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

~ Jon E. Lewis (Editor), Doug Scott (Foreword) "It was the eminent Victorian climber Clinton Dent, in his book Above the Snowline if 1885, who first mooted publicly the notion of climbing Everest..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mount Everest, South Col, Ang Dowa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It has been 50 years since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first ascent of Mount Everest, in 1953, giving rise to (forgive the wordplay) numerous books on the subject. Gathered here are 30 firsthand accounts by some of the climbers. In an introduction, Lewis explains how the lofty peaks were formed around 50 million years ago and how, in 1856, the surveyor general of India calculated that Everest was more than 29,000 feet high. This anthology begins with J. B. L. Noel's expedition in 1913 and includes such climbs as those of C. K. Howard-Bury (1921), T. Howard Somervell (1922), Hugh Ruttledge (1933), H. W. Tilman (1938), Doug Scott and Dougal Haston (1975), Peter Habeler (1978), Reinhold Messner (1980), Rebecca Stephens (1993), Matt Dickinson (1996), and Bear Grylls (1998). This fifty-fourth volume in the Mammoth Book series offers breathtaking adventures that can be savored without any risks to homebound readers. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 1st Carroll & Graf Ed edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078671171X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786711710
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,565 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-chosen, well-edited collection for Everest junkies, August 5, 2006

By	Nina M. Osier (Augusta, ME USA) - See all my reviews

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest, editor Lewis assembled thirty chapters written by literal Everest eyewitnesses. Not every writer whose account he includes climbed the mountain at all, let alone made it to the summit. The earliest chapter is set in 1913; the last, in 1999. The writers take us from early survey missions, during which Westerners ventured close enough to the then forbidden mountain to begin planning eventual assents, all the way to the intriguing moment when climbers on the verge of the 21st Century discovered and positively identified the remains of Everest pioneer George Leigh Mallory. In doing so, they solved one mystery - "What happened to Mallory?" - but didn't find answers to the greatest Everest riddle. Which continues to be: Did Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, actually reach the summit almost 20 years ahead of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay?

The sheer variety of stories told in this book guarantees it a place in my library, instead of a trip to the local Good Will where books I read just once wind up. Some tales are tragic, some humorous, some enlightening (most notable in the latter category: Tenzing Norgay's account of his Everest summit in 1953, "The Dream Comes True"). I especially enjoyed the appendices at the book's end, which are anything else but dry.

A well-chosen, well-edited collection that's sure to have "something new" to offer even a dedicated reader of Everest tales.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful gift for the Everest climber wanna-be, July 10, 2008

By	C. M. Thompson (Tomah, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was a gift for someone who is enthralled with Everest, although he isn't finished with the book, he hasn't be able to put it down since it arrived! Very interesting stories, we both liked how there was a wide variety of successful climbed and failed attempts, including a sherpa's perspective!