The Last of His Kind

The Life and Adventures of Bradford Washburn, America's Boldest Mountaineer

By: David Roberts

Narrated by: David de Vries

“Stunning and stirring.”

- Boston Globe

In The Last of His Kind, renowned adventure writer David Roberts gives readers a spellbinding history of mountain climbing in the twentieth century as told through the biography of Brad Washburn, legendary mountaineering pioneer and photographer. Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, has praised David Roberts, saying, “Nobody alive writes better about mountaineering” - and nowhere is that truth more evident than in this breathtaking account of the life and exploits of America’s greatest mountain climber.

©2009 David Roberts. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Passion drives Washburns Life

In my opinion this is a well written account of the effects passion has on Washburn’s life and climbing. It is not over or under dramatized but a riveting account of the grit that mountain survival often demands.

an amazing life

my first intro to brad was in denali's howl, where he was described as essentially a jerk. but after listening to his amazing life you learn that he was a very complex person. the tragedy of his final months on this mortal coil will bring you to weeping. the performance of the text is impeccable as always from mr de vries and of course mr roberts work is as always fantastically written and executed.

Great introduction to Washburn & climbing elites

Dave Roberts creates a simple to follow biography of a complex character in Brad Washburn.
The book helped me to piece together the early climbing days of many of his contemporaries.
As someone who lives in Massachusetts and hikes in New Hampshire and Alaska I found the connection with local organizations like the Harvard Mountaineering Club to be interesting and informative.
it also connected a lot of dots for other books I've read on Denali and K2 and the various exploits of Washburn's contemporaries .
if you're into climbing, cartography or aerial photography, then there's something in this book for you.