In a riveting narrative of daredevils and eccentrics, Fergus Fleming gives us the breathtaking story of some of history`s greatest explorers as they conquer the soaring peaks of the Alps. Fleming recounts the incredible exploits of the men whose centuries-old fear of the mountain range turned quickly to curiosity, then to obsession, as they explored Europe`s frozen wilderness. In the late eighteenth century French and Swiss scientists became interested in the Alps as a research destination, but in the 1850s the focus changed: the icy mountains now offered an all-out competition for British climbers who wanted to conquer ever higher and more impossible heights, and explorers fought each other on the peaks and in the press, entertaining a vast public smitten with their bravery, delighted by their personal animosities, and horrified by the disasters that befell them. `...excellent popular history, with its proper share of mad dogs and Englishmen....Fleming`s rendition is dramatic and masterful.` -- Anthony Brandt, National Geographic Adventure.

In autumn 2006, ECM - one of the most influential, innovative and widely admired labels in the history of recorded music - will release its 1000th recording since its inception in 1969. Along the way, there have been many landmark recordings and new discoveries - from Keith Jarrett`s best-selling `Koln Concert` and Jan Garbarek`s saxophone improvisations to Estonian composer Arvo Part`s profoundly moving minimalism. `Horizons Touched: The Music of ECM` is a portrait of the label, its artists, and their music in words and photography. Much more than a conventional label history, the book celebrates and reflects on the ways in which ECM has grown and changed from its origins in jazz to contemporary classical, from medieval chant to free jazz and traditional folk musics from around the world. It includes over 20 specially commissioned essays by an international line-up of music journalists and writers and over 100 contributions from artists, composers, designers, and photographers.