The full autobiography of one of the world's most well known adventurers. Heinrich Harrer, traveller, explorer and mountaineer led one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. He famously spent Seven Years in Tibet (published in 1953 and made into the film starring Brad Pitt in 1997) and was tutor, mentor and a lifelong friend of the Dalai Lama. He made the first ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger (told in his book The White Spider) and summited unclimbed peaks in Alaska, the Himalaya and South America. In this dramatic autobiography he brings to life all of his adventures, from growing up in a small mountain village in Carinthia, to the early days of climbing in the Alps, his success on the Eiger in 1938, through his time in Tibet, to his later expeditions. Looking back in his 90's on a long life full of adventures, Harrer candidly recounts his meeting with Adolf Hitler and his flirtation with the Nazi regime in the late 1930's. He reviews his time in Tibet and reveals many never before disclosed details. He chronicles his later expeditions that include the first ascent of Carstenz Pyramid in New Guinea, exploration of the Amazon with King Leopold III of Belgium and ethnological research and travels to remote parts of Asia, South America and Africa. This book brings to life his incredible life, much of which is little known outside his standout achievements.
