Paul Preuss

By David Smart,

Book cover of Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss: Life and Death at the Birth of Free-Climbing

Book description

Shortlisted for the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Award for Mountain Literature


Shortlisted for the 2019 Boardman Tasker Award


An intriguing biography of the renowned Austrian alpinist Paul Preuss, who achieved international recognition both for his remarkable solo ascents and for his advocacy of an ethically "pure" alpinism (meaning without any…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Paul Preuss as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I must admit that I have a very personal reason for liking this book. Paul Preuss was my great-uncle. This is a book more about mountaineering than about skiing, but as an elite mountaineer of the early 20th century, Preuss was a pioneer of skiing as well as mountain climbing. There have been three previous books written about Preuss’s life and exploits, two by renowned climber, Reinhold Messner and one by an Italian climber/author named Severino Casara, but the book by Mr. Smart is the first English language book about the life and achievements of Paul Preuss. Preuss was not…

Want books like Paul Preuss?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 41 books like Paul Preuss.

Browse books like Paul Preuss

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in mountaineering, skiing, and mountaineers?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about mountaineering, skiing, and mountaineers.

Mountaineering Explore 37 books about mountaineering
Skiing Explore 7 books about skiing
Mountaineers Explore 12 books about mountaineers