In 1953 Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat - the ninth-highest mountain in the world, and the third 8,000-metre peak to be climbed, following Annapurna and Everest. On a mountain that had claimed thirty-one lives, an exhausted Buhl waded through deep snow and climbed over technical ground to reach the summit, driven on by an 'irresistible urge'. Written shortly after Buhl's return from the mountain, 'Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage' is a classic of mountaineering literature that has inspired thousands of climbers.
