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Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History and author of Continental Divide: A History of American Mountaineering, is featured prominently in Pete Takeda’s Alpinist article “Stepping into the Syllabus: A Veteran Alpinist Sees the Himalaya Through the Eyes of College Students” (Issue 94, Summer 2026), about Isserman’s course History and Literature of Himalayan Mountaineering, from the Nineteenth Century to the Present.

Eleven Hamilton students are trekking in the Annapurna region of Nepal over spring break. The students are members of History Professor Maurice Isserman’s Himalayan Mountaineering class this semester and are supervised on the trip by Assistant Director of Outdoor Leadership Sarah Jillings. Student participants are, Urbana Anam ’21, Matt Casadei ’19, Peter Case ’21, Jake Colangelo ’20, Ruth Coolidge ’21, Elyssa Feuer ’19 Alexandra Hendry ’19, Peter Schavee ’21, Joey West ’22, and Rachel Zuckerman ’19. Former participant and campus EMT Jack Gumina ‘'19 is along as a co-leader and trip medic.

Eighteen students, faculty and staff trekked to the base camp of Annapurna in Nepal's Himalaya as an optional part of Professor Maurice Isserman's History and Literature of Himalayan Mountaineering course. Anne McGarvey '17 blogged from Nepal.

Praised by The Wall Street Journal, the Natural History Magazine and the Library Journal, among others, “Continental Divide – a History of American Mountaineering,” has been released by W.W. Norton in paperback. A National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention recipient, the book, written by Professor of History Maurice Isserman, has been excerpted in publications including The Alpinist and The Oregonian.

Continental Divide, by Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History, was recently awarded honorable mention in the outdoor literature category of the 2016 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA).

The Library Journal, a major publication for libraries across the country, recently gave Continental Divide – A History of American Mountaineering by Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History, a starred review.

“Like a hike into rough terrain, the book is full of surprises … And it is packed with fascinating details,”  proclaimed a Wall Street Journal reviewer in describing Professor of History Maurice Isserman’s newest book. According to publisher W.W. Norton & Company, Continental Divide – A History of American Mountaineering “tells the history of American mountaineering through four centuries of landmark climbs and first ascents.” 

An article titled “Good Tidings, Strenuous Life” by Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History Maurice Isserman appeared in the fall 2015 issue of the Alpinist magazine. The piece is a precursor to the release of Continental Divide – A History of American Mountaineering in April 2016 (W.W. Norton & Company) by Isserman.

In a Bloomberg Business article about famed mountain climber Reinhold Messner, Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History and author of Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering From the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes, commented on the climber’s accomplishments. 

Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of History, presented a paper titled “Purple Mountain Majesties” on May 6 at Thinking Mountains 2015, an interdisciplinary mountain studies conference sponsored by the University of Alberta. This year’s conference was held in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.