Die Rote Rakete am Nanga Parbat (First Edition, Signed)

Reinhold Messner’s first book, his account of the 1970 Nanga Parbat expedition, signed by him and withdrawn from sale after the expedition leader went to court.

In June 1970 Reinhold Messner and his brother Günther reached the summit of Nanga Parbat by the Rupal Face, on an expedition led by Karl Maria Herrligkoffer. Günther was lost on the descent. Messner’s account, which he subtitled “a screenplay for a film that can never be shown”, appeared a year later. The title refers to the red and blue rockets agreed as weather signals between summit party and base camp. The red rocket, which meant bad weather, was fired and Messner went on regardless. He published the book despite the expedition contract, and Herrligkoffer sued him for breaching a publishing embargo. The book was removed from circulation, and the two men went on to a series of lawsuits over many years. Messner returned to the events of 1970 in Der nackte Berg (2002; English as The Naked Mountain, 2003).

Surviving copies of this first edition are scarce.

Signed and dated by Messner to the title page.First edition. Text in German. Octavo, 222pp., illustrated with 58 photographs and drawings. Original cloth boards, in pictorial dust jacket, unclipped. Very good, in a near fine dust jacket that is slightly creased along the upper edge. The text block is foxed along the upper edge, with mild foxing along the upper and lower edges of the cover boards, but the contents are otherwise bright and clear.

This item is currently on display in our Paddington store. For viewing or more information, please contact rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au

Catalogue number: HH000872