Under the Devil's Thumb Paperback - 1999
by David Gessner
Gessner first moved to Colorado in the wake of a bout with cancer. Combining memoir with nature and travel writing, this young New Englander takes readers on a joyous quest to discover the mysteries of the western landscape and the landscape of the soul as well.
From the jacket flap
David Gessner first moved to Colorado in the wake of a bout with cancer. In "Under the Devil's Thumb," this young New Englander takes readers on a joyous quest to discover the mysteries of the western landscape and the landscape of the soul as well. In the West Gessner began to rewrite his life. "Under the Devil's Thumb" is a story of rugged determination and sweat, as well as humor, adventure and hope. In and around his new hometown of Boulder, Colorado, Gessner hiked hard and ran alongside flooded creeks. He found that the West was a place of stories--stories that grow out of the ground, flow out of the dirt, work their way through one's limbs, and drive people to push their physical limits. Hiking up scree slopes toward the Devil's Thumb, a massive outcrop of orange rock that attracts climbers, hikers, and contemplaters, Gessner reflects on the illness he has so recently survived. He pushes his physical limits, hoping to outrun death, to outrun dread. He finds momentary transcendence in the joys and self-inflicted pain of mountain biking. "Nothing but the hardest ride has the power to flush out worry, mind clutter, and dread." In tranquil moments he seeks a chance to recover an animal self that is strong and powerful enough to conquer mountains, but also still and quiet enough to see things human beings ignore. In the mountain West, Gessner finds what Wallace Stegner called "the geography of hope." He finds within himself an interior landscape that is healthy and strong. Combining memoir, nature writing, and travel writing, "Under the Devil's Thumb" is one man's journey deep into a place of healing.
Details
- Title Under the Devil's Thumb
- Author David Gessner
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Edition Unstated
- Pages 230
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
- Date 1999-02
- Features Dust Cover
- ISBN 9780816519248 / 0816519242
- Weight 0.66 lbs (0.30 kg)
- Dimensions 8.03 x 6.16 x 0.57 in (20.40 x 15.65 x 1.45 cm)
-
Themes
- Cultural Region: Mountains
- Cultural Region: Western U.S.
- Geographic Orientation: Colorado
- Library of Congress subjects Gessner, David, Cancer - Patients - Colorado - Biography
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 98040232
- Dewey Decimal Code B
Media reviews
Citations
- Library Journal, 04/01/1999, Page 124
More Copies for Sale
Under the Devil's Thumb
by David Gessner
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9780816519248
- ISBN 10
- 0816519242
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.92FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Under the Devil's Thumb
by David Gessner
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9780816519248
- ISBN 10
- 0816519242
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$9.00FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Under the Devil's Thumb
by David Gessner
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9780816519248
- ISBN 10
- 0816519242
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$26.95$12.62 shipping to USA
Show Details
Under the Devil's Thumb
by David Gessner
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used:Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9780816519248
- ISBN 10
- 0816519242
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$23.26FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Under the Devil's Thumb
by Gessner, David
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9780816519248
- ISBN 10
- 0816519242
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, United States
- Item Price
-
$65.47$5.45 shipping to USA