On the High Wire

In this poetic handbook, written when he was only twenty-three, the world-famous high-wire artist Philippe Petit offers a window into the world of tightrope walking. Petit masterfully explains how preparation and self-control contributed to such feats as walking between the towers of Notre Dame and the World Trade Center. Addressing such topics as the rigging of the wire, the walker's first steps, his salute and exercises, and the work of other renowned high-wire artists, Petit offers us a book about the ecstasy of conquering our fears and reaching for the stars. "After long hours of training, the moment comes when there are no more difficulties," Petit writes. "Everything is possible, everything becomes easy. It is at this moment that many have perished. But that, no, that is not at all what I am afraid of."