Rating: 
Summary: A superb and sensitive account of the search for Mallory
Review: A well told and enthralling story of the search and eventual discovery of the body and belongings of the original Everest pioneer, and a re-examination of the "history" surrounding the fatal 1924 expedition. Seen through the eyes of Jochen Hemmler (the historian/scholar who began the "serious" search) and mountaineering legends Eric Simonson and Larry Johnson, this book is a "must read" for Everest fans, and fans of all great adventures. Well written by William Nothdruft, the book chronicles the challenges, setbacks, determination, skill and sheer luck that led to the discovery of the body of George Mallory high on Everest. The tale is spellbinding to any of us Mallory history fans, and is told with an extraordinary level of sensitivity and unconcealed respect. It is beautifully photographed and illustrated with plenty of archival photos to set the stage properly, and with excellent color photography from the expedition itself. The photographs of the body of George Mallory were thankfully few and tasteful, the sense of history rich and satisfying.The single most striking thing about the book, for me anyway, was the overwhelming feeling of admiration and respect conveyed upon George Mallory and his achievements by the likes of Eric Simonson whose own list of accomplishments is rather lengthy and extraordinary. This really gave me a better perspective on Mallory's accomplishments, all done with appallingly primitive equipment. This was a hard-won victory for the expedition members, and most of all for Jochen Hemmleb, who, though a man of no great financial means himself, conceived, researched and sacrificed much to make this historic event happen. One is still left with an appealing lack of confirmation whether Mallory did or did not make the first summit, maybe some stories are just better that way. For those of us that easily recognize names like Messner, Hall, Fisher, Hornbein, Simonson, Breashears, Viesturs and Mallory, this is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: INSPIRING STORY OF A MAN'S DREAM, MYSTERY OF HIS FATE
Review: The book is focused on the search conducted to find out what happened to Mallory and Irvine, the two British climbers who disappeared on Everest in the 1930s. Mallory is basically a legend in mountaineering. The authors tell the story of their own search expedition by making it parallel to Mallory's. For example, we see the logistics it took this expedition in 1999 to get everyhitng to Everest base camp. In contrast, we see the long trek the expedition in the 1930s had to face, with sickness and much more difficult terrain and logistics. It was amazing that they had the energy to climb once they got to base camp. The book switches between a technical archeology mystery and the history known of the expedition. It is very interesting to see the 1999 expedition trace back the steps of the earlier one. We see the tremendous difficulties they went through in the 1930s, with clothing that was hardly appropriate and the best equipment at the time. Ultimately, the authors find Mallory's body, but it is still not clear if he reached the summit before falling. He fell and broke a knee, which is a death sentence at that altitude. Irvine was not found. The book ends with the authors making their own summit bid, and only two of them making it. This is one of the best mountaineering books, especially as it brings in the mystery of what happened. I highly recommend it for the armchair mountaineer.
Rating:
Summary: Get this one !!!
Review: Look, if you're going to read one book on Everest, make it this one. The story and photos in it moved me so much. Who cares whether Mallory & Irvine made it to the top ? This is a monument to Human Endeavour. The picture of the body of Mallory still gripping the mountain after seventy years really says a thousand words...
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Topic, But Ultimately Tedious
Review: This book is two stories for the price of one. Alternate chapters deal with the 1924 attempted ascent of everest by mallory and irvine, and the 1999 mallory and irvine research expedition. The 1924 story is clear and factually correct in its content, and the standard of photography is high. The 1999 expedition has the highlight of the finding of George Mallory's body on the north face of everest. It is an incredible chapter culminating in a photo of the great man still in self arrest position. And thats about it. Large sections of the book are ghost written and have a distant feel, written in third person or taking extracts of interviews that distance the reader. The last chapter gives Jochen Hemmleb, a German M & I researcher his chance to give four possible endings to the tale of mallory and irvine. Very good, but I didnt want conjecture, just the documented story of the finding of a great explorer. It is clear that Mr Hemmleb knows his stuff but he has as much evidence for his hypotheses as Tom Holzel has for his in the book "The search for mallory and irvine", ie- very little solid evidence. The climbing team that made up the 1999 M & I expedition are back on the mountain at present. Good luck to them, and I hope they find Andrew Irvines body and camera. Otherwise we may well be treated to another unnecessary mix of travelog and conjecture this year. Its not bad, but it could have been so much better.
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