Longs Peak: The Story Of Colorado's Favorite Fourteener

Rating:
Summary: Total Longs
Review: Dougald Macdonald did an excellent job covering all faucets of this mountain. Anyone who has had the opportunity to climb Longs Peak or has a general interest in mountains, be it climbing, studying the history, photography, etc. should find this as one of those "hard to put down" books. He covered most every perspective from the exploration to the extreme climbing and presented it in an easy reading yet fascinating manner. I found the history of the climbers and geology of the mountain quite interesting. Having hiked the trail before, I'll take more time to check out the surroundings on my next visit (Although that's hard to do considering the awesome scenery). Thanks for such a good book!

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding new book
Review: Dougald's new Longs Peak book is outstanding. He expertly retells many of the familiar Longs Peak tales, but also tells some new ones. In particular, his account of the first (white) ascent of the peak is the surprising product of some good sleuthing. The writing is superb, as are the photographs. This is an essential book, whether you are contemplating your first ascent of the peak or whether you know it as well as Dougald.

Rating:
Summary: Great stories and photos
Review: This is an excellent book on the history of Longs Peak. In particular the controversy around who made the first ascent is well researched and fascinating, although I may not agree with all the author's conclusions. This is the best account of the Agnes Vaille tragedy I have seen and contains many factoids I was not familiar with. Many a hiker passing the stone hut below the Keyhole has wondered about it, and reading this account is just what they need.

The photos in the book are magnificent and very well reproduced. There is also a list of recommended routes in the back. This is not a climbing guide, however, and I suggest you buy such a guide if you are planning on climbing any of these routes.