Art Davidson

Good, but only average for the genre. The climbers themselves seem a bit lukewarm about the whole thing—not surprising given the grim difficulties and disasters they face. They reach the summit in the dark, where they can't see anything except detritus from other climbers. What's the point?

> Sheldon's own on-the-spot description of the storm ran something like: "Yea, I was hucklebuck'n on up there to take a look at ma boys, when I look out the window … Whoa … I seen this ridge just standin' still. I look down at my speedometer and it says 140 miles per hour. Yowza, I had to fly 140 just to keep even with that ol' wind!"… (mais)

“Altitude was heckling my mind.”

Not nice. But the author and his companions, on an expedition to accomplish the first wintertime ascent of Mt. McKinley, managed to keep their wits when failing would have killed them. Minus 148° is that story.

For the first two-thirds of the book, the author’s account of the great difficulties experienced by the expedition is absorbing but also ordinary for this genre. Then, beginning with the chapter titled “March 1: –148°,” on that page and after, the manner of telling and what is told become superb. I would not ask that Art Davidson had done it better.… (mais)