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Last Climb: The Legendary Everest Expeditions of George Mallory
Describes Mallory's final expedition to Mount Everest in 1924, the mystery surrounding his disappearance, and the discovery of his remains in 1999
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 1999
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394 people want to read
About the author
David Breashears
9 books9 followersDavid Finlay Breashears was an American mountaineer, filmmaker, author and motivational speaker. In 1985, he reached the summit of Mount Everest a second time, becoming the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest more than once. He is perhaps best known as the director and cinematographer of Everest (1998)—which became the highest-grossing IMAX documentary—and for his assistance in the rescue efforts during the 1996 Everest disaster, which occurred during the film's production.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 28, 2016
What happened to George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irvine on that fateful day in 1924 on Mount Everest? It's likely no one will ever know. Mallory's body was discovered in 1999, yet few clues were found that would answer the question to one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.
This book is the account of that 1999 expedition that discovered Mallory's body. The book contains some wonderful photographs of Mallory and other members of the 1924 British expedition and the 1999 expedition. For those Mount Everest history fanatics like me, you will love this book.
PS: The photographs of Mallory's body on Everest may be disturbing for some.
This book is the account of that 1999 expedition that discovered Mallory's body. The book contains some wonderful photographs of Mallory and other members of the 1924 British expedition and the 1999 expedition. For those Mount Everest history fanatics like me, you will love this book.
PS: The photographs of Mallory's body on Everest may be disturbing for some.
May 25, 2025
This is an account of the expeditions of 1021, 1922 and 1924 led by the British to survey approaches to and the best route by which to climb Everest. The story of the deaths of George Mallory and his younger climbing companion, Andrew Irvine, that concluded the unsuccessful 1924 attempt on the summit are well known, and the book is in large part an examination and celebration of Mallory as a climber and a man. In this sense, it is also an exploration of the Spirit of the Age that shaped such men as Mallory and those with whom he collaborated on the venture of conquering the challenge that Everest posed.
That notion of conquering is, it struck me, one of the foundations of the expeditionary character. It sat in this story, with its militaristic overtones, along with other imperialistic notions at least a little uncomfortably with me. I grew up with these notions at prep school and then public school in the turbulent ‘Times They Are A’Changin’ 1960s. My father was a naval officer, and my mother would talk about how it was their job together to ‘fly the flag’ in whatever overseas postings they had. Along with their friends, mostly forces folk, they were conscious of trying to make things better after WW2, rejoiced in life and were duly grateful for it, remembered what they had fought for and what the friends they had lost had fought for, and wanted Britain to continue to be Great. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to respect these attitudes and to stop lampooning them so unsympathetically. I also reflect on how fundamentally my parents’ generation were brought up to be good, kind, and to have high ideals of both what it meant to be manly and womanly and of service. Nowadays, I don’t think goodness and kindness have any less emphasis, but notions of manliness and womanliness and service are perhaps rather less clear or less emphasised. But for Mallory and his ilk, they were clear,
and they were still clear when I joined my public school. My first Head of House was the stuff of Empire, I think: captain of football, short back and sides, conventional, but clearly good, kind, straightforward, hard-working and interested in and encouraging of those boys for whom he was responsible as their senior prefect. Mallory is remembered in the same terms: after university, he taught at Charterhouse keen to promote those notions of manliness, of Godliness and good learning, of generosity of spirit, of effort, of striving to be the best that you can be, of physical resilience, of fortitude, perseverance and determination in the face of a daunting challenge, of courtesy, of social responsibility, of patriotism, of care for and service to others etc etc.
‘Last Climb’ often articulates these qualities, either through what the Everest expedition members wrote or are recorded as having said, or through its own observations. I make no apology for quoting several (lengthy) passages that struck me as I read the book and that will give potential readers a flavour of what to expect:-
‘supreme effort’ – a phrase that occurs several times
‘[Brigadier-General Charles G.] Bruce had waited nearly thirty years to fulfil his dream of going to Everest. The robust health of his youth had been eroded by long service in India, vicious bouts of malaria, and assorted battle scars. He was invalided out of the army in 1919 suffering “cardiac debility with great enlargement.” Doctors, he used to say, told him to go home and lead a quiet life, “… scarcely any organ in my body remained unaffected. Even my liver was found to be so large that it required two men and a boy to carry it.” Luckily, he found a climber-doctor who told him his best way to keep fit was mild mountaineering, and it worked. In 1921 he was allowed to climb as much as he wanted in the Alps and returned very fit.
Younghusband once described Bruce as “an extraordinary mixture of boy and man,” remarking that “you never know which of them you are talking to.” Bruce perpetually effervesced with boyish fun, but was shrewd, competent, and would not stand the slightest nonsense – it was an effective combination.’
[Mallory writing to Ruth, his wife.] “Dearest one, you must know that the spur to do my best is you and you again. In moments of depression or lack of confidence or overwhelming fatigue, I want more than anything to prove worthy of you. All my love to you. Many kisses to Clare and Berridge and John.”
‘But [Bentley] Beetham [- a companion climber -] had not been up to par since contracting dysentery in Sikkim. He’d only narrowly escaped being sent back and, though recovering slowly, he was a long way from the bubbly old Beetham, once described as “the kind of man that nothing less than a ton of bricks would keep down: nineteen hundredweight would have been of no use.”’
[From a caption to a photograph] ‘Finch (at rear) wears his prototype down suit; fellow climbers made fun of it, but the suit kept him warmer than the others.’
‘Yet George Mallory had a strong sense of duty: to himself and his family, yes, he knew his obligations; but at the same time he was a child of Empire and conscious of what England expected. He could not then (or ever) accept that he had given enough. Of that decision to make that third, and ultimately disastrous, attempt in 1922, against all odds and despite his own intuition that it was mere foolishness now the snow had come, he’d said, “It was too early to turn back, and too easy – we should not have been satisfied afterwards.”
“I feel strong for the battle but I know every ounce of strength will be wanted.” [Mallory to Ruth]
‘Mallory’s was not so much a bull-dog tenacity, or sheer hard determination to conquer, Younghusband later wrote, as “the imagination of the artist who cannot leave his work until it is completely, neatly and perfectly finished.” To get him away from Everest before Everest itself had hurled him back, he said, “you would have had to pull him by the very roots of his being.”’
‘… the process of mythologizing Mallory and Irvine… symbolizes so much: the striving of man for the pinnacle between Earth and heaven; braving unknown elemental forces; conquering pain and will; the bond of friendship transcending age, transcending death; the sacrifice; the mystery.’
‘Somervell [a fellow climber] saw [Mallory and Irvine’s deaths] as “a clarion call to a materialistic age” – 75 years later, in a more materialistic world than Somervell or Mallory could ever have dreamed, we can still admire the driving spirit of these men of the pioneer expeditions. They forsook comfort and security of family and home in their quest for Earth’s supreme height. Primitive as their gear seems to us today, and limited their knowledge of high-altitude mountaineering, they were equipped with an ardour for discovery that took them to the limits of human achievement… Their achievement is so much greater than out need to know whether or not they climbed to the top.’
This is also an excellent account of the trials and tribulations associated with pioneering expeditions in the post-war era in the 1920s: of raising the money to go, of assembling the teams, of finding the right leader, of employing porters, of trialling oxygen, of braving the cold and the vicissitudes of the weather and so on and so forth. The photographs are tremendous.
I think my overall impression is that these Brits were courteous, courageous, and imbued with a sense that anything was possible if you put your mind to it. Given, as suggested above, what we would now regard as their utterly inadequate clothing – and this is where the photographs are really helpful – and a resistance to down jackets and oxygen cylinders as being somehow beneath them, almost morally degrading, their triumph over adversity is remarkable. Dysentery and frostbite were clearly disagreeable challenges to test your mettle, and providing you gave your all there was no shame in giving in. Giving up before you were beaten would have been a different matter. These chaps were the stuff of what a generation of heroes was made of.
That notion of conquering is, it struck me, one of the foundations of the expeditionary character. It sat in this story, with its militaristic overtones, along with other imperialistic notions at least a little uncomfortably with me. I grew up with these notions at prep school and then public school in the turbulent ‘Times They Are A’Changin’ 1960s. My father was a naval officer, and my mother would talk about how it was their job together to ‘fly the flag’ in whatever overseas postings they had. Along with their friends, mostly forces folk, they were conscious of trying to make things better after WW2, rejoiced in life and were duly grateful for it, remembered what they had fought for and what the friends they had lost had fought for, and wanted Britain to continue to be Great. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to respect these attitudes and to stop lampooning them so unsympathetically. I also reflect on how fundamentally my parents’ generation were brought up to be good, kind, and to have high ideals of both what it meant to be manly and womanly and of service. Nowadays, I don’t think goodness and kindness have any less emphasis, but notions of manliness and womanliness and service are perhaps rather less clear or less emphasised. But for Mallory and his ilk, they were clear,
and they were still clear when I joined my public school. My first Head of House was the stuff of Empire, I think: captain of football, short back and sides, conventional, but clearly good, kind, straightforward, hard-working and interested in and encouraging of those boys for whom he was responsible as their senior prefect. Mallory is remembered in the same terms: after university, he taught at Charterhouse keen to promote those notions of manliness, of Godliness and good learning, of generosity of spirit, of effort, of striving to be the best that you can be, of physical resilience, of fortitude, perseverance and determination in the face of a daunting challenge, of courtesy, of social responsibility, of patriotism, of care for and service to others etc etc.
‘Last Climb’ often articulates these qualities, either through what the Everest expedition members wrote or are recorded as having said, or through its own observations. I make no apology for quoting several (lengthy) passages that struck me as I read the book and that will give potential readers a flavour of what to expect:-
‘supreme effort’ – a phrase that occurs several times
‘[Brigadier-General Charles G.] Bruce had waited nearly thirty years to fulfil his dream of going to Everest. The robust health of his youth had been eroded by long service in India, vicious bouts of malaria, and assorted battle scars. He was invalided out of the army in 1919 suffering “cardiac debility with great enlargement.” Doctors, he used to say, told him to go home and lead a quiet life, “… scarcely any organ in my body remained unaffected. Even my liver was found to be so large that it required two men and a boy to carry it.” Luckily, he found a climber-doctor who told him his best way to keep fit was mild mountaineering, and it worked. In 1921 he was allowed to climb as much as he wanted in the Alps and returned very fit.
Younghusband once described Bruce as “an extraordinary mixture of boy and man,” remarking that “you never know which of them you are talking to.” Bruce perpetually effervesced with boyish fun, but was shrewd, competent, and would not stand the slightest nonsense – it was an effective combination.’
[Mallory writing to Ruth, his wife.] “Dearest one, you must know that the spur to do my best is you and you again. In moments of depression or lack of confidence or overwhelming fatigue, I want more than anything to prove worthy of you. All my love to you. Many kisses to Clare and Berridge and John.”
‘But [Bentley] Beetham [- a companion climber -] had not been up to par since contracting dysentery in Sikkim. He’d only narrowly escaped being sent back and, though recovering slowly, he was a long way from the bubbly old Beetham, once described as “the kind of man that nothing less than a ton of bricks would keep down: nineteen hundredweight would have been of no use.”’
[From a caption to a photograph] ‘Finch (at rear) wears his prototype down suit; fellow climbers made fun of it, but the suit kept him warmer than the others.’
‘Yet George Mallory had a strong sense of duty: to himself and his family, yes, he knew his obligations; but at the same time he was a child of Empire and conscious of what England expected. He could not then (or ever) accept that he had given enough. Of that decision to make that third, and ultimately disastrous, attempt in 1922, against all odds and despite his own intuition that it was mere foolishness now the snow had come, he’d said, “It was too early to turn back, and too easy – we should not have been satisfied afterwards.”
“I feel strong for the battle but I know every ounce of strength will be wanted.” [Mallory to Ruth]
‘Mallory’s was not so much a bull-dog tenacity, or sheer hard determination to conquer, Younghusband later wrote, as “the imagination of the artist who cannot leave his work until it is completely, neatly and perfectly finished.” To get him away from Everest before Everest itself had hurled him back, he said, “you would have had to pull him by the very roots of his being.”’
‘… the process of mythologizing Mallory and Irvine… symbolizes so much: the striving of man for the pinnacle between Earth and heaven; braving unknown elemental forces; conquering pain and will; the bond of friendship transcending age, transcending death; the sacrifice; the mystery.’
‘Somervell [a fellow climber] saw [Mallory and Irvine’s deaths] as “a clarion call to a materialistic age” – 75 years later, in a more materialistic world than Somervell or Mallory could ever have dreamed, we can still admire the driving spirit of these men of the pioneer expeditions. They forsook comfort and security of family and home in their quest for Earth’s supreme height. Primitive as their gear seems to us today, and limited their knowledge of high-altitude mountaineering, they were equipped with an ardour for discovery that took them to the limits of human achievement… Their achievement is so much greater than out need to know whether or not they climbed to the top.’
This is also an excellent account of the trials and tribulations associated with pioneering expeditions in the post-war era in the 1920s: of raising the money to go, of assembling the teams, of finding the right leader, of employing porters, of trialling oxygen, of braving the cold and the vicissitudes of the weather and so on and so forth. The photographs are tremendous.
I think my overall impression is that these Brits were courteous, courageous, and imbued with a sense that anything was possible if you put your mind to it. Given, as suggested above, what we would now regard as their utterly inadequate clothing – and this is where the photographs are really helpful – and a resistance to down jackets and oxygen cylinders as being somehow beneath them, almost morally degrading, their triumph over adversity is remarkable. Dysentery and frostbite were clearly disagreeable challenges to test your mettle, and providing you gave your all there was no shame in giving in. Giving up before you were beaten would have been a different matter. These chaps were the stuff of what a generation of heroes was made of.
February 20, 2017
Bought at the dollar store because I grew up with mountain climbing stories and I'm a big fan of National Geographic. To my knowledge, the climbing done in my family was strictly done on the US west coast mountains, however, had money and circumstances been different maybe an Everest climb would have been attempted. Not long after I purchased this book, news of the Mallory and Irvine surfaced. Rather than divulge that information here, I'll leave it up to readers to google.
January 14, 2013
Excellent! If you have any interest in Everest, high altitude, climbing and mountaineering, history, exploration and adventure, the Himalayas, Tibet and Nepal, or a good mystery, you will want to read the Last Climb. The documentation, archival photography, maps, records, letters of the first ascents of Everest in 1922-24 and George Mallory are incomparable.
December 27, 2007
Yes, they were well-funded. Yes, they were privileged. Still...
Beautiful photography. Nice tie-ins with son/grandson. Amazing story -- and a fascinating mystery.
I'm glad there are folks out there climbing Everest. It means I don't have to do it...
Beautiful photography. Nice tie-ins with son/grandson. Amazing story -- and a fascinating mystery.
I'm glad there are folks out there climbing Everest. It means I don't have to do it...
February 10, 2014
3.5 stars: the text is informative and adequately written; the photographs, mostly black and white and taken during the 1921, '22 and '24 expeditions, some by Mallory himself, are really extraordinary and help bring the somewhat dry text to life.
September 8, 2021
For those of you who read Into Thin Air and were somewhat fascinated by the story of George Mallory's attempts to climb Everest in the 1920's and the later rumor of the discovery of his body by a Chinese climber in 1975, then this book will only heighten your interest.
I had thought about buying this book, but I came across it at the public library and checked it out. I'm kinda glad I didn't buy it, because the text isn't that well written--people are referred to by their last name and then formally introduced several pages later, some details are left out, other details are repeated, etc.--but the photographs from the 1920's expeditions and of the items recovered from Mallory's body are absolutely captivating. It just fascinates me to no end to think about these guys making the first attempts to climb Everest, experimenting with oxygen tanks, and reaching a height on Everest not surpassed until the 1950's.
I think the main problem with the book is this: the authors had made two expeditions to find Mallory's body in 1986 and 1995. They were unsuccessful. Another team was successful in 1999; this was documented in a PBS/NOVA documentary and they have their own book, which deals more with the discovery of the body. It seems like the authors of this book pulled out the material they had been working on and wrapped it up somewhat hurriedly to capitalize on the publicity (as another reviewer has also noted). So they don't talk much about their own attempts to find Mallory, and they don't talk enough about the successful team's discovery of his body (because they weren't there).
I had thought about buying this book, but I came across it at the public library and checked it out. I'm kinda glad I didn't buy it, because the text isn't that well written--people are referred to by their last name and then formally introduced several pages later, some details are left out, other details are repeated, etc.--but the photographs from the 1920's expeditions and of the items recovered from Mallory's body are absolutely captivating. It just fascinates me to no end to think about these guys making the first attempts to climb Everest, experimenting with oxygen tanks, and reaching a height on Everest not surpassed until the 1950's.
I think the main problem with the book is this: the authors had made two expeditions to find Mallory's body in 1986 and 1995. They were unsuccessful. Another team was successful in 1999; this was documented in a PBS/NOVA documentary and they have their own book, which deals more with the discovery of the body. It seems like the authors of this book pulled out the material they had been working on and wrapped it up somewhat hurriedly to capitalize on the publicity (as another reviewer has also noted). So they don't talk much about their own attempts to find Mallory, and they don't talk enough about the successful team's discovery of his body (because they weren't there).
June 10, 2024
Mallory is of an era when people still went on adventures not knowing they were likely to come home. Mallory, Irvine, Scott, and more recently Bonington were my dad's heroes. When I miss my dad I read old school adventure and feel closer to him.
Some fantastic photos and drawings I haven't seen before. This is the story of all the British Everest expeditions of the 1920s rather than just focusing on the death of Mallory and Irvine. It does include the finding of Mallory's body in 1999 by Anker briefly and some guesses as to what happened. What disappoints me is that Irvine is consistently portrayed as the problem who probably got Mallory, the hero, killed. Yet if the Chinese did find Irvine's body where they say they did then he was higher than Mallory and curled up as if to retain heat. Is it not even a slight possibility that Mallory was human, made a mistake, slipped and fell and Irvine dropped his axe (found above Mallory) trying to save Mallory? Perhaps Irvine died of exposure after Mallory fell because he couldn't find his way down due to the compass and torch left in the tent and the white out?
Either way both men were adventurers in the purest sense, both were the fittest of the group and Mallory chose Irvine as the best option as his partner. If everyone respects Mallory so much then perhaps they should respect his judgement in choosing Irvine too. Both men died and both families lost loved ones who were doing what they, as adults, chose to do. We weren't there so we shouldn't be handing out blame, we should be admiring the sheer guts of these men in tackling a feat like Everest with such primitive gear.
Some fantastic photos and drawings I haven't seen before. This is the story of all the British Everest expeditions of the 1920s rather than just focusing on the death of Mallory and Irvine. It does include the finding of Mallory's body in 1999 by Anker briefly and some guesses as to what happened. What disappoints me is that Irvine is consistently portrayed as the problem who probably got Mallory, the hero, killed. Yet if the Chinese did find Irvine's body where they say they did then he was higher than Mallory and curled up as if to retain heat. Is it not even a slight possibility that Mallory was human, made a mistake, slipped and fell and Irvine dropped his axe (found above Mallory) trying to save Mallory? Perhaps Irvine died of exposure after Mallory fell because he couldn't find his way down due to the compass and torch left in the tent and the white out?
Either way both men were adventurers in the purest sense, both were the fittest of the group and Mallory chose Irvine as the best option as his partner. If everyone respects Mallory so much then perhaps they should respect his judgement in choosing Irvine too. Both men died and both families lost loved ones who were doing what they, as adults, chose to do. We weren't there so we shouldn't be handing out blame, we should be admiring the sheer guts of these men in tackling a feat like Everest with such primitive gear.
September 13, 2023
The book, a history of the earliest British Everest climbing expeditions (early 1920s) from the Tibet side, culminating in the deaths of Mallory and Irvine, and the subsequent search for their bodies (finding Mallory in 1999), was great. The graphics were illustrative; the narrative was straight-forward without hype; and the story of both climbers’ disappearance was gripping.
The only flaw was the speculation that implicates Irvine, the quite junior climbing partner to Mallory, for the fatalities of both climbers. That struck me as unfair to Irvine, based on the extreme absence of evidence about what actually happened on their last climb.
The book is a keeper - got it for $2 at the library sale rack.
The only flaw was the speculation that implicates Irvine, the quite junior climbing partner to Mallory, for the fatalities of both climbers. That struck me as unfair to Irvine, based on the extreme absence of evidence about what actually happened on their last climb.
The book is a keeper - got it for $2 at the library sale rack.
March 22, 2025
Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit of Everest first, before their tragic death on its slopes? That’s a question pondered by the climbing world for a century and this book, while still not providing conclusive proof, contributes beautifully to the debate. With written accounts of all three of Mallory’s Everest expeditions, the history of mountaineering in the Himalaya and a thoughtful account of the last hours of their summit attempt, in a beautiful large format illustrated book, this is an excellent contribution to the debate.
June 1, 2017
More climbing minutia than I expected or needed (it is a footfall-by-footfall account of the first Western "assault" on Mt. Everest). Reaffirmed my decision to be a rock climber, not an ice climber. Interesting, particularly the historical photos.
June 9, 2018
Illustrated history of Mallory's attempts at climbing Everest in the early 1920's by the expedition leader of the teams that uncovered much of the evidence and Mallory's body. Detailed and even-handed account of the expeditions, attempts, and the mystery of the last climb.
December 17, 2017
Great pictures, good text describing the 3 expeditions Mallory went on to Everest.
March 31, 2021
A fascinating and entertaining book about one of England’s best and most revered mountain climbers. The last climb was very sad but no one can say that Mallory didn’t live large.
May 16, 2021
Well-researched with a treasure trove of photographs from the expeditions. Compelling read for anyone interested in mountaineering and a great piece of climbing history for those new to the subject.
July 20, 2024
Excellent history of early climbs on Everest and the discovery of George Mallory's body.
March 19, 2018
What can be said about George Mallory that hasn't already been said? Bar Hillary and Tenzing, he is surely the most famous person in the history of Mt. Everest, even though it seems unlikely he ever actually summited the mountain. Scholar, soldier and one of the best mountaineers of his generation, his name will always be connected with Everest, where his remains were discovered in 1999.
This book is one of the "official" publications from that 1999 expedition, written with the full support of National Geographic, and the British Alpine Club, who provided full access to their archives. While the presentation of this book initially hits the reader as more of the coffee table variety, it is a well-written account of the first three Everest expeditions. The photographs in particular are a highlight, with some gatefolds and many full page prints.
David Breashears is an accomplished climber, and brings his climber's knowledge to the descriptions of the first reconnaissance mission, and the next two missions where the goal was to climb the Mountain. It seems fantastic now, but no westerner had ever seen Mt. Everest in any detail before the first of Mallory's three trips. Mallory's first description on viewing Everest - a mixture of awe, wonder and even fear - sets the scene for his future activities.
This book covers each expedition in good detail, covering both the climbing and organisational aspects, as well as covering the "firsts" - these expeditions taught us a lot about altitude and human physiology, and introduced the mountaineering community to the Sherpas, who have gone on to prove their absolute value to all who come to Everest.
The last section of the book discusses the fate of Mallory and Irvine, based partly on evidence from the time, and what was discovered by the 1999 expedition. Breashears, mountaineer that he is, cannot bring himself to think that the pair managed to summit, as nearly all the evidence points to their failure at the final hurdle. Even so, their effort was not surpassed for 30 years, and when Irvine's lack of high altitude experience is taken into account, it's truly remarkable they got as far as they did.
There are a few inset stories in this book, about finding Mallory, the filming of the 1924 expedition and how they used oxygen at that time - all interesting additions to the whole. My wife got this book in a bargain bin, and I'm glad she did - it's a great introduction to the earliest moves on the highest peak on Earth.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
This book is one of the "official" publications from that 1999 expedition, written with the full support of National Geographic, and the British Alpine Club, who provided full access to their archives. While the presentation of this book initially hits the reader as more of the coffee table variety, it is a well-written account of the first three Everest expeditions. The photographs in particular are a highlight, with some gatefolds and many full page prints.
David Breashears is an accomplished climber, and brings his climber's knowledge to the descriptions of the first reconnaissance mission, and the next two missions where the goal was to climb the Mountain. It seems fantastic now, but no westerner had ever seen Mt. Everest in any detail before the first of Mallory's three trips. Mallory's first description on viewing Everest - a mixture of awe, wonder and even fear - sets the scene for his future activities.
This book covers each expedition in good detail, covering both the climbing and organisational aspects, as well as covering the "firsts" - these expeditions taught us a lot about altitude and human physiology, and introduced the mountaineering community to the Sherpas, who have gone on to prove their absolute value to all who come to Everest.
The last section of the book discusses the fate of Mallory and Irvine, based partly on evidence from the time, and what was discovered by the 1999 expedition. Breashears, mountaineer that he is, cannot bring himself to think that the pair managed to summit, as nearly all the evidence points to their failure at the final hurdle. Even so, their effort was not surpassed for 30 years, and when Irvine's lack of high altitude experience is taken into account, it's truly remarkable they got as far as they did.
There are a few inset stories in this book, about finding Mallory, the filming of the 1924 expedition and how they used oxygen at that time - all interesting additions to the whole. My wife got this book in a bargain bin, and I'm glad she did - it's a great introduction to the earliest moves on the highest peak on Earth.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
July 17, 2013
Like a lot of other folks I am curious about what happened to George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on Mount Everest in 1924. What I found fascinating is how much good information is available to researchers almost 100 years after the accident. A lot is known, but key pieces of information remain missing. This includes if they made the summit, did they fall on the way up or down and where is the camera? I think it is likely they will find Irvine's body, and perhaps the camera will be with or near his body.
The book was very interesting to read but my favorite part was the many photographs it contained from the actual expeditions. A couple were colored and I was impressed with that technology. Everest is a harsh environment and it is remarkable how well some of those early photographs turned out, including the panorama pictures.
Personally I think it is a stretch that they made it to the summit, it seems that there was just too much to overcome, in particular the 2nd step. If Irvine had been an experienced mountaineer than I think their odds would have been much improved.
I have not read any other books about George Mallory so I can not compare it to another title. I can say I enjoyed reading it and thought it did a great job providing pertinent details about the early expeditions and the main players. They showed a great deal of respect not including pictures of Mallory's dead body, for that you have the internet. There are a number of sidebars in the book that cover interesting topics as well, sherpa's, mountain photography, oxygen, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the early expeditions to Everest.
The book was very interesting to read but my favorite part was the many photographs it contained from the actual expeditions. A couple were colored and I was impressed with that technology. Everest is a harsh environment and it is remarkable how well some of those early photographs turned out, including the panorama pictures.
Personally I think it is a stretch that they made it to the summit, it seems that there was just too much to overcome, in particular the 2nd step. If Irvine had been an experienced mountaineer than I think their odds would have been much improved.
I have not read any other books about George Mallory so I can not compare it to another title. I can say I enjoyed reading it and thought it did a great job providing pertinent details about the early expeditions and the main players. They showed a great deal of respect not including pictures of Mallory's dead body, for that you have the internet. There are a number of sidebars in the book that cover interesting topics as well, sherpa's, mountain photography, oxygen, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the early expeditions to Everest.
June 5, 2013
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to read a non-fiction work about Mallory so soon after having read "Above All Things", the fictional view of his expeditions and his wife left behind. By comparison, this book seemed pedantic and flat somehow. Very short shrift is made of wife Ruth, except in quoting several letters he'd sent to her saying he was doing this FOR her, so he would be worthy of her, and other such malarkey. But the pictures sure are pretty, many of them from the actual expeditions in the 1920's, including the last photo of Mallory and Irvine that would ever be taken.
On those early expeditions, they really were making it up as they went along. It was interesting to note the story of George Mallory II, his grandson, who did the climb in 1998; they left their tents at 1:00 a.m. and had reached the summit by 5:30 a.m. During the 1920's expeditions, they never even headed out till after 6:00 a.m.!
Anyway, this book is very well done and well-documented, and it would be an excellent introduction for anyone new to this subject matter.
On those early expeditions, they really were making it up as they went along. It was interesting to note the story of George Mallory II, his grandson, who did the climb in 1998; they left their tents at 1:00 a.m. and had reached the summit by 5:30 a.m. During the 1920's expeditions, they never even headed out till after 6:00 a.m.!
Anyway, this book is very well done and well-documented, and it would be an excellent introduction for anyone new to this subject matter.
January 2, 2010
I like to hike in the mountains, I have dabbled in rock climbing and mountaineering, and I enjoy the occasional outdoor book. All of which is to say I have a loose interest in the topic of conquering Everest, but am by no means particularly drawn to it. This book is very accessible to the casual outdoor reader and chock full of excellent vintage maps, illustrations, and photographs.
The real achievement of Breashears' attempt to recreate this epic battle of man against mountain is his ability to capture the feeling of the era and what motivated these adventurers from an empire at its height. There is quite a bit of focus on the Sherpa porters, their achievements, and their losses as well.
All in all it is a well-rounded and well written book. If history or mountaineering hold little interest for you it might be a little tedious but it is not particularly long and as mentioned has some excellent visual material. Would give this one a solid four stars.
The real achievement of Breashears' attempt to recreate this epic battle of man against mountain is his ability to capture the feeling of the era and what motivated these adventurers from an empire at its height. There is quite a bit of focus on the Sherpa porters, their achievements, and their losses as well.
All in all it is a well-rounded and well written book. If history or mountaineering hold little interest for you it might be a little tedious but it is not particularly long and as mentioned has some excellent visual material. Would give this one a solid four stars.
January 17, 2016
The Last Climb: The Legendary Everest Expeditions of George Mallory by David Breashears and Audrey Salkeld (National Geographic Society 1999) (796.522). In June of 1924, George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine along with a party of British explorers left their highest camp on Mount Everest for a summit bid. Mallory and Irvine never returned. The question that has haunted mountaineers ever since: did they reach the summit before perishing on the descent, or did they meet their doom on the way to the top? It was long thought that the question would be answered if the camera that Mallory had with him on summit day were ever recovered. In 1999, Mallory's body was found, but the answer to Everest's greatest mystery remains unanswered. Though a number of personal artifacts were found on Mallory's person, no camera was located. The answer to the mystery apparently went to the grave with the two men. My rating: 7/10, finished 10/21/14.
April 29, 2013
I adored this book.
Book reviews are always subjective and a matter of perspective, so from someone who has an 'interest' in Everest, has watched many 'documentaries' on it, and having read so many other mountaineering books, it was only natural to want to read this book. I have seen many accounts written from varying perspectives, they are always amazing to me as are people who mountaineer, but this book just captured me in a way others hadn't. Whether it was the structure of the book or the way in which it was written I enjoyed it so much I read it in one night. I just wanted more.
I love that in any book.
Book reviews are always subjective and a matter of perspective, so from someone who has an 'interest' in Everest, has watched many 'documentaries' on it, and having read so many other mountaineering books, it was only natural to want to read this book. I have seen many accounts written from varying perspectives, they are always amazing to me as are people who mountaineer, but this book just captured me in a way others hadn't. Whether it was the structure of the book or the way in which it was written I enjoyed it so much I read it in one night. I just wanted more.
I love that in any book.
September 21, 2016
Beautifully illustrated book on the three Mallory attempts on Everest in the 1920's. Well written and researched summary of the expeditions, major characters and routes used. Summary is given of the recent (1999) discovery of Mallory's body by Conrad Anker on the PBS/National Geographic expedition of the same year. However, after reading "Into the Silence" this account is a bit thin on historical background and is more of a coffee table book than an exhaustive account of the motivation and times of these early British climbers.
December 6, 2008
the writing lackluster, the photos really beautiful. details about the expedition to find george leigh mallory's body in '99, which had remained undisturbed since his death on everest in 1924, were quite fascinating.
March 7, 2013
Good account of a great tragedy. Not exceptionally well written—it didn't flow too well and assumes the reader knew more than I did. However, it is richly illustrated and gets the story across well enough. Worth the read.
March 20, 2014
I don't normally care for the writing style of the English Climber but this wasn't so bad. It's a good solid account of George Mallory heading up to and his bids for Mt. Everest. I really enjoyed the photographs.
September 6, 2008
I find this stuff fascinating. The story and pictures are great.
March 28, 2009
This was a meticulous look at the early 1920s attempts to be the first Englishman to reach Everest's peak.
May 26, 2011
Fascinating real life mystery. the photos of the body were a ittle weird
August 29, 2012
Just remembered I read this. As I remember I enjoyed it. I was on a kind of Everest kick. I read it just after finishing Into Thin Air. Also I read a biography of Mallory.
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