With Bare Hands

With Bare Hands

"With Bare Hands" is Alain Robert's well received autobiography, published in English in 2008. Thanks to a career of high-risk urban ascents, the French climber has gained the nicknames "The French Spiderman" and "The Human Spider". The title "With Bare Hands" refers to his practice of climbing without the use of any safety equipment. The book follows Robert's achievements, from his childhood climbing cliffs in the gorges of southwestern France, to travelling the world looking for new skyscrapers to climb. The book offers insights into the mentality and motives of the world's most famous urban climber. It was first published by Blacksmith Books in Hong Kong and was edited and adapted by John Chan.

Contents

* PrologueRock climber Alain Robert is asked by a film director to climb a tower in Chicago. It has never before been done. Chaos reigns as a reluctant Alain risks life and limb to scale his first building.

* Chapter 1: A Newly Discovered Mountain RangeSuddenly struck by the possibility of climbing buildings, Alain climbs skyscrapers in Paris and New York – experiencing arrest, media exposure and courtroom drama.

* Chapter 2: Le Tour de ParisAlain is in demand by the media and teams up with a major magazine to scale famous landmarks in Paris in a series of bizarre escapades.

* Chapter 3: The HatchlingEmerging from a coma after a fall from a cliff, Alain looks back over his life – his colourful childhood, his wild adolescence and two terrible falls which left him partially disabled.

* Chapter 4: European TrilogyAlain gains fame in France and is set an assignment by a magazine editor. He has 12 days to travel across Europe and make three daring climbs.

* Chapter 5: Jailhouse RockAlain completes a perilous climb of the Golden Gate Bridge. He compares his experience in a tough US jail with prisons around the world, most notably his abuse in a dungeon in Asia.

* Chapter 6: Fantastico!Alain is invited to Brazil where he is greeted as a superstar. His new fame does not go to his head as he befriends three impoverished children and visits them in their favela.

* Chapter 7: Liberty BellIn Philadelphia by accident, Alain grows obsessed with climbing a seemingly impossible tower. After exhaustive attempts he cracks it but ends up in court – this time facing two years in jail.

* Chapter 8: Alain and the KingAfter failing to climb the world’s tallest building Alain finds himself in a nightmarish Malaysian jail. A minister intervenes and he is suddenly thrown into the high life, enjoying dinner with the King of Malaysia.

* Chapter 9: SpidermanAlain risks a caning in Singapore, performs an outrageous rock climb and makes his first ascents in Venezuela and London dressed as Spiderman.

* Chapter 10: Fears and the SearsThe toughest assignments Alain has ever taken on – a deadly rock climb and the sheer glass walls of the Sears Tower almost kill him and force him to confront his deepest fears.

* Chapter 11: Asia RisingAlain scales Taipei 101, the world’s tallest tower – and does it injured after falling off a traffic light. He dodges security to climb the Jin Mao Tower, China’s tallest building and is beaten up by police in Tokyo.

* Chapter 12: The Sands of TimeAlain rubs shoulders with the elite of the Arab world, and then climbs before an audience of 100,000. He looks to the future, considers his ageing body, and concedes that climbing may well kill him.

References

* [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i6xopS1HAeyB_Ri4SAnZd_IvNClg French Spiderman scales Hong Kong hotel] — Agence France Presse
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583786/%27Human-Spider%27-Alain-Robert-comes-to-London.html Human Spider Alain Robert comes to London] — Daily Telegraph

External links

* [http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/9789889979928.htm With Bare Hands] — publisher's site
* [http://www.alainrobert.com Alain Robert] — official website of Alain Robert


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • with bare hands — with (your) bare hands without using any type of tool or weapon. The court heard how Roberts strangled the woman with his bare hands …   New idioms dictionary

  • with your bare hands — phrase without using any equipment or weapons when doing something that needs a lot of strength Thesaurus: without help and acting alonesynonym Main entry: bare * * * with your bare hands : using only your hands and no tools or weapons He tried… …   Useful english dictionary

  • with your bare hands — with (your) bare hands without using any type of tool or weapon. The court heard how Roberts strangled the woman with his bare hands …   New idioms dictionary

  • with one's bare hands — With no weapon or tool • • • Main Entry: ↑bare * * * without using tools or weapons …   Useful english dictionary

  • with one's bare hands — ► with one s bare hands without using tools or weapons. Main Entry: ↑bare …   English terms dictionary

  • with one's bare hands — without using tools or weapons. → bare …   English new terms dictionary

  • with your bare hands — without using any equipment or weapons when doing something that needs a lot of strength …   English dictionary

  • bare — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not clothed or covered. 2) without the appropriate or usual covering or contents: a big, bare room. 3) without elaboration; basic: the bare facts. 4) only just sufficient: a bare majority. ► VERB ▪ uncover and reveal. ● …   English terms dictionary

  • bare — bare1 [beə US ber] adj ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(without clothes)¦ 2¦(land/trees)¦ 3¦(not covered/empty)¦ 4 the bare facts 5¦(smallest amount necessary)¦ 6 the bare bones 7 lay something bare 8 with your bare hands 9 bare infinitive ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [: Old English; …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • bare — [[t]be͟ə(r)[/t]] ♦♦♦ barer, barest, bares, baring, bared 1) ADJ If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing. She was wearing only a thin robe over a flimsy nightdress, and her feet were bare... She had bare arms and a bare… …   English dictionary

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