Everest: Eighty Years of Triumph and Tragedy

by Peter L. Gillman (Editor)

* Updated to include all the major events since the first edition was published in 1993

* Offers an up-close-and-personal view of the world's highest mountain

* Lavishly illustrated with stunning photographs



For eighty years, Mount Everest has been the ultimate symbol of human endeavor. Ever since the first attempt in 1921, the world's highest mountain has served as an arena where mountaineers have played out their dreams and fears, bringing triumph and tragedy in almost equal measure.



The dramas of Everest have inspired some of mountaineering's finest writing and photography. In this sumptuous anthology, climbers recount and portray their struggles to attain the summit, the moments of success and defeat, exultation and despair.



All the great landmarks in Everest's history are represented. The pioneering expeditions of the 1920s and 1930s are recounted by climbers such as George Mallory and Eric Shipton. Sir Edmund Hillary tells how he and Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit, via the South Col, in 1953, while Tom Hornbein describes the bravura West Ridge ascent by the Americans in 1963. Chris Bonington, Reinhold Messner, Doug Scott, and many more of mountaineering's most celebrated names also appear in this definitive collection.



First published to wide acclaim in 1993, the anthology has been expanded to include the 1990s, perhaps the most dramatic decade of all. Included in the new edition are passages describing the tragedies and disasters of 1996, including an excerpt from Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and the extraordinary discovery of the body of George Mallory by American climbers in 1999.



The book also contains Peter Gilman's own accounts of some of the mountain's most controversial episodes, such as the disputed Chinese ascent of 1960 and the enigma of the yeti. There are comprehensive, updated appendixes, including a full list of every ascent. The outcome is one of the finest mountaineering anthologies ever a stirring assertion of the audacity of the human spirit in the face of challenging and perilous odds, presenting both the how of mountaineering and the why.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Adventure, Climbing

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Tyler Mower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a bit biased when it comes to Everest. I've been fascinated with it every since watching a special report in 1996 about the tragedy on its slopes that year.

I loved the historical context this book provides about the early expeditions that set out to conquer the tallest mountain on earth. The bravery, determination, and logistics that went into it were like voyages of discovery centuries ago setting out for the complete unknown.

I loved learning about the evolution of high mountain climbing and seeing the improved techniques used to conquer the mountain. Modern stories of Everest typically only focus on the south and most popular route to the summit, with a few stories form the northern face as well. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is it covers the history of climbing Everest from almost every climbable route, and largely told by the climbers to took on the challenge.

If Everest has ever piqued your imagination, you need to read this book. In so doing you will gain better respect for the mountain and the brave men and women mountaineers (not tourist climbers) who gave their all to write their stories in first ascents up Everest's soaring ridges and snowy slopes.

[Ade Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the casual reader, a superb collection of contextualising history and climbers' stories. The photographs and production values are excellent. It's the only climbing book I own.

[Todd Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific look at the worlds highest mountain.