Antarctica: Both Heaven and Hell

by Reinhold Messner, Jill Neate

Release Date: March, 1992

Edition: Hardcover

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Not the best

If I had wanted a book about the history of Antarctica, I would have bought something different.
If I had wanted a book about Greenpeace-related issues, I would have bought somehting different.
Also, everybody knows this guy is in extreme shape, but the way he keeps repeating it and the way he keeps blaming his partner is not to my liking.
Reinhold has written a book lately about leadership, but after reading this book I am convinced he does not know anything about it.
Great pictures, though, and aside form the history, environmental and partnership issues it can still make quite a good story.

mixed bag of impressions

This book is very uneven, unfortunately. On one side, photography is splendid, historical and geological discussion are very thorough, the spirit of adventure is live and well. However, I am TIRED to find Messner complaining about his partner on every single page. And the translation is so bad, that one can almost study German grammar from the English presented.

The philosophical expositions in the book kept my feelings mixed as well. On one side (and perhaps this is due to a poor translation) it is full of heavy and sometimes overly sweet German Romanticism; one the other hand, Messner's treatment of the white void in front of him as a meditative medium is very honestly portrayed and splendidly presented.