Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Alps: A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond
The Alps: A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond | Stephen O'Shea
33 posts | 3 read | 20 to read
A thrilling blend of contemporary travelogue and historical narrative about the Alps from a graceful and passionate writer (Washington Post). For centuries the Alps have seen the march of armies, the flow of pilgrims and Crusaders, the feats of mountaineers, and the dreams of engineers?and some 14 million people live among their peaks today. In The Alps, Stephen OShea takes readers up and down these majestic mountains, battling his own fear of heights to journey through a 500-mile arc across France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. OShea, whose style has been hailed for its engaging combination of candid first-person travel writing and absorbing historical narrative (Chicago Sun-Times), whisks readers along more than 2,000 years of Alpine history. As he travels pass-by-pass through the mountains, he tells great stories of those (real and imagined) who have passed before him, from Hannibal to Hitler, Frankensteins monster to Sherlock Holmes, Napoleon to Nietzsche, William Tell to James Bond. He explores the circumstances behind Hannibal and his elephants famous crossing in 218 BCE; he reveals how the Alps have profoundly influenced culture from Heidi to The Sound of Music; and he visits iconic sites, including the Reichenbach Falls, where Arthur Conan Doyle staged Sherlock Holmess death scene with Professor Moriarty; Caporetto, the bloody site of the Italians retreat in World War I; and the Eagles Nest, Hitlers aerie of a vacation home. OShea delves into Alpine myths and legends, such as the lopsided legs of the dahu, the fictitious goatlike creature of the mountains, and reveals why the beloved St. Bernard dog is so often depicted with a cask hanging below its neck. Throughout, he immerses himself in the communities he visits, engagingly recounting his adventures with contemporary road trippers, watchmakers, salt miners, cable-car operators, and yodelers.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
quote
Purpleness
post image

blurb
Texreader
post image

#wondrouswednesday (for another 8 minutes, sneaking this one in under the wire!) Thanks @TheSpineView & @Eggs for the tag!

1. Tagged author. I loved this book so much I bought all the books he‘s written

2. Rebel; The Year of Magical Thinking (because I tend to be optimistic); Fahrenheit 451 (because I‘m always hot!)

3. Reading: to escape the moment; audiobooking: to do the housework

TheSpineView You're welcome! 🤩 4y
Eggs Great responses and thanks for playing Karen 👏🏻📚💗 @Texreader 4y
57 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

#two4tuesday

1. Tagged! That was easy!
2. Heck yea!! I love asking Littens for recommendations!

Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

TheSpineView You're welcome and Thanks for playing! 📚😊📚 4y
45 likes1 comment
blurb
Texreader
post image

1) homegrown tomatoes ❤️🍅
2) tagged, not so much “set” but the author does his driving tour of the Alps in the summer ❤️ 🏔
3) yes, dolphins, most recently in a fjord in Norway ❤️🐬

#thoughtfulthursday

Thanks for the tag @MoonWitch94 !

Join in @freeatlast1137 @TheSpineView @Scochrane26 ?

TheSpineView Thanks for the tag! 💜🏷 4y
MoonWitch94 You‘re welcome!!! Thanks for playing ☺️⛵️🍉♥️ 4y
55 likes2 comments
review
squirrelbrain
post image
Pickpick

Well, now I‘m annoyed. Every blurb of this book mentions #liechtenstein, but in the book he doesn‘t actually go there...😠

Anyway, he did go to #slovenia (not for long) so I‘m counting that for #readingeurope2020!

The book was interesting, rather irreverent and amusing and not a serious travel guide. I didn‘t love the narrator though - I thought his tone was a bit monotonous, which meant he lost my attention a few times. Still a pick though.

Caroline2 That‘s annoying! 🙄 4y
Texreader Look at my tag for #Liechtenstein. I‘ve prepared a list of potential reads. I think you may have seen I loved the tagged book. So sorry the narrator didn‘t do it justice! 4y
squirrelbrain Yes, thank you @Texreader - I had a look at your list the other day so now I have some possibles! 4y
54 likes3 comments
blurb
squirrelbrain
post image

This morning‘s project - one giant lasagne, finished. (It makes 8 portions). Listening to the tagged book, on the recommendation of @Texreader - thanks Karen!

I‘m liking the book, but not loving the narrator yet, although I just looked him up and he‘s won awards for reading audiobooks, so must just be me.... 😳

Now I‘m starving after spending all morning #audiocooking - it must be nearly lunchtime?!

Cathythoughts Looks delicious 4y
rockpools Yum. Definitely lunchtime! 4y
Curiouser_and_curiouser Ooohhh, Great job! I'm new at making lasagna. I made a giant one this week for my hubby's birthday. Can I ask, have you put white sauce then some grated cheese for the top to finish like that? My brother was disappointed in how the top of mine turned out. I didn't bother putting it back in the oven after the foil came off, for the top to go brown like yours, but I also want to make sure I used the correct toppings for next time. TIA! 4y
See All 9 Comments
squirrelbrain @Curiouser_and_curiouser - mine has white sauce and then sliced up (proper) mozzarella on top. You do have to put foil on to stop it burning and you have to try and ‘tent‘ the foil otherwise it sticks to the mozzarella and it all peels off. 😒 I took the foil off for about 10 minutes at the end and this is the colour it ended up. The recipe that I use is Jamie Oliver‘s https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/simple-baked-lasagne/ 4y
squirrelbrain @Curiouser_and_curiouser it‘s not actually as ‘simple‘ as he claims - I think he says ‘simple‘ because he uses creme fraiche instead of white sauce. I‘ve had to go back to making my own white sauce as I have to eat low-fat at the mo and even half-fat creme fraiche is full of fat! It‘s really nice with the squash in as well as meat.... have fun! (edited) 4y
JenReadsAlot Wow that looks amazing! 4y
Texreader I‘m so sorry to hear the narrator is not helping! I swear the narrator can make or break a book. I hope it gets better for you. Makes me happy I read it rather than listened to it. 4y
squirrelbrain Yes, @Texreader, I think I‘d prefer to be reading than listening. It‘s not horrendous though - he‘s just a bit ‘samey‘ so I keep getting distracted, but I can tell that the writing itself is great. 4y
Curiouser_and_curiouser @squirrelbrain thanks so much! I'll have to have a look 😊 4y
83 likes9 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

Whoohoo! I sent the author of the tagged book a fan email and he responded. I recommended a photograph accompaniment to the book but alas that won‘t happen. And I suggested he check out Litsy! 😊

BarbaraTheBibliophage That‘s cool! 4y
rwmg How about a website with photos selected to accompany/illustrate the book? 4y
Texreader @rwmg I suggested that as well! I thought it was a great idea. But I guess that didn‘t fly either. It‘d be so worth it! 4y
See All 6 Comments
GingerAntics THAT IS SO COOL!!! I love that he took the time to respond to you. 4y
Mrs_B Awwww that‘s awesome. You‘ll have to let us know if he joins! 4y
Texreader @Mrs_B I keep checking but not yet! Unless he‘s under a pseudonym 😉 4y
71 likes6 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

Here it is, the last post for this book. The author struggled with collective names for the motorcyclists who crossed his path, so he created his own, shown here and I loved it. There was also:
-a schnitzel of Austrian bikers (& a mini-schnitzel later on)
-a goulash of Hungarian bikers
-a bratwurst for short (we‘d come across so many by then)
And from this Canadian (now living in Rhode Island) author:
-an assault rifle of American tourists

cathysaid 👏👏👏 4y
GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 that last one is perfect!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
LiteraryinLawrence This is awesome! 4y
julesG 🤣🤣🤣 4y
Eggs 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
62 likes5 comments
review
Texreader
post image
Pickpick

Traveling through all the major passes in the Alps, we learn the deeply researched history—human & geographic—of the Alps. Learn what books were written & where, the same for movies made, all with a hilarious wit (but serious when necessary) referencing the most ancient & most modern of events, & the author‘s own misadventures on the road. I was endlessly fascinated & learned so many new things. Excellent, 5 stars! #readingeurope2020 ⬇️

Texreader I‘m using it for #Switzerland, but also works for #France, #Austria, #Italy, #Germany, and if you‘re desperate, #Slovenia. 4y
cathysaid This sounds like something I might like but would never ever read without a recommendation. Stacked! 4y
Texreader @cathysaid I don‘t remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much, with many laugh out loud moments, or just roaring with laughter, then going whoa because I‘ve learned something so new and astounding. And never dreamed that was possible with non-fiction. I‘m a bit embarrassed to say I just bought all his other books tonight. Enjoy! 4y
cathysaid @Texreader Wow! That‘s quite an endorsement - buying all the books. I‘ll be sure to let you know when I read it. 4y
68 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

I‘m so sad to say I‘ve finished this book. I don‘t recall ever being sad for a nonfiction book to end because they come to a natural conclusion. Not so this one. The author could have just kept driving around the Alps and finding more stories and history to tell. This is an incredible, truly great, well-written book that may be my fave read of 2020 so far. Review and more to come.

GingerAntics That‘s the sign of a good book!!! 4y
squirrelbrain Oh, I‘m so glad you loved this! It‘s on my TBR for #readingeurope2020.... 4y
Ncostell Great cover too! 4y
See All 6 Comments
coffees Ohhhh it sounds interesting!! 4y
Texreader @squirrelbrain I hope you love it as much as I did!! 4y
Texreader @Ncostell absolutely! 4y
83 likes7 stack adds6 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

When books collide. Caesar was assassinated in the chapter I finished today in Cleopatra: A Life and the author in the tagged book is now near the mountain range known as the Julian Alps, named after the self-same man. Apparently this happens with nonfiction books too! #cleopatraalife

GingerAntics All the time!!! Welcome to my world. 🤣😂🤣 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yes! I call it book serendipity! #Bookendipity! 4y
Texreader @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘ve got to remember that word!! 4y
66 likes3 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

Have you ever heard or been to the mountain range called the Dolomites? I love this book! I just learned the Dolomites are actually a coral reef, formed back when Europe was submerged under an ocean! So I had to look them up on the internet. So beautiful!!

alisiakae I learned that from a book too, I just can‘t remember which one! 4y
Crazeedi Sounds just amazing 4y
Freespirit Wow how beautiful. If I ever get travelling again this is a must see area💕 4y
See All 8 Comments
ImperfectCJ I've been looking at pictures of the Dolomites lately as part of my travel daydreams. Definitely on my list for someday, along with Torres del Paine in Chile. 4y
ChasingOm I‘ve heard of them, but didn‘t realize they were coral reef! 😮 4y
maich My father went to skiing there in winter. 4y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Wow! I had no idea! 4y
103 likes1 stack add8 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

Do you do this? When you love an author so much, you‘re determined to read all his books? I‘m loving the tagged book, and the topics he has covered are right up my alley. So I‘m going to look for them.

freeatlast1137 Yes, definitely! 4y
TheSpineView Totally! 4y
rwmg It's why my TBR pile never gets smaller 4y
Nute Definitely! 4y
61 likes4 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

Looks like our author is finally (but slowly) moving away from talking about the Nazis and regaining some humor. Here he‘s decided not to snap photos of Himmler‘s home which “would result only in postcards from the hedge.”

blurb
Texreader
post image

Ok the book has necessarily become darker and lo and behold, tomorrow is the anniversary of the Night of the Long Knives, when as the author explains, Germany learned its democratically elected leadership will henceforward engage without punishment in executions of its own people (even if those people probably deserved executing but preferably after a trial).

julesG Thanks for the reminder. 4y
Texreader @julesG Yes, what a weird coincidence. I‘d heard of it, but didn‘t remember the details. There are so many lessons history‘s trying to teach us. I wish a large portion of the American population could understand where we are being led. 4y
julesG That's exactly why "being led" works, because the majority of the people doesn't understand or doesn't care. 4y
52 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

It‘s been a depressing day so of course I‘m depressed this book is leaving my most recent ancestors‘ country of origin, Switzerland (early 1900s), and now moving into Austria and Germany. Heaven knows a huge contingent of my ancestors are from Germany but I guess since the most recent immigrant was from the 1850s, I‘m having a hard time getting excited about it. But I have faith in this author. He‘s hilarious, so I travel on with him.

quote
Texreader
post image

As the author of the tagged book leaves Grindelwald, Switzerland, he makes this delightful “discovery.”

GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 4y
Texreader @GingerAntics This is a fantastic non-fiction writer. I never dreamed I‘d enjoy this book so much. 4y
GingerAntics I love that he‘s adding in pop culture references. 4y
Texreader @GingerAntics Indeed! From Heidi to Harry Potter! 4y
53 likes4 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

A number of Irish manuscripts reside in the monastic library mentioned in my previous post. I love the notes the copyists added to the manuscripts:

“My hand aches.”

And my favorite: “Tonight is a stormy night so we don‘t have to be afraid of the Vikings.”

GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 well, I guess there is always a bright side to storms. 4y
Texreader @GingerAntics Ha! Right! 🤣🤣🤣 4y
Crazeedi So cool! 4y
50 likes3 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

I love this description of Switzerland‘s St. Gallen‘s monastic library, “a center of European learning back when the Dark Ages were pitch black.”

Butterfinger That would be a great place to visit. 4y
42 likes1 comment
quote
Texreader
post image

Mom, @Doll8455 do you remember this from Zermatt? I remember the railway platform, and the mighty fancy shops, and our balcony that looked out on the Matterhorn? Switzerland 🇨🇭❤️. I‘m so glad we got to do that together!!

Doll8455 Me too. Remember the cow with bells on the side of the mountain? 4y
Texreader @Doll8455 Yes! And the avalanche that wiped out the town? He mentions one like that in this book. 4y
46 likes2 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

Yay! We‘ve finally made it to Switzerland, the reason I‘m reading this book, #readingeurope2020 #Switzerland & my most recent immigrant ancestors (about 1905) were Swiss. The author started in France, spent time in Italy, and is now in Switzerland. We will stay here awhile, and then it looks like we are on to Austria (a perfect book for this challenge) It‘s a fantastic book, with so many quotable and laugh-out-loud moments. #joysofjune #readathon

Librarybelle I think I picked up this one from Book Outlet awhile ago - the cover looks familiar! 4y
Texreader @Librarybelle Unless he takes a very dramatic change for the worse, I highly recommend it! You may be able to complete a read of a country you don‘t have yet, too, for the challenge. 4y
Andrew65 Yey! 👏👏👏 4y
56 likes3 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

It‘s going to be a crazy hot day, but this morning not a cloud in the sky and lots of blooms and a baby lime in my yard. I‘ve been reading/enjoying immensely the tagged book this morning. Unfortunately the mosquitoes are out in force too so no reading outside. #joysofjune #readathon

kspenmoll Beautiful! 4y
Texreader @kspenmoll Thanks! I was having a lovely stroll until I noticed the mosquitoes gnawing on my legs. 4y
kspenmoll @Texreader Drat those hungry buggers! 4y
51 likes3 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

“I knew in advance that the English would be here in force... they basically own the place. At an Italian pizzeria the night before, my Transylvanian waitress put the number of English proprietors ... at 80%. Then...in a Mexican bar, my Swedish server trimmed that to 50%. At the tourist office, a young Irishwoman cut his number by half. Whatever the true figure, they all agreed there were too many foreigners...”

This author is a hoot!

Crazeedi Hehehehe!😂 4y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
Texreader
post image

“A sign flashes past: MUSEE DE L‘HORLOGERIE ET DU DÉCOLLETAGE. Once again I am flummoxed. The translation in my head—Museum of Watchmaking and Plunging Necklines—seems an unlikely pairing.” ?

rwmg 😂🤪 4y
veritysalter To be fair, I‘ve been to some bizarre museums pairings in France. I went to one in Espéraza, Aude, that is a fabulous dinosaur museum, but incongruously contained a hat museum as well. 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I'd gladly pay admission to see what was really inside! 😂 4y
See All 7 Comments
Texreader @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Right? He figured out later that décolletage has two meanings, the other meaning is “machining.” 4y
Texreader @veritysalter That‘s a pretty odd pairing as well! Makes me think of dinosaurs in hats! 🦖 🎩 😂 (edited) 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Well that pairing makes a lot more sense, but is significantly less entertaining. 😂 4y
Texreader @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Yes I was a bit disappointed when he cleared it up a few pages later. I was satisfied with the odd and humorous mystery. 4y
56 likes7 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

I got to visit my parents for the first time since Thanksgiving. They live a few towns away from the client I met with on my road trip. So dad‘s growing sunflowers now and they were gorgeous. And there was a wild turkey hen just waltzing across the front yard. During a small bit of insomnia I read more about the Alps. So wonderful to see my parents. They are doing well. 😃

Megabooks Beautiful! 4y
Texreader @Megabooks Thank you! 4y
60 likes2 comments
quote
Texreader
post image

I love this author‘s style and sense of humor.

For example: “the French language...completely loses its mind once the number seventy is reached.... But the asylum doors are fully breached when the number eighty arrives.”

My husband knows French and both my kids study French but they‘ve never told me one had to use math when counting past 70! No thank you! 🤣

AlaMich I took French in high school and I remember numbers being bonkers. 🤪 4y
45 likes1 comment
quote
Texreader
post image

When you go through a mountain pass, “[y]ou may have passed a national boundary, a ‘lard line‘ (pork fat vs. olive oil)…”

I‘ve already learned something new! There‘s a lard line that runs across Europe! 😃

GingerAntics That‘s certainly an interesting name for it. 4y
45 likes1 comment
blurb
Texreader
post image

Twenty years ago my mom & I went to Switzerland. My g-grandparents emigrated from a lovely town in the rolling hills of northern Switzerland, about an hour west of Zurich. We met family & took photos of records a newfound cousin shared with us. Then we toured Switzerland, taking a bus then a train through the Alps to Zermatt, where our balcony overlooked the Matterhorn. I‘m excited to “visit” again via this book. #readingeurope2020 #Switzerland

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I am loving the vintage travel poster cover! 😍 4y
Texreader @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Me too! It‘s a great cover! 4y
66 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Texreader
post image

My daughter and I broke down and went to two bookstores today. Here‘s my haul. Not as many as usual but we were social distancing and left when we both got uncomfortable. A father was only halfway wearing his mask slid mostly down his face and letting his kids race the aisles. 😡

Butterfinger I hate that. 4y
JamieArc Having lived in the Alpes when I taught in France, I‘m really curious about the tagged book! 4y
Texreader @JamieArc It‘s next up! I‘ve taken a train across the Alps in Switzerland. My great grandparents were from Switzerland so I‘m very excited to read this, too. 4y
JamieArc @Texreader I look forward to seeing your thoughts about it. Happy reading! 4y
65 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Lindy
post image
Pickpick

Travel & history, animals, languages & people (past & present) of the Alps. Details like a mountain named Wank; a snowboarding school at a monastery; a man using 3 sharp whistle calls to summon his wife in a crowded cathedral. Playful wordsmithing: "a towering triangle of geological gigantism." A little too much mention of flimsy guardrails & oblivious Dutch travellers. Entertaining #audiobook smoothly narrated by Robert Fass.

blurb
Lindy
post image

Things I've learned about St Bernards in this history of the Alps:
- They never carried little barrel flasks. (The origin of that myth is peculiar & too long to recount here.)
- They suffer from inbreeding (& were saved by crossbreeding with Newfoundland dogs).
- They've been replaced by German & Belgian shepherds in mountain rescue missions because of limited space in helicopters.

Hooked_on_books They have the cutest freckles. I know they eat a tremendous amount of food. 7y
Lindy @Hooked_on_books I had no idea that they have freckles. Cool! 7y
LeahBergen Flashback here ... did you ever see old reruns of the 1970s Canadian-Swiss TV series called "George"? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_AoYtMz6fEE ?? 7y
See All 8 Comments
RaimeyGallant Nice facts! 7y
Melkyl My precious dog Pepper was half St Bernard. She was the best dog ever, and I miss her so much. She was such a wonderful member of our family. 7y
Lindy @LeahBergen Thanks for the link. I vaguely remembered the show and it came back more clearly when I watched the credits. 😊 7y
Lindy @Melwilk Awww! Those furry companions do have a way of getting into our hearts. 💕 7y
43 likes8 comments
quote
Lindy
post image

It's just as well that I didn't read this book before I went to the top of Mont Blanc last month: "Unfortunately, I have done my research on aerial tramways, and know of the disasters to which they have been prey."

VioletBramble I take an aerial tramway to and from work and at least half the time I need to leave the island where I live. (Sometimes I take the subway). I think I'll avoid this book. I'd rather not know what might happen. 7y
Lindy @VioletBramble What a cool way to commute! 7y
37 likes2 comments
blurb
Lindy
post image

I've been #audiogardening in my food forest - AKA my front yard - before the day gets too warm. It's been lovely seeing postings by other Littens of their homes, so here's mine. When I bought this Edmonton bungalow 31 years ago, this was all grass except for a mature spruce, a dying birch, and a lilac. Now, I've added apples, cherries, hazelnuts, raspberries and other edibles. 🇨🇦

ReadingEnvy You must have happy bees! 7y
Lindy @ReadingEnvy Oh yes. Bumblebees of every size. 😀 7y
saresmoore Fabulous! Edible landscaping is the future! 7y
See All 7 Comments
Lindy @saresmoore With so much of Earth's population shifting to urban, we need to have more emphasis on urban food production. I'm doing my bit. 😀🌿 7y
saresmoore I love it! 7y
Texreader Marvelous! So beautiful and fortunate! It was too hot to work in the yard hours before I woke up. 😲 Ahhh south Texas heat. 7y
Lindy @Texreader Thanks! I'm happy to be a northern-dweller. 7y
49 likes1 stack add7 comments