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Annapurna – Early 1953 Jonathan Cape hardcover edition of Maurice Herzog’s legendary Annapurna, the gripping account of the 1950 French expedition that achieved the first ascent of an 8,000-metre mountain. Sixth impression with the scarce original pictorial dust jacket still present. A classic of Himalayan exploration and mountaineering literature.
1 in stock
Annapurna: Conquest of the First 8,000-Metre Peak by Maurice Herzog is one of the landmark books of twentieth-century mountaineering and Himalayan exploration. This early sixth impression of August 1953, published by Jonathan Cape in London, recounts the extraordinary 1950 French Himalayan Expedition and the historic first ascent of Annapurna.
Led by Herzog, the expedition set out to explore and climb the largely unknown Annapurna massif in Nepal. On 3 June 1950, Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached the summit of Annapurna I at 8,091 metres (26,545 feet), achieving the first successful ascent of any mountain higher than 8,000 metres.
Herzog’s Annapurna became one of the classic narratives of mountaineering literature, combining Himalayan exploration, expedition planning, climbing, human endurance and adventure. This English edition was translated from the French by Nea Morin and Janet Adam Smith, with an introduction by Eric Shipton, himself one of the great names in British Himalayan exploration.
Annapurna is illustrated with expedition photographs and is particularly appealing to collectors of mountaineering, Himalayan exploration, Everest-era literature and classic adventure narratives. Its original Jonathan Cape pictorial dust jacket, despite considerable wear, is still present – an important feature for an early 1950s copy.
Condition – Poor
Original blue cloth hardcover remains structurally sound but shows moderate shelf and edge wear. There is notable surface loss and abrasion to the cloth on the rear board, particularly along the upper portion, where a sizeable irregular area of the blue cloth has been stripped or damaged.
The original pictorial dust jacket is present but in poor, heavily worn condition, with extensive rubbing, scuffing, creasing, edge wear, tears, chips and losses. Of particular note is a large area of paper loss to the upper rear panel, corresponding with the damaged area of the rear board beneath. Further losses and fraying are present around the spine ends, corners and jacket edges.
Internally there is age-related foxing and toning, particularly to the endpapers and preliminary pages, with a handwritten previous-owner inscription to the front endpaper. The rear endpaper area has significant old staining, surface damage and losses. The text block remains generally intact and readable. Overall a Good working/collecting copy with significant cosmetic wear, particularly to the dust jacket and rear board, but retaining the desirable original 1950s jacket.
