* Reflections and humorous pieces, plus insights into some of mountaineering's more controversial events * Revealing portraits of other Himalayan climbers Peeling back the layers to reveal the gritty truth about the elite climbing world is Greg Child's specialty. With clever wit, sharp observations, and insightful reflections, Child's writing covers the full spectrum of the mountaineering experience. Entertaining even to those who have never been above sea level, Child's stories reveal climbing's other face. His description of the daily habits of mountaineers on expedition (who don't bathe for months) is both disgusting and horrifyingly funny. A post-climb fiasco in the offices of petty Pakistani bureaucrats proves that not all epics take place on high mountain faces. Falling of a rock climb in front of his mother is an exercise in humility. Child takes up climbing controversy with the same keen insight. His investigation of Tomo Cesen's claimed first ascent of Lhotse's south wall is considered the definitive report on this controversial event. A hard look at the media frenzy around the death of Alison Hargreaves on K2 evolves into a brilliant, impassioned defense of a friend. He also speaks out on the money- and media-driven expeditions that now crowd Everest. But Child never preaches. Whether contrasting his clumsy performance with Lynn Hill's elegant moves on a climb in the remote mountains of Kyrgyzstan or reflecting upon artifacts (from crucifixes to pink flamingos) that decorate the world's highest peaks, he writes it as he sees it, with a dose of wit. A true insider, Greg Child draws us deep into the world of climbing but never denies its dark side.

Trips gone wrong, embarrassing incidents, unfortunate pratfalls, and hilarious reflections are part of Over the Top: Humorous Mountaineering Tales, Volume 3; the newest volume in The Mountaineers Anthology Series. Kurt Diemberger's A Lesson in French and Greg Childs' Chalk are examples of climbers' keen appreciation for the absurd, droll, ironic, and hilarious moments in their world.

Mountains have long inspired the wit and daring of the world's most fascinating explorers. In this definitive collection of mountain lore, Alan Weber exhibits forty-three essays by artists and adventurers to whom climbing was more a mission than a sport. Beginning with the fabled tale of Hannibal's Roman invasion-men, horses, and elephants in tow-through the hitherto impassable Alps, the accounts progress to recent descriptions of high-peaks mountain climbing in Mount Everest and the formidable K-2. Included among the earlier pieces are Petrarcha's introspective journey to the Windy Mount; William Windham's exploration of Montenvers and the "Sea of Ice" in 1741; and English artist-critic John Ruskin's essay on mountain climate and culture. Literary masters portray the idyllic and imperfect aspects of mountain life: the restoration poet Andrew Marvell offers a hymn to the Barrow hills, while poems from Shelley, Lord Byron, and Matthew Arnold praise the natural beauty and fresh air of the mountain crags. Because It's There pays homage to the spiritual introspection and respect for nature engendered by the looming mountain ranges that have demarcated territories, protecting villages and cities from invasion. The explorations these mountains have inspired have tested human endurance and mental strength. Alan Weber is a research fellow of the Institute for European Studies at Cornell University and a CEMERS Associate Fellow at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is the editor and author of Nineteenth Century Science: A Selection of Original Texts, and Women Almanac Writers (Forthcoming). A long-time member of the Penn State Outing and Cornell Outing Clubs, he has rock and ice-climbed in the Adirondacks, Green and Shawangunk Mountains, and Mount Rainier.

A mere utterance of the word aYosemitea conjures up images of Half Dome, El Capitan, giant sequoias, and the unmatched beauty this northern California park has to offer. However, the area known today as Yosemite has not always been a place of tranquility. Once the home of Ahwahnee tribe, these Native Americans were forced to surrender their home to armed miners rushing for gold and a California government clutching the philosophy of Manifest Destiny.

Consumer Research: Postcards from the Edge is a collection of cutting-edge essays by leading exponents of postmodern consumer research from Europe and America. Topics covered include: * chronicle, composition and fabulation in consumer research * postmodern approaches to pluralism in consumer research * marketing in cyberspace * poststructuralism in marketing * semiotics in marketing and consumer research

Published annually since 1929, The American Alpine Journal is internationally acknowledged as the world's finest journal of its kind. The latest volume of climbing's "journal of record" offers the most complete picture available of the world of climbing for 1998. From articles that present the climbing possibilities of Antarctica and Africa, to stories on the new bigwall frontiers of Mexico and Madagascar, to the alpine sagas on Bhagarathi III and Khan Tengri, and the emergence of the former Soviet climbers on the world stage, the 1999 AAJ continues its tradition as mountaineering's institutional memory.