Description
Book SynopsisMountain climbing is a relatively new sport in human history. Until the eighteenth century, mountains were considered inhospitable, even evil. This work explores our changing attitudes toward mountains and the natural world. It also illuminates the spectrum of human attitudes toward mountains and the environment.
Trade Review"What McCarthy does here is to create a paradigm for examining the impact humans have in even the most remote corners of the globe." - Mikel Vause, author of Peering over the Edge: The Philosophy of Mountaineering "This book carves a unique spot in literature by asking eco-critical scholars to give mountaineering literature/culture more attention. Moreover, it is an important book for armchair climbers and climbers themselves." - Peter L. Bayers, author of Imperial Ascent: Mountaineering, Masculinity, and Empire "Contact is a timely book because it gives us the opportunity to examine the reason we climb and a chance to see our connection to the environment. In addition to an intellectual appraisal of climbing, these are fine tales of risk and adventure." - Conrad Anker, climber"
