ASCENT The Invention of Mountain Climbing and Its Practice<i> by Jeremy Bernstein (Touchstone: $9.95, illustrated) </i>

The great outdoors has become so commercialized in recent years that it’s difficult to believe that for most of human history, mountains were regarded as obstacles to travelers that no sane person would climb unless compelled. Jeremy Bernstein traces the history of the sport of mountaineering from its origins in the Chamonix region of France in the late 18th Century through the present day. An enthusiastic climber, Bernstein blends first-person adventures with historical research and reflection in chapter-length essays that began as articles for The New Yorker. Entertaining reading for the real or armchair outdoorsman.