Alps

In the Alps, Stephen O'Shea takes readers on a journey through these majestic mountains, which stretch over a 500-mile arc across France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. He explores the reality behind Hannibal's famous crossing with his elephants in 218 BC. He illustrates how the Alps have profoundly influenced culture from Frankenstein to Heidi to The Sound of Music, and he visits the place where Arthur Conan Doyle staged Sherlock Holmes' death scene, the bloody site of the Italian retreat in World War I, and Hitler's notorious Eagle's Nest. Along the way, O'Shea captures his adventures with the watchmakers, salt makers, cable car operators, and yodelers who shape the Alps today.