book A Test of Will written by Warren MacDonald and published by Hardie Grant Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the night of April 9, 1997, Warren Macdonald, a fit and experienced bushwalker, set out to climb Mount Bowen on Hinchinbrook Island, an unspoiled tropical paradise off the Australian coast. These would be his last steps as a fully intact human being: a freak rock fall pinned him for two days alone under a one-ton boulder, resulting in a double leg amputation. A Test of Will is a story both tragic and inspiring, conveying the horror of what happened and the extraordinary spirit that helped Macdonald survive a seemingly impossible ordeal.

Download or read book 127 Hours written by Aron Ralston and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-02-03 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On Sunday April 27, 2003, 27-year old Aron Ralston set off for a day's hiking in the Utah canyons. Dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, Ralston, a seasoned climber, figured he'd hike for a few hours and then head off to work. 40 miles from the nearest paved road, he found himself on top of an 800-pound boulder. As he slid down and off of the boulder it shifted, trapping his right hand against the canyon wall. No one knew where he was; he had little water; he wasn't dressed correctly; and the boulder wasn't going anywhere. He remained trapped for five days in the canyon: hypothermic at night, de-hydrated and hallucinating by day. Finally, he faced the most terrible decision of his life: braking the bones in his wrist by snapping them against the boulder, he hacked through the skin, and finally succeeded in amputating his right hand and wrist. The ordeal, however, was only beginning. He still faced a 60-foot rappell to freedom, and a walk of several hours back to his car - along the way, he miraculously met a family of hikers, and with his arms tourniqued, and blood-loss almost critical, they heard above them the whir of helicopter blades; just in time, Aron was rescued and rushed to hospital. Since that day, Aron has had a remarkable recovery. He is back out on the mountains, with an artificial limb; he speaks to select groups on his ordeal and rescue; and amazingly, he is upbeat, positive, and an inspiration to all who meet him. This is the account of those five days, of the years that led up to them, and where he goes from here. It is narrative non-fiction at its most compelling.