Shipton & Tilman: The Great Decade of Himalayan Exploration

by Jim Perrin

Making use of unpublished diaries, journals, and extensive correspondence, the extraordinary story of two British mountaineers who single-handedly mapped out much of the Himalayas—including Everest—and the mountains of Africa In the 1930s, Tilman and the younger Shipton pioneered many routes in Africa and the Himalayas and found the key to unlocking Everest. They crossed Africa by bicycle, explored China with Spender and Auden, journeyed down the Oxus River to its source and, with no support, opened up much of the Nepalese Himalaya. In the words of Jim Perrin, "The journeys of discovery undertaken through two decades by this pair of venturesome ragamuffins are unparallelled in the annals of mountain exploration." This is a fresh and original portrait of one of the greatest exploring partnerships in history, and of the quirky, humorous friendship that underpinned it.

Genres: Travel, Biography

410 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2013

About the author

Jim Perrin is an English rock climber and travel writer.
Perrin has lived in Wales since the age of 17. Before turning to writing, he worked in Cwm Pennant as a shepherd. As a writer, he has made regular contributions to a number of newspapers and climbing magazines. As a climber, he has developed new routes, as well as making solo ascents of a number of established routes.

He has won the Boardman Tasker prize twice, first for Menlove (1985), his biography of John Menlove Edwards, and again as a joint winner (alongside Andy Cave's Learning to Breathe) for The Villain (2005), a biography of Don Whillans.

For many years he has contributed mountaineering obituaries for The Guardian (see, for example, the recent contribution on Brede Arkless). He has six children by six different partners, one, Will, also a talented climber, took his own life aged 24.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not so much about mountaineering as a carefully researched insight into the lives of the two greatest Himalayan explorers of all time. The author has unearthed a massive amount of material over a period of time, derived from archives, private letters and interviews with the subjects themselves and their closest friends. At times witty, pithy and sometimes unflattering, the reader is guided into a seemingly first-hand knowledge of Shipton and Tilman. It is an in-depth and affectionate analysis of their characters.

Rather too much 'authorial intrusion' at times, but without doubt a fascinating read and a valuable adjunct to the books written by the subjects themselves, which detail their extraordinary achievements.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched insight into the lives of the two greatest Himalayan explorers of all time. Perrin has compiled a massive amount of material over a long time, derived from archives, unpublished letters/diaries and interviews with the subjects and their close friends. It is an in-depth and affectionate, yet sometimes unflattering, analysis of their characters. I do feel one should read the books by Shipton and Tilman as well, which detail their extraordinary achievements.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. Just fabulous. This is the second book I’ve read by Jim Perrin and I’ll be on the lookout for more.

[Andrew M Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promised so much, but failed to deliver. So much repetition and pointless passages made the writing appear haphazard and irritating.
Endless speculative ramblings fill the chapters but undermine its credibility, this book could probably be reduced by 30% if it contained purely sound material.
I'm very disappointed, and suggest the reviews on the cover haven't read the book.

[Sarthak Pranit · Rating 4 out of 5]

For every climbing enthusiast who has a soft corner for exploring the route to a summit than just arriving at a summit. Awesome amount research put in my Perrin to bring out the lives of two explorers without which Himalayas would really have been an untrodden area till date.

[Neeraj Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

while I learnt much about Shipton and Tilman and their exploration in Africa and Himalaya. I still feel Jim Perrin style of writing is boring and repetitive..