As a person currently quite obsessed with the Grand Canyon (though not as obsessed as Harvey Buchart), I thought this was really interesting. The authors certainly did their research, and though I think it could have been trimmed a bit, it didn’t feel overburdened by the weight of that research.
The style was very readable, and I liked knowing more about Harvey’s early life and later life, as well as the lives of some of his contemporary hiker/explorers. I also enjoyed the authors’ attempts to recreate some of the routes/climbs Harvey did.
I enjoyed the pictures. I wish there had been a few more maps (the famous one on the inside cover was too tiny to be terribly useful)
Overall, a slightly long but very interesting read for someone already interested in the topic. It might be a bit much for those who aren’t already a little obsessed.
And Harvey…though this book did keep him a bit at arms’ length, it worked for me, because it kept him larger than life.
4.5 stars
