Rating: 
Summary: Conquering The Summit of Mysteries
Review: Hemmleb, Johnson and Simonson collaborate to give the reader an immensely engaging and objective account of the 1999 expedition to Everest to discover the fate of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. The superb illustrations, photography and documentation are outstanding complements to inticing mystery surrounding Mallory and Irvine's disappearance. (For those who find the typeset too close to the gutter, enjoy the story and get a life!) The book eloquently juxtapositions the story of the 1924 British expedition with that of the 1999 team's. There is no sensationalism here. The 1999 team's sense of history and respect is profound as it discovers, documents and dedicates the remains of the great British mountaineer before making its own summit attempt. As you climb higher on the mountain you feel the cold, the shortness of breath, the precipitous heights and personally drawn closer to the seventy year old mystery. I especially enjoyed the authors' objectivity. Pre-expedition knowledge and research is clearly presented. Evidence is placed in perspective to both 1924 and 1999 capabilities and experience. Why should you read this book? Because it takes you there!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: I also have read lots of books about Everest and I am reluctant to say it is the "best" book on the subject because I think there are many good books. But this one is special. The quality of production is excellent - beautifully illustrated with photos integrated throughout the text. And a simply fascinating story, well told. Maybe one day I will read the Anker and Firstbrook stories (always stimulating to get different points of view on a subject) but for now I am satisified with this.
Rating:
Summary: "THE MYSTERY OF MALLORY & IRVINE"-THE FACTS FULLY EXAMINED !
Review: I have been interested in Mt. Everest since the British first climbed it successfully in 1953. I always felt that Mallory and Irvine had made it to the summit in 1924 and died while descending. "The Ghosts of Everest", is the first book to fully assemble all of the facts that have been gathered up to now. It is expertly written and considers all of the possibilities, and gives the reader everything one needs to come to a logical conclusion. The photography is striking in its beauty, and the important landmarks and elevations are there also. This book answers nearly all of the many questions that one would like to ask.-5 Stars !
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I have read several books on Everst climbs and this book is the best.The facts on both climbs makes for a great story.
Rating:
Summary: It is a superbly written and illustrated book.
Review: I thought it had all been said about this expedition and Everest in general until I read this book. The accounts published by the authors in magazines such as National Geographic, and Outside are good but pale in comparison to the quality of the presentation of this book. The photos of the primitive equipment Mallory, Irvine and their colleagues used almost 100 years ago tell a compelling story. I cannot imagine achieving the heights they achieved with the hobnail boots. I had never seen a pair up close. The photos of the mountain from each expedition are remarkable and unique. This book is more than just a climbing tale. The author does a superb job of portraying the people on the 1924 and 1999 expeditions, and the cultures in which they immersed themselves. Mountaineers Books also did an outstanding job of producing the best quality Everest book I have seen to date. It is beautifully designed and executed. It is one of those rare books that I hated to finish and will no doubt refer to and savor again. You will want a quality hardback copy for your library or coffee table.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Mallory I have read.
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the 1924 expedition and the mystery that surrounds the lost climbers. Great pictures and descriptions of what was found. Also goes into the examination of Mallory face and head which i didnt know had happened. Great Book Buy and Read.
Rating:
Summary: I stayed up late for this one
Review: I'm not known for going to bed early, but I stayed up especially late with this book. It's a page-turner and deeply thoughtful. Mt. Everest is like another planet altogether, and although I'd never get near it, I'm fascinated with the accounts of those who do. Meticulous (plenty of footnotes), beautifully photographed, and intelligent in its pairing of the two expeditions. The photos of Mallory's body were essential and terrible. I plan to read this one again.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery solved!--OR IS IT??
Review: If you have ever wondered what happened to the best climber ever to set foot on this earth, and the brave wonderful man who disappeared with him, this is your book! A group of courageous men set out to solve this question in 1999, 75 years after the mysterious disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. And what they find will chill you to your very bones! I highly recommend this beautifully conceived and presented book for anyone interested in Mt. Everest and all those brave but foolhardy ventures.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Real Life Aadventure On The Roof Of The World!
Review: In reading this wonderful, literate, and spellbinding exploration into the question as to whether or not the very experienced and quite venerable mountain climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine actually reached the summit of the world on Everest before succumbing to the elements in a sudden storm some seventy five years ago, again and again I found myself asking myself the question as to why this is so important to so many people. After all, the two died in a valiant attempt, successful or not, to do something they thought was worth the risk of their own lives to accomplish. Comparing their incredible courage, stamina, and almost superhuman strength in getting as far as they did to what Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay did accomplish some twenty-five years later with vastly superior support and much better equipment is silly; what Mallory and Irvine did was a singular historic accomplishment, regardless of whether they were the first to reach the summit or not. On an entirely different level, this is a wonderful adventure book, filled not only with the specifics of the earlier attempt, but also of the intrepid attempt by a group of true believers to discover the truth by finding the bodies of the two climbers. One comes to admire the motives and the morality of these men, who indeed put their own lives on the line in a determined effort to determine where on the mountain they had succumbed. Of course, as the trail leads them higher and higher, one's own expectations and sense of excitement rises, as well. This is a terrific book, one I suggest for all readers, a well written, carefully organized, and nicely photographed journey of discovery and a lesson in just how much a determined group of men can do when they have an important mission that each has a sense of commitment toward, and when they all share a common sense of purpose to propel them. This is a great book, and one I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing detective story
Review: In the words of Sherlock Holmes - "When you have eliminated what cannot be, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is what must be." So did Sir Mallory and Irvine reached Everest almost 30 years earlier than Sir Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing ? The book attempts to answer this question. The book reconstructs the whole 1924 Mallory expedition as well as the 1999 search expedition. The idea of writing both the ascents together is what makes the book so interesting. The pictures and the maps are really superb. The descriptions of the mountain is so detailed that even you know nothing about mountain climbing (like me) you will have little trouble in imagining the scenes. The last chapter is the conclusion of this Sherlock Holmes detective story. With just some (apparently inconsequential) noting on an old envelope found in Sir Mallory's pocket, the writers/researchers are able to put forward a plausible theory about what may have happened. Interestingly, the broken wrist watch considered to be the an important discovery told the researchers little. At the end, you are free to draw your own conclusions at the end. As for me, I believe that Sir Mallory and Irvine were able to make it. For the simple reason that his wife's photo and letters were not found on his body. Sir Mallory seemed devoted to Ruth (his wife) and had brought a photoframe of his wife to place on the summit. He wasn't carrying it simply because he had placed it at the summit. And he was too meticulous to have left them behind anywhere else. Also, it is proven without doubt that Sir Mallory fell on the descent. Maybe, the success had made him so happy and relieved that he may have dropped his guard just a little bit (out of sheer fulfillment of a difficult purpose) which could have resulted in a fatal lapse of concentration during the descent.
| 
