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A thrilling blend of contemporary travelogue and historical narrative about the Alps from a graceful and passionate writer (The Washington Post). Stephen O´Shea reveals how the Alps have profoundly influenced culture from Frankenstein to Heidi to The Sound of Music.

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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, journeying through their 500-mile arc across France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. Along the way, he explores the reality behind Hannibal and his elephants famous crossing in 218 BCE. He visits the spot where Arthur Conan Doyle staged Sherlock Holmess death scene, the bloody site of the Italians retreat in the First World War, and Hitlers notorious holiday retreat, the Eagles Nest. Throughout, OShea records his adventures with the watch makers, salt miners, cable-car operators and yodellers who define the Alps today.

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Stephen O´Shea is the author of several books about European history, including the acclaimed Back to the Front.

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