Sivalaya: Explorations of the 8000-Metre Peaks of the Himalaya by Louis Baume (1978)

A reference and bibliography chronicling the early history of the 8000-meter peaks. Like 14ers in Colorado or 4000ers in the Alps, 8000 meters is the magic number for high-altitude mountaineering. There are only 14 peaks in the entire world above 8,000 meters, all of them in the Himalayas and the Karakoram ranges. This book examines the geography, history and early explorations, including the first successful summit of each. 348 pages, with black-and-white maps and reference sketches, but no photographs.