The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Everest: Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Ascent of Everest, 32 Firsthand Accounts of the Most Memorable Climbs

by Jon E. Lewis (Editor), Doug Scott (Foreword)

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Everest celebrates the spirit to mount the ultimate peak—"Because," as George Mallory famously summed up, "it is there." This new anthology encompasses the assaults on Everest from the beginnings in 1921, through Sir Edmund Hillary's achievement in 1953, to the notorious 1996 "extreme-tourism" disaster caught so memorably in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. There are the legendary climbs of Mallory, Irvine's tragic disappearance, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's 1953 first ascent, and Reinhold Messner's solo ascent—without the use of oxygen tanks—in 1980. There are also such electrifying tales by Mallory on surviving an avalanche in 1922, and Jon Krakauer on the 1996 disasters, plus more stories from "the roof of the world" by such climber-writers as Eric Shipton, Tom Hornbein, Frank Smythe, Bill Tilman, Wilfred Noyce, Walt Unsworth, and many more.

Genres: Nonfiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2003

About the author

Jon E. Lewis is a historian and writer, whose books on history and military history are sold worldwide. He is also editor of many The Mammoth Book of anthologies, including the bestselling On the Edge and Endurance and Adventure.

He holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in history. His work has appeared in New Statesman, the Independent, Time Out and the Guardian. He lives in Herefordshire with his partner and children.

From: Constable & Robinson

Reviews

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference of "firsts" on the mountain and interesting accounts told firsthand.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good.