Into the Silence
The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest
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Random House, Inc.
On June 6, 1924, two men set out from a camp perched at 23,000 feet on an ice ledge just below the lip of Mount Everest’s North Col. George Mallory, thirty-seven, was Britain’s finest climber. Sandy Irvine was a young Oxford scholar of twenty-two with little previous … More »
On June 6, 1924, two men set out from a camp perched at 23,000 feet on an ice ledge just below the lip of Mount Everest’s North Col. George Mallory, thirty-seven, was Britain’s finest climber. Sandy Irvine was a young Oxford scholar of twenty-two with little previous … More »
Random House, Inc.
On June 6, 1924, two men set out from a camp perched at 23,000 feet on an ice ledge just below the lip of Mount Everest’s North Col. George Mallory, thirty-seven, was Britain’s finest climber. Sandy Irvine was a young Oxford scholar of twenty-two with little previous mountaineering experience. Neither of them returned.
In this magisterial work of history and adventure, based on more than a decade of prodigious research in British, Canadian, and European archives, and months in the field in Nepal and Tibet, Wade Davis vividly re-creates British climbers’ epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s. With new access to letters and diaries, Davis recounts the heroic efforts of George Mallory and his fellow climbers to conquer the mountain in the face of treacherous terrain and furious weather. Into the Silence sets their remarkable achievements in sweeping historical context: Davis shows how the exploration originated in nineteenth-century imperial ambitions, and he takes us far beyond the Himalayas to the trenches of World War I, where Mallory and his generation found themselves and their world utterly shattered. In the wake of the war that destroyed all notions of honor and decency, the Everest expeditions, led by these scions of Britain’s elite, emerged as a symbol of national redemption and hope.
Beautifully written and rich with detail, Into the Silence is a classic account of exploration and endurance, and a timeless portrait of an extraordinary generation of adventurers, soldiers, and mountaineers the likes of which we will never see again.
Baker & Taylor
A vivid account of Britain's epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s draws on the letters and diaries of George Mallory to trace such topics as the role of 19th-century imperial ambition in the expedition and the way in which the ascent reflected England's post-World War I redemption efforts. By the award-winning author ofThe Serpent and the Rainbow. 75,000 first printing.
Baker
& Taylor
Describes British climbers' attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s, discussing such topics as the role of imperial ambition in the expedition and the way in which the ascent reflected England's post-World War I redemption efforts.
« Less
On June 6, 1924, two men set out from a camp perched at 23,000 feet on an ice ledge just below the lip of Mount Everest’s North Col. George Mallory, thirty-seven, was Britain’s finest climber. Sandy Irvine was a young Oxford scholar of twenty-two with little previous mountaineering experience. Neither of them returned.
In this magisterial work of history and adventure, based on more than a decade of prodigious research in British, Canadian, and European archives, and months in the field in Nepal and Tibet, Wade Davis vividly re-creates British climbers’ epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s. With new access to letters and diaries, Davis recounts the heroic efforts of George Mallory and his fellow climbers to conquer the mountain in the face of treacherous terrain and furious weather. Into the Silence sets their remarkable achievements in sweeping historical context: Davis shows how the exploration originated in nineteenth-century imperial ambitions, and he takes us far beyond the Himalayas to the trenches of World War I, where Mallory and his generation found themselves and their world utterly shattered. In the wake of the war that destroyed all notions of honor and decency, the Everest expeditions, led by these scions of Britain’s elite, emerged as a symbol of national redemption and hope.
Beautifully written and rich with detail, Into the Silence is a classic account of exploration and endurance, and a timeless portrait of an extraordinary generation of adventurers, soldiers, and mountaineers the likes of which we will never see again.
Baker & Taylor
A vivid account of Britain's epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s draws on the letters and diaries of George Mallory to trace such topics as the role of 19th-century imperial ambition in the expedition and the way in which the ascent reflected England's post-World War I redemption efforts. By the award-winning author of
Baker
& Taylor
Describes British climbers' attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s, discussing such topics as the role of imperial ambition in the expedition and the way in which the ascent reflected England's post-World War I redemption efforts.
Imprint:
New York - A Knopf
Pages:
655
Edition:
1st ed
ISBN:
9780375408892, 0375408894
Language:
English
Notes:
"A Borzoi book."
Includes bibliographical references and index
Includes bibliographical references and index
Statement of responsibility:
Wade Davis
Characteristics:
xiv, 655 p., [16] p. of plates :,ill., maps ;,25 cm.
Author (Original Script):
Davis, Wade
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Add a CommentWell researched, well written. Very detailed, especially in the latter part of the book. The chapters on the War are absolutely horrific and illuminate the development of the character and mind set of the men that set off into the unknown in Asia. Doesn't explain the modern people that still climb Everest, though. It is truly amazing that those men were able to achieve what they did with the technology and equipment they had available to them. An enjoyable read and an interesting thesis, though I found myself skipping over much of the minute detail of the treks into the mountains. For anyone interested in George Mallory and Everest, this is an illuminating read.
A fantastic book. There are a lot of facets - history, adventure, psychology to name a few. It's long read but really rewarding and definitely deserved the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize in Non-Fiction. Thanks Wade Davis!
detailed personal accounts, in depth research, politics involved, international relations, symbolism post WWI, first hand horrendous accounts of the meaningless and folly of war, decisions made that changed the outcome, endurance and perseverance, extreme hardship some people can endure, adventurous spirit, imperialism, commercialism
Is there a e-book version?
One of the best books I have read for a long time. The depth and thoroughness of the research are amazing. The author paints a picture of a particular British social class at home, at war and in India from the 1880's to the 1920's. The descriptions of the trench warfare, the inane decisons of the commanders and the heroism of the medical staff are amazing. A great read, an easy read but a slow read because of the fascinating detail about places and people, famous and obscure. This book also has what simliar boos often lack: clear, easily read maps.
This is probably the most thoroughly researched book I've ever read and yet it's easy to read. The first few chapters on WWI, in my opinion, should be compulsory reading for young adults everywhere. Davis makes clear the tenor of the times which allowed and encouraged the kinds of mind-numbing slaughter that happened on the European battlefields of WWI, and this helped me understand better how that sort of waste of human lives can happen. These chapters are also the perfect beginning for this book in that we see how the characters of many of the early Everest climbers were forged by their war experience. I've read many books on Everest climbs yet, to me, this was the most enlightening and educational of all of them. The story is told simply, but with compelling details that allow the reader to 'be there' - and a book on Everest is about as close as I want to get!
A "massive, richly contextualized and minutely researched account of the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition, which cost intrepid British mountaineer, George Mallory, his life." Greg Quill Toronto Star
Dense but oh-so-interesting! Davis has researched this book for years and years, and - as always - his writing is clear and accessible. Some people call World War I " one of the worst tragedies humankind brought upon ourselves". Davis, though his focus is on Mallory, explores and finds threads connecting British imperialism, World War I and the history of mountaineering in Britain and in the Himalayas.