Not cycling literature but on Mags's recommendation and intrigued by the subsequent exchange of views I got hold of a copy of Jon Krakauer's 'Into thin air' this week.
I found it very difficult to put down and finished it late last night. For me Krakauer's writing style was a bit awkward but it didn't dull the feeling of how horrific it must have been for the climbers involved. He seems to do a good job of conveying the difficulties of climbing at high altitude. I will definitely be getting a copy of The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev and Dewalt to get the alternate description/interpretation of the tragedy.