Mountains From Space: Peaks and Ranges of the Seven Continents.

MOUNTAINS FROM SPACE: Peaks and Ranges of the Seven Continents STEFAN DECH, REINHOLD MESSNER, RUDIGER GLASER, AND RALF-PETER MARTIN

The lofty peaks of Earth's most majestic mountain ranges have traditionally been accessible only to the most daring and capable of climbers. But modern remote-sensing technology and digital imaging enable readers of Mountains from Space to take a virtual journey to the tops of such giants as Kilimanjaro, the Alps, Mount Everest, and K2. The book features breathtaking, full-color images of each continent's most famous mountain ranges captured from as far as 500 miles to as close as 15 miles, offering a unique, unobstructed perspective of Earth's surface. Accompanying these images is in-depth commentary by scientists who study these ranges and their glaciers. They consider what mountains can tell us about Earth's geologic past and future. Also included are essays by such notable mountaineers as Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary, who have firsthand experience with being on top of the world and whose reverence for these mountains, through these magnificent images, can be understood. Abrams, 2005, 244 p., color photos, hardcover, $50.00.