In “Reflections on Mountaineering: A Journey Through Life as Experienced in the Mountains (4th Edition) 2022,” (the Book), Mr. Goldman has written one hundred fifteen poems, some of which are in rhyme, while others are in blank verse or are prose-poems. All these poems are conveyed in a Narrative form that is meant to be readily accessible to all readers, including those with little or no mountaineering experience.
Mr. Goldman has climbed for more than 30 years, and his Book outlines much of what he learned during his adventures through experience and study. Importantly, he came to realize that mountaineers deal with many of the same moral dilemmas that confront all people in their daily lives, but to a sharper degree.
By discussing such issues as how to deal with fear in order to prevail in the mountain environment, and how luck so often plays its random role, Mr. Goldman strives to expose to the general public the “hidden truths” that mountaineers regularly confront. These truths arise not only when the mountaineer revels in his accomplishments, but also when he suffers with the anguish of defeat.
Even more than that, many of the poems in this collection attempt to struggle with the “meaning of life,” including the realization that the very act of climbing itself imbues mountains with a sense of human significance by creating human meaning where there had previously been only “a blank on the map.”
Want to experience the thrills and secret ecstasies of mountaineering? Interested in participating in the convergence of poetry and adventure? If so, please order a copy of Alan V. Goldman's Book, “Reflections on Mountaineering,” published by Outskirts Press, Inc. and available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Shakespeare & Company, and various other distinguished bookstores. Also, please view Mr. Goldman's website: www.mountainreflections.art for further information and background about the book.
The book will be displayed at the ALA Annual Conference, as noted above. Please consider visiting.
As stated in the book's Dedication, this Book is dedicated to: “…all future climbers and would-be climbers who would sally forth in search of their magic Mountain. The rewards are intangible and evanescent, the risk is real, but the goal is one of ineffable joy, indeed, ecstasy, in both the process of climbing itself and in the attainment of its purposes. And remember this: there's a mysterious glory and nobility to be found in the imperfect, so long as the goal is worthy. As the poet Robert Browning once said: 'Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?'” Andrea del Sarto, lines 97-98
“Reflections on Mountaineering: A Journey Through Life as Experienced in the Mountains (4th Edition)(2022)”
Author | Alan V. Goldman
Genre | The Psychology of Adventure in the Natural World; The Sociology of Human Behavior Under Duress
Publisher | Outskirts Press, Inc.
Published date | January 28, 2022
Book Retail Price | $11.73 (Softcover)
Author's Biography
Alan V. Goldman is a graduate of Horace Mann School (1975), Harvard College (1979), and Harvard Law School (1982). He practiced law for many years and is now retired.
“Reflections on Mountaineering” has been favorably reviewed in The US Review of Books, by Mari Carlson; Foreword Clarion, by Michele Sharpe; Pacific Book Review, by Anthony Avina; Seattle Book Review, by Maileen Hamto; San Francisco Book Review, by Alex Telander; IndieReader, by Joan Kirschner; and Portland Book Review, by Theresa Kadair and last, but certainly not least, we refer you to the positive reviews by Amazon Verified Purchasers.
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