Tenzing: Hero of Everest

Rating:
Summary: Lost In The Details
Review: One has to commend Ed Douglas for this, a highly scholarly and thorough look at the life of a very enigmatic and difficult character. One is left in no doubt that he has thoroughly researched and cross referenced his sources in order to provide this highly detailed portrait.

Yet this book's main failings may just be this tremendous detail. Whilst an ethnographer would no doubt be fascinated with the complex social, religious and family structures of Himalayan life I doubt many readers would be as interested. Douglas lays out Tenzing's story with the cold accuracy of an experienced climber calmly looking for his next hold. Unfortunately this accuracy translates into a cool detachment from the subjects in question. Non mountaineers will find themselves grasping at their own handholds as Douglas assumes both a knowledge of climbing and an intimacy with Everest from his readers. For example, he references the South Col numerous times, yet no where is this feature of the mountain illustrated or explained to us. A good atlas of the Himalayan region is needed by any prospective reader to begin to understand much of Tenzing's expeditions and I think it is inexcusable for a book of this nature not to include such maps and diagrams.

Works on explorers and exploration should contain a wealth of detail but they also need to transcend that information and deliver a passionate portrait of the characters involved. Hero of Everest's textbook-like narrative delivers in the former but is sadly lacking in the latter.

Rating:
Summary: Lost In The Details
Review: One has to commend Ed Douglas for this, a highly scholarly and thorough look at the life of a very enigmatic and difficult character. One is left in no doubt that he has thoroughly researched and cross referenced his sources in order to provide this highly detailed portrait.

Yet this book's main failings may just be this tremendous detail. Whilst an ethnographer would no doubt be fascinated with the complex social, religious and family structures of Himalayan life I doubt many readers would be as interested. Douglas lays out Tenzing's story with the cold accuracy of an experienced climber calmly looking for his next hold. Unfortunately this accuracy translates into a cool detachment from the subjects in question. Non mountaineers will find themselves grasping at their own handholds as Douglas assumes both a knowledge of climbing and an intimacy with Everest from his readers. For example, he references the South Col numerous times, yet no where is this feature of the mountain illustrated or explained to us. A good atlas of the Himalayan region is needed by any prospective reader to begin to understand much of Tenzing's expeditions and I think it is inexcusable for a book of this nature not to include such maps and diagrams.

Works on explorers and exploration should contain a wealth of detail but they also need to transcend that information and deliver a passionate portrait of the characters involved. Hero of Everest's textbook-like narrative delivers in the former but is sadly lacking in the latter.

Rating:
Summary: The Hero of Everest Without the Heart and Soul
Review: Thorough, informative and well authenticated but wholly lacking in literary style and readability. As I read the book I thought "with all this information a good editor and the benefit of literary style could have vastly improved the effort!" In reading the book I did discover that I am an unswerving 'linear reader'. No matter how bad the writing became I remained steadfast to the end hoping that this book could redeem itself. This effort will not be seriously considered a notable contribution to the history of climbing Everest. For that sort of book I recommend reading elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: The Hero of Everest Without the Heart and Soul
Review: Thorough, informative and well authenticated but wholly lacking in literary style and readability. As I read the book I thought "with all this information a good editor and the benefit of literary style could have vastly improved the effort!" In reading the book I did discover that I am an unswerving 'linear reader'. No matter how bad the writing became I remained steadfast to the end hoping that this book could redeem itself. This effort will not be seriously considered a notable contribution to the history of climbing Everest. For that sort of book I recommend reading elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: history lesson
Review: When I purchased this book I thought that I was going to receive a thrilling biography of the first ascent of MT. Everest. But instead I got a history lesson on the culture, area, and Tenzing's family. I had a hard time staying awake through the beginning and the end of the book. The middle kept me going while Everest was being climbed. The writing was fine. It just was not exciting. So if you are writing a paper for you college history class, check out this book. If you want an exciting mountaineering book, look somewhere else.