Was it fate that put Krakauer—at once a crack climber, a seasoned journalist, and a sensitive conscience—on the world's highest mountain during that notorious 1996 season? Unpredictable weather, human folly, and a mind-set committed to client satisfaction killed 12 people on Everest that year, while the whole world watched. Krakauer showed us what it really meant: the traffic jams on the summit ridge; guides bending their own rules to get exhausted clients to the top. He showed us the consequences of disrespect for this formidable goddess, Chomolungma, as the Sherpas call her. And Krakauer is as hard on himself as he is on the rest. Whereas Annapurna is the record of a triumph, Into Thin Air is the postmortem of a debacle—less inspiring, but no less powerful. As the most widely read mountaineering work in recent history, it has profoundly shaped our idea of extreme adventure and who and what it is for.

乔恩•克拉考尔Jon Krakauer

★ 美国畅销书作家、《户外》杂志专栏作家，美国国家杂志奖、美国艺术与文学院学院奖获得者，被誉为“最杰出的探险类作家”。

★ 出版多部畅销书，其中，《荒野生存》雄踞《纽约时报》畅销书榜长达两年，《进入空气稀薄地带》英文版销量过百万，译成25种语言在世界各地出版，被誉为“登山者的圣经”。

★ 从1998年开始，克拉考尔陆续将著作所得捐赠给Educate the Children等公益机构，截止到2012年，克拉考尔捐款总额超过170万美元。