BOOKS
Books explore 50 years of Everest triumphs, tragedies
| • | Hawai'i adventurers reflect on their treks |
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Books Editor
• "Everest: Summit of Achievement" by Stephen Venables; Bloomsbury Publishing, hardback, $35: The only Everest book to benefit from the Royal Geographic Society of London's rich collections of photographs, documents and artifacts, it chronicles the history of Everest exploration from the early years of the 20th century to the present. Foreword by Sir Edmund Hillary.
• "Tenzing, Hero of Everest" by Ed Douglas with Johnna Rizzo; National Geographic, hardback, $25: Mountaineering historian Ed Douglas reveals for the first time Tenzing Norgay's long climb from obscurity. This very measured account is based on extensive interviews with family , climbing partners, and members of the Sherpa community.
• "Sir Edmund Hillary & The People of Everest" by Anne B. Kesier and Cynthia Ramsay; Andrews McMeel, oversize hardback, $29.95: Award-wining photographer and personal friend of Hillary, Anne B. Kesier captures the story of the quest to top Everest and of Hillary's long relationship with and devotion to preserving the culture of Tenzing Norgay's people.
Everest in general
• "Everest, the West Ridge," by Thomas Hornbein; Mountaineers Books, paperback, $19.95: Reissue with new preface by author. In one of mountaineering's greatest adventure stories, Tom Hornbein tells of his and Willi Unsoeld's dramatic first ascent of Everest's West Ridge — a route that had been dismissed as hopeless by all others.
• "Last Climb," by David Breashears; National Geographic, hardcover, $35: Share in the remarkable discovery on Everest of the remains of legendary climber George Mallory. Was Mallory the first to reach the summit?
• "The Epic of Mount Everest" by Sir Francis Younghusband; Trafalgar Square, paper, $13.95: The classic account of George Mallory's three expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s. With a new introduction by Patrick French.
• "Climbing Everest: Tales of Triumph and Tragedy on the World's Highest Mountain" by Audrey Salkeld and Jennifer Emmett; National Geographic, hardcover, $21: Great climbing stories from throughout the mountain's history.
1996 Everest expeditions
• "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster" by Jon Krakauer; Anchor Books, paper, $7.99: This riveting best seller tells the story of the disastrous 1996 Everest summit expeditions that resulted in death and lingering controversy.
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• "Everest: Mountain Without Mercy" by Broughton Coburn and others; National Geographic, paper, $24: Dramatic and spectacularly illustrated accounts of the 1996 Everest climbing season tragedy by members of a company shooting an IMAX film about the mountain, who become embroiled in rescue efforts.
