To Reach the Clouds - Hardcover

Petit, Philippe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571217702 ISBN 13: 9780571217700

Publisher: Faber and Faber, 2003

Synopsis

One night in 1974, a young Frenchman secretly - and illegally - rigged a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At daybreak, he gave the high-wire performance of all time, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, 110 floors up above the earth, as a hundred thousand people gathered on the ground to watch.

In To Reach the Clouds, Philippe Petit re-creates a six-year quest to realise his dream, an adventure as thrilling as the walk itself. In an unforgettable memoir he tells the story of how he conspired, connived, improvised, and insisted his way to this 'coup', abetted by a motley crew of accomplices, the occasional miracle, and his own unflagging passion. He reveals himself to be not only a virtuoso of the air but also a bold and inspired performer on the page. Animated by never-seen photographs and Petit's ingenious sketches, To Reach the Clouds is a tour de force of the imagination and a serenade to his beloved towers.

'Philippe Petit planned and executed the perfect crime by walking on a high wire between the twin towers - and the whole world loved him for doing it.' Guy F. Tozzoli, President, World Trade Center Association

About this title

About the Author

Born into a middle-class French family in 1949, Philippe Petit taught himself magic, juggling and high-wire walking while still a child. At sixteen he began to travel the world as a street juggler. He has performed illegal high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame, the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and the northern pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

From the Back Cover

'Philippe Petit planned and executed the perfect crime by walking on a high wire between the twin towers - and the whole world loved him for doing it.' Guy F. Tozzoli, President, World Trade Centers Association
One night in 1974, a young Frenchman secretly - and illegally - rigged a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At daybreak, he gave the high-wire performance of all time, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, 110 floors up above the earth, as a hundred thousand people gathered on the ground to watch.
In To Reach the Clouds, Philippe Petit re-creates a six-year quest to realize his dream, an adventure as thrilling as the walk itself. In a unforgettable memoir he tells the story of how he conspired, connived, improvised and insisted his way to this 'coup', abetted by a motley crew of accomplices, the occasional miracle and his own unflagging passion. He reveals himself to be not only a virtuoso of the air but also a bold and inspired performer on the page. Animated by never-before-seen photographs and Petit's ingenious sketches, To Reach the Clouds is a tour de force of the imagination and a serenade to his beloved towers.

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber and Faber
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0571217702
• ISBN 13: 9780571217700
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240