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, now filmed as
The Walk, 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.
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Subtopic
Historical BiographiesTable of contents
- Cover
- Landing Page
- Praise
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- CONTENTS
- TO REACH THE CLOUDS
- BEFORE
- TOOTHACHE
- TO REACH THE CLOUDS
- NOTRE-DAME AND SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE
- PARIS MATCH, 1972
- “I’M GOING TO AMERICA!”
- FIRST VISION, FIRST VISIT
- POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS
- ALMIGHTY VOID
- AT 40,000 FEET
- JEAN-LOUIS
- ANNIE
- “WTC”
- NEW YORK MAGIC
- SPY TIME
- FIFTEEN MINUTES IN MID-AIR
- WHAT’S THE DISTANCE?
- I.O.
- PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED
- AN ARGUMENT, A FRESCO, A FRIEND
- THE FIRST CAHIER
- GALLOPING IN EUROPE
- THREE WARNINGS
- PAPA RUDY
- VARY
- CUSTOMS
- I HAVE NO IDEA
- ABORT
- TO FORGET WTC
- MY FRIEND BARON
- PRELUDE TO AN INTERVIEW
- THE INTERVIEW
- INSIDE MY VEINS
- DEAR JEAN-LOUIS …
- ULTIMATUM
- “YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!”
- COME ALONG
- STREET MAINTENANCE
- BEREFT OF ALL FAITH
- FORTUNE COOKIES
- SUCH A NICE COUPLE
- WTC EVERYWHERE
- “NEW ORGANISATION”
- LOST & FOUND PART I
- PUBLIC RELATIONS
- LOST & FOUND PART II
- LOOKING FOR DIRECTION
- LE DIABLE
- NEW ACCESSORIES
- ARCHITECTURAL BEQUEST
- WORLD PREMIERE
- DIRTY LAUNDRY
- TWENTY-ONE PAGES
- DUSTIN HOFFMAN
- ALBERT
- JEAN-FRANÇOIS
- I HAVE AN I.D.
- NEW PALTZ FIASCO
- COUCH POTATO
- NOBODY’S FAULT
- VIPs
- THE COFFIN
- THE CARROTS ARE COOKED
- PHILIPPE IS GOING TO DIE
- THE PLAN
- “ONE-OH-FOUR!”
- AN ETERNITY
- BAD, BAD PANELS!
- BOW & ARROW
- BAGFUL OF WORDS
- OFF GUARD
- PAS DE DEUX
- BEFORE LETTING GO
- A LESSON IN RIGGING
- MONKEY BUSINESS
- CATENARY CURVES
- A VISITOR
- “THE WHEEL! THE WHEEL!”
- “HE’S FALLING!”
- WILD CAT
- THE FIRST STEP
- MEETING THE GODS
- ONLY ONE BIRD?
- FAREWELL
- THE OCTOPUS
- DEATH’S DOOR
- REACTIONARY MEASURES
- SEX
- NORTH SIDE STORY
- ARE YOU THE GUY?
- A NEW WAY OF LIFE
- AFTER
- HOW I WROTE THIS BOOK
- COM’ERA, DOV’ERA
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also By Philippe Petit
- Copyright
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