Rating: 
Summary: The book from the people who failed to find Mallory
Review: For those of you who read "Into Thin Air" and were somewhat fascinated by the story of George Mallory's attempts to climb Everest in the 1920's and the later rumor of the discovery of his body by a Chinese climber in 1975, then this book will only heighten your interest.I had thought about buying this book, but I came across it at the public library and checked it out. I'm kinda glad I didn't buy it, because the text isn't that well written--people are referred to by their last name and then formally introduced several pages later, some details are left out, other details are repeated, etc.--but the photographs from the 1920's expeditions and of the items recovered from Mallory's body are absolutely captivating. It just fascinates me to no end to think about these guys making the first attempts to climb Everest, experimenting with oxygen tanks, and reaching a height on Everest not surpassed until the 1950's. I think the main problem with the book is this: the authors had made two expeditions to find Mallory's body in 1986 and 1995. They were unsuccessful. Another team was successful in 1999; this was documented in a PBS/NOVA documentary and they have their own book, which deals more with the discovery of the body. It seems like the authors of this book pulled out the material they had been working on and wrapped it up somewhat hurriedly to capitalize on the publicity (as another reviewer has also noted). So they don't talk much about their own attempts to find Mallory, and they don't talk enough about the successful team's discovery of his body (because they weren't there).
Rating:
Summary: The book from the people who failed to find Mallory
Review: For those of you who read "Into Thin Air" and were somewhat fascinated by the story of George Mallory's attempts to climb Everest in the 1920's and the later rumor of the discovery of his body by a Chinese climber in 1975, then this book will only heighten your interest. I had thought about buying this book, but I came across it at the public library and checked it out. I'm kinda glad I didn't buy it, because the text isn't that well written--people are referred to by their last name and then formally introduced several pages later, some details are left out, other details are repeated, etc.--but the photographs from the 1920's expeditions and of the items recovered from Mallory's body are absolutely captivating. It just fascinates me to no end to think about these guys making the first attempts to climb Everest, experimenting with oxygen tanks, and reaching a height on Everest not surpassed until the 1950's. I think the main problem with the book is this: the authors had made two expeditions to find Mallory's body in 1986 and 1995. They were unsuccessful. Another team was successful in 1999; this was documented in a PBS/NOVA documentary and they have their own book, which deals more with the discovery of the body. It seems like the authors of this book pulled out the material they had been working on and wrapped it up somewhat hurriedly to capitalize on the publicity (as another reviewer has also noted). So they don't talk much about their own attempts to find Mallory, and they don't talk enough about the successful team's discovery of his body (because they weren't there).
Rating:
Summary: Look elsewhere for the story of the "Last Climb"
Review: I bought this book thinking that it was written to accompany the wonderful television programme I saw about a 1999 expedition to Everest to discover what became of Mallory and Irvine. It is not. The book is well presented book and nicely bound. The most attractive aspect of the book is the 1920's photographs; they are very evocative of a lost era when parts of the earth were distant and unexplored. However it is not particularly well written and the discussion of the mystery of Mallory and Irvine's fate is unclear and ineffective. It does not shed light on its subject, and I have had to look elsewhere for that. Poorly served by maps and diagrams it leaves the reader struggling to appreciate the terrain, routes and location of camps. It's weakest point is where the authors try to recreate the last climb by describing what was going through the head of Mallory; this is very unconvincing, not least because no attempt is made to take into account the character of men with English public school backgrounds (to my mind, a key factor). Thus the book fails at the point which is of most interest. In conclusion, a nice book to browse through thanks to the photographs (hence the 3 stars) but otherwise unsatisfactory.
Rating:
Summary: Look elsewhere for the story of the "Last Climb"
Review: I bought this book thinking that it was written to accompany the wonderful television programme I saw about a 1999 expedition to Everest to discover what became of Mallory and Irvine. It is not. The book is well presented book and nicely bound. The most attractive aspect of the book is the 1920's photographs; they are very evocative of a lost era when parts of the earth were distant and unexplored. However it is not particularly well written and the discussion of the mystery of Mallory and Irvine's fate is unclear and ineffective. It does not shed light on its subject, and I have had to look elsewhere for that. Poorly served by maps and diagrams it leaves the reader struggling to appreciate the terrain, routes and location of camps. It's weakest point is where the authors try to recreate the last climb by describing what was going through the head of Mallory; this is very unconvincing, not least because no attempt is made to take into account the character of men with English public school backgrounds (to my mind, a key factor). Thus the book fails at the point which is of most interest. In conclusion, a nice book to browse through thanks to the photographs (hence the 3 stars) but otherwise unsatisfactory.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT INTRODUCTION
Review: I had some limited knowledge of the Mallory expeditions prior to reading this but not much. This book was a great read for me as a novice climber/historian due to my limited knowledge. Although someone who is very familiar with the subject matter may not appreciate the book, I found it to be an excellent source of information and extremely interesting to read. The photos are incredible and let you get a feel for what the author is talking about. If you are looking for the actual photos of Mallory's body clinging to the slope however, they are not here. Just what I found to be an honest, up front, and informative read regarding the whole Mallory and Irvine riddle.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT INTRODUCTION
Review: I had some limited knowledge of the Mallory expeditions prior to reading this but not much. This book was a great read for me as a novice climber/historian due to my limited knowledge. Although someone who is very familiar with the subject matter may not appreciate the book, I found it to be an excellent source of information and extremely interesting to read. The photos are incredible and let you get a feel for what the author is talking about. If you are looking for the actual photos of Mallory's body clinging to the slope however, they are not here. Just what I found to be an honest, up front, and informative read regarding the whole Mallory and Irvine riddle.
Rating:
Summary: Title of the book is misleading
Review: I have only recently taken up reading books on Everest. Of three so far, this was the least pleasing. "The Last Climb" does an excellent job of describing the history and background of the early expeditions to Everest. However, it does not do the title justice in that when they describe Mallory and Irvine's "last climb", one is left unmoved and far from gripped. There speculations of the fateful day also appear very narrow. The book is lavishly illustrated but to me was more of a history text than a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Title of the book is misleading
Review: I have only recently taken up reading books on Everest. Of three so far, this was the least pleasing. "The Last Climb" does an excellent job of describing the history and background of the early expeditions to Everest. However, it does not do the title justice in that when they describe Mallory and Irvine's "last climb", one is left unmoved and far from gripped. There speculations of the fateful day also appear very narrow. The book is lavishly illustrated but to me was more of a history text than a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating tale of adventure.
Review: I have read pieces of information about the legendary early expeditions of Mt. Everest and therefor really wanted to read this book. From the start to finish I found this book to be well researched and written. I very much enjoyed the photographs. Now I am curious about the other books written about George Mallory. This book made the men of the expedition come alive.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating tale of adventure.
Review: I have read pieces of information about the legendary early expeditions of Mt. Everest and therefor really wanted to read this book. From the start to finish I found this book to be well researched and written. I very much enjoyed the photographs. Now I am curious about the other books written about George Mallory. This book made the men of the expedition come alive.
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