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The World Beneath Their Feet: Mountaineering, Madness, and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas
A saga of survival, technological innovation, and breathtaking human physical achievement -- all set against the backdrop of a world headed toward war -- that became one of the most compelling international dramas of the 20th century.
As tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different kind of battle was already raging across the Himalayas. Teams of mountaineers from Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States were all competing to be the first to climb the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest and K2. Unlike climbers today, they had few photographs or maps, no properly working oxygen systems, and they wore leather boots and cotton parkas. Amazingly, and against all odds, they soon went farther and higher than anyone could have imagined.
And as they did, their story caught the world's attention. The climbers were mobbed at train stations, and were featured in movies and plays. James Hilton created the mythical land of Shangri-La in Lost Horizon, while an English eccentric named Maurice Wilson set out for Tibet in order to climb Mount Everest alone. And in the darkened corridors of the Third Reich, officials soon discovered the propaganda value of planting a Nazi flag on top of the world's highest mountains
Set in London, New York, Germany, and in India, China, and Tibet, The World Beneath Their Feet is a story not only of climbing and mountain climbers, but also of passion and ambition, courage and folly, tradition and innovation, tragedy and triumph. Scott Ellsworth tells a rollicking, real-life adventure story that moves seamlessly from the streets of Manhattan to the footlights of the West End, deadly avalanches on Nanga Parbat, rioting in the Kashmir, and the wild mountain dreams of a New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary and a young Sherpa runaway called Tenzing Norgay.
Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation's moonshot-one that was clouded by the onset of war and then, incredibly, fully accomplished. A gritty, fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Sides, Erik Larson, Jon Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this forgotten story back to life.
As tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different kind of battle was already raging across the Himalayas. Teams of mountaineers from Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States were all competing to be the first to climb the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest and K2. Unlike climbers today, they had few photographs or maps, no properly working oxygen systems, and they wore leather boots and cotton parkas. Amazingly, and against all odds, they soon went farther and higher than anyone could have imagined.
And as they did, their story caught the world's attention. The climbers were mobbed at train stations, and were featured in movies and plays. James Hilton created the mythical land of Shangri-La in Lost Horizon, while an English eccentric named Maurice Wilson set out for Tibet in order to climb Mount Everest alone. And in the darkened corridors of the Third Reich, officials soon discovered the propaganda value of planting a Nazi flag on top of the world's highest mountains
Set in London, New York, Germany, and in India, China, and Tibet, The World Beneath Their Feet is a story not only of climbing and mountain climbers, but also of passion and ambition, courage and folly, tradition and innovation, tragedy and triumph. Scott Ellsworth tells a rollicking, real-life adventure story that moves seamlessly from the streets of Manhattan to the footlights of the West End, deadly avalanches on Nanga Parbat, rioting in the Kashmir, and the wild mountain dreams of a New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary and a young Sherpa runaway called Tenzing Norgay.
Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation's moonshot-one that was clouded by the onset of war and then, incredibly, fully accomplished. A gritty, fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Sides, Erik Larson, Jon Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this forgotten story back to life.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2020
115 people are currently reading
3037 people want to read
About the author
Scott Ellsworth
7 books99 followersScott Ellsworth is the bestselling author of several books, including The Secret Game, which was the winner of the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. He has written about American history for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Formerly a historian at the Smithsonian Institution, he is the author of Death in a Promised Land, his groundbreaking account of the 1921 Tulsa race riot. He teaches at the University of Michigan.
(source: Amazon)
(source: Amazon)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
February 28, 2020
While it is well known that Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, what isn't as well known are the many attempts to climb Everest and other summits in the Himalayas before Hilary reached the top. There were many attempts to scale these mountains by various groups of climbers, most notably from England, Germany and the United States. The adventures of some of these attempts are told in this terrific book by Scott Ellsworth.
Each of the stories is gripping in its own manner, whether the climb was considered successful (a few were in the big picture, even if the summit wasn't reached), a disappointment or even deadly. There was one summit that the Germans tried to climb three times, Nanga Parbat, and each one was unsuccessful, with deaths to some climbers and Sherpas each time. American expeditions to K2 were met with similar results and the English were the most persistent with Everest, with their efforts finally paying off with Hilary's success.
Why the book is so good is that Ellsworth tells about the climbers, the Sherpas and other important people in the climbing teams in a manner that the reader will be able to easily relate to that person's traits, quirks and determination. That was a key characteristic to all the people portrayed – they all were determined to scale whatever Himalayan peak they were climbing. Add that to the description of the climbs and their experiences at base camps – mostly cold and fighting off terrible weather – and the reader is left with a fantastic description of what these mountaineers went through in trying to conquer some of the most challenging peaks in the world.
Even if the reader is not familiar with the language or sport of mountaineering, this book is one that he or she will enjoy for the human side of these adventures. If the reader enjoys books on this topic, like this reviewer, then it is one that must be added to his or her bookshelves, it is that good.
I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Each of the stories is gripping in its own manner, whether the climb was considered successful (a few were in the big picture, even if the summit wasn't reached), a disappointment or even deadly. There was one summit that the Germans tried to climb three times, Nanga Parbat, and each one was unsuccessful, with deaths to some climbers and Sherpas each time. American expeditions to K2 were met with similar results and the English were the most persistent with Everest, with their efforts finally paying off with Hilary's success.
Why the book is so good is that Ellsworth tells about the climbers, the Sherpas and other important people in the climbing teams in a manner that the reader will be able to easily relate to that person's traits, quirks and determination. That was a key characteristic to all the people portrayed – they all were determined to scale whatever Himalayan peak they were climbing. Add that to the description of the climbs and their experiences at base camps – mostly cold and fighting off terrible weather – and the reader is left with a fantastic description of what these mountaineers went through in trying to conquer some of the most challenging peaks in the world.
Even if the reader is not familiar with the language or sport of mountaineering, this book is one that he or she will enjoy for the human side of these adventures. If the reader enjoys books on this topic, like this reviewer, then it is one that must be added to his or her bookshelves, it is that good.
I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2020
So, five years ago (thanks Facebook Memories!), I had just finished reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and commenced in a deep dive on everything Everest, K2, and mountaineering related. It was intense (no surprise), very educational, and also, at times, I’ll admit, morbidly fascinating. If anything though, it made me feel like I was there, climbing the Himalayas with heroes of the past, seeing what they were seeing and feeling the nibbles of frostbite on their toes and fingertips.
I will never climb Everest nor any of the other “eight-thounsanders” (14 in total, though this continues to be debated) whose summits sit high in the death zone. But I love reading about the crazy adventures of the people who dare, and continue to dare, to do so.
This book is the kind of nonfiction that you can’t put down. I purchased it on a Sunday afternoon and just finished it four days later at the end of my school day (teacher life!). I’m an insanely slow nonfiction reader and to finish it within a week of purchase is unheard of. Ellsworth takes us on an incredibly journey for the race to the top of the world (the space race of its time!) during a time of great uncertainty when nationalism was on the rise and the world held its breath as it moved out of one world war and into another. No less than 29 expeditions are discussed here that took place between 1931 and 1953, and every single one of these stories, all told within this greater story, the race to the top, was engrossing.
If you enjoy nonfiction and are especially interested in the history of this mountaineering “race,” I can’t recommend this enough. What an adventure!
I will never climb Everest nor any of the other “eight-thounsanders” (14 in total, though this continues to be debated) whose summits sit high in the death zone. But I love reading about the crazy adventures of the people who dare, and continue to dare, to do so.
This book is the kind of nonfiction that you can’t put down. I purchased it on a Sunday afternoon and just finished it four days later at the end of my school day (teacher life!). I’m an insanely slow nonfiction reader and to finish it within a week of purchase is unheard of. Ellsworth takes us on an incredibly journey for the race to the top of the world (the space race of its time!) during a time of great uncertainty when nationalism was on the rise and the world held its breath as it moved out of one world war and into another. No less than 29 expeditions are discussed here that took place between 1931 and 1953, and every single one of these stories, all told within this greater story, the race to the top, was engrossing.
If you enjoy nonfiction and are especially interested in the history of this mountaineering “race,” I can’t recommend this enough. What an adventure!
April 16, 2020
Ellsworth's excellent new book begins with a quick reference to the failed Mallory Everest attempt in 1924. We are then treated to a narrative full of impressive individuals and their dreams to conquer the highest peaks of the Himalayas. Germans, Brits, Frenchmen, Kiwis, Americans, Swiss, Italians, Nepalis and Indians all put their strengths to the test against these monsters; most of them came up empty handed.
Ellsworth does a good job of focusing on the groundbreaking climbs and allocating pages to the more important developments. Some climbs were only briefly mentioned, but given this is a 30 year race I can understand the inability to cover every climb in detail. The only exception to this rule is the chapter dedicated to Maurice Wilson, and that might be the most exceptional chapter of the whole book.
Ellsworth also deserves kudos for spending so much time on the sherpas and their invaluable efforts in these expeditions. He rightly gives Tenzing, the sherpa who summited Everest with Hillary, the heroes recognition he deserves.
An excellent book. Personally I would have liked to see more pages dedicated to some of the climbs, but that just proves the quality of the pages we do have.
Ellsworth does a good job of focusing on the groundbreaking climbs and allocating pages to the more important developments. Some climbs were only briefly mentioned, but given this is a 30 year race I can understand the inability to cover every climb in detail. The only exception to this rule is the chapter dedicated to Maurice Wilson, and that might be the most exceptional chapter of the whole book.
Ellsworth also deserves kudos for spending so much time on the sherpas and their invaluable efforts in these expeditions. He rightly gives Tenzing, the sherpa who summited Everest with Hillary, the heroes recognition he deserves.
An excellent book. Personally I would have liked to see more pages dedicated to some of the climbs, but that just proves the quality of the pages we do have.
September 12, 2022
This one was really solid; great as a deep cut read if you're powering through mountaineering canon as I've been. It's one of the few books I've found to tackle the early days of German mountaineering which of course then intersected with Nazism; it's a fascinating (and horrifying) chapter in this niche historical topic for sure. I also appreciated forays into non-8,000 meter peak early notable expeditions climbs I was less familiar with.
Generally great for the 1930s/40s/50s mountaineering culture vibes, incredibly well-written balancing visuals and technical details, and giving an overview of a lot of significant climbs.
Generally great for the 1930s/40s/50s mountaineering culture vibes, incredibly well-written balancing visuals and technical details, and giving an overview of a lot of significant climbs.
October 8, 2023
A fantastic telling of the early years of mountaineering. Covering 1931-1953 and the exploring of all the major mountains, not just Everest. I found the writers storytelling excellent and I was drawn to the book each time I sat down to read. Each chapter was more like a short story, taking us through the years of the first eyes on Everest, the attempt at measuring it heights, and then the bold attempts to climb, as I said, not just that giant but the many giants that surround it.
It was introduction, after introduction of not just mountains that I had never paid attention to, or knew of, but mountaineers and Sherpas who have been lost to history. There is more than enough about all things mountaineering AND history to keep the reader engrossed and wanting more.
Highly recommended
It was introduction, after introduction of not just mountains that I had never paid attention to, or knew of, but mountaineers and Sherpas who have been lost to history. There is more than enough about all things mountaineering AND history to keep the reader engrossed and wanting more.
Highly recommended
March 24, 2022
In this superb recounting of the race to conquer the Himalayas, Scott Ellsworth does an excellent job of bringing to life the grit and determination of early mountaineers who risked and sometimes gave up their lives to achieve their goals and live their dreams.
Beginning with the first attempts to accurately measure the heights of the mountains in the Himalayan range and to explore them in the 1920s, the book focuses primarily on the climbing expeditions of the 1930s by three countries: Great Briton, the United States and Germany. With World War II occurring during this era, the book also delves into the politics that surrounded the German attempts.
Each country had their sights set on specific mountains and each wanted to be the first to achieve their goal. Not only were these pioneering mountaineers battling some of the worst weather conditions on earth with equipment that is almost laughable by today's standards, they also battled bureaucracy and nationalistic barriers. This book tells their stories.
Beautifully written in addition to being suspenseful, Ellsworth does an outstanding job of capturing the spirit of the times and the triumph of accomplishing the extraordinary. If you enjoyed Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, are an outdoor enthusiast or just like true stories, you'll love this book.
Beginning with the first attempts to accurately measure the heights of the mountains in the Himalayan range and to explore them in the 1920s, the book focuses primarily on the climbing expeditions of the 1930s by three countries: Great Briton, the United States and Germany. With World War II occurring during this era, the book also delves into the politics that surrounded the German attempts.
Each country had their sights set on specific mountains and each wanted to be the first to achieve their goal. Not only were these pioneering mountaineers battling some of the worst weather conditions on earth with equipment that is almost laughable by today's standards, they also battled bureaucracy and nationalistic barriers. This book tells their stories.
Beautifully written in addition to being suspenseful, Ellsworth does an outstanding job of capturing the spirit of the times and the triumph of accomplishing the extraordinary. If you enjoyed Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, are an outdoor enthusiast or just like true stories, you'll love this book.
March 30, 2021
Loved it... covered and exciting time period in climbing. Liked the way it was organized. It read like a fiction novel.
February 24, 2025
Świetna!!!
February 15, 2022
Píšu sa tridsiate roky 20. storočia.
Zatiaľ čo medzi európskymi mocnosťami postupne rastie napätie, v ďalekých Himalájach prebieha iný druh boja. Skupiny horolezcov z Veľkej Británie, nacistického Nemecka a Spojených štátov zápasia o prvenstvo vo výstupoch na najvyššie vrchy planéty vrátane Mount Everestu, K2 a Nanga Parbatu.
Na rozdiel od technicky dobre vybavených dnešných horolezcov majú iba zopár fotografií, nedokonalé mapy, jednoduché kožené topánky a bavlnené vetrovky. Majú však aj odhodlanie a odvahu a navzdory všetkým protivenstvám prenikajú čoraz ďalej a vyššie, ako si človek vie predstaviť. Ich príbehy zakrátko upútajú pozornosť celého sveta a stávajú sa inšpiráciou pre mnohých.
Svet pod ich nohami je príbeh, sága o horolezcoch, o vášni k horolezectvu. Zavedie nás do 30.rokov minulého storočia, kedy horolezcov vnímali ako stratené existencie, čudákov, ktorí sa nevedia usadiť, zaradiť do normálnej spoločnosti.
„Podľa toho, ako upaľovali do kopca a ako sa napchávali tou odpornou gebuzinou z varenej ryže a neidentifikovateľnej zeleniny, obaja boli očividne v dobrej forme a nepríjemné stránky cestovania po Himalájach zvládali v pohode. Najmä Ed Hillary so svojou vysokou chudou postavou, sýtozelenými očami a neobyčajnou výdržou urobil veľký dojem na britských horolezcov...“
Kniha Svet pod ich nohami získala ocenenie National Outdoor Book Award ako najlepšie dielo za rok 2020. Ellsworthova vzrušujúca sága, ktorá sa odohráva v Londýne, New Yorku, Nemecku, Indii a Tibete, nie je iba rozprávaním o horolezectve a horolezcoch, ale aj o vášni a ambíciách, o odvahe hraničiacej s bláznovstvom. O tradíciách a objavoch, o tragédiách a víťazstvách.
Autor nás vo svojom mnohotvárnom opise plynulo prenáša od ulíc Manhattanu po reflektory londýnskeho West Endu, cez smrtonosné lavinózne úbočia Nanga Parbatu až k trúfalým snom novozélandského pestovateľa včiel Edmunda Hillaryho a mladého húževnatého Šerpu Tenzinga, ktorí si v máji 1953 podajú ruky na vrchole Mount Everestu.
Zatiaľ čo medzi európskymi mocnosťami postupne rastie napätie, v ďalekých Himalájach prebieha iný druh boja. Skupiny horolezcov z Veľkej Británie, nacistického Nemecka a Spojených štátov zápasia o prvenstvo vo výstupoch na najvyššie vrchy planéty vrátane Mount Everestu, K2 a Nanga Parbatu.
Na rozdiel od technicky dobre vybavených dnešných horolezcov majú iba zopár fotografií, nedokonalé mapy, jednoduché kožené topánky a bavlnené vetrovky. Majú však aj odhodlanie a odvahu a navzdory všetkým protivenstvám prenikajú čoraz ďalej a vyššie, ako si človek vie predstaviť. Ich príbehy zakrátko upútajú pozornosť celého sveta a stávajú sa inšpiráciou pre mnohých.
Svet pod ich nohami je príbeh, sága o horolezcoch, o vášni k horolezectvu. Zavedie nás do 30.rokov minulého storočia, kedy horolezcov vnímali ako stratené existencie, čudákov, ktorí sa nevedia usadiť, zaradiť do normálnej spoločnosti.
„Podľa toho, ako upaľovali do kopca a ako sa napchávali tou odpornou gebuzinou z varenej ryže a neidentifikovateľnej zeleniny, obaja boli očividne v dobrej forme a nepríjemné stránky cestovania po Himalájach zvládali v pohode. Najmä Ed Hillary so svojou vysokou chudou postavou, sýtozelenými očami a neobyčajnou výdržou urobil veľký dojem na britských horolezcov...“
Kniha Svet pod ich nohami získala ocenenie National Outdoor Book Award ako najlepšie dielo za rok 2020. Ellsworthova vzrušujúca sága, ktorá sa odohráva v Londýne, New Yorku, Nemecku, Indii a Tibete, nie je iba rozprávaním o horolezectve a horolezcoch, ale aj o vášni a ambíciách, o odvahe hraničiacej s bláznovstvom. O tradíciách a objavoch, o tragédiách a víťazstvách.
Autor nás vo svojom mnohotvárnom opise plynulo prenáša od ulíc Manhattanu po reflektory londýnskeho West Endu, cez smrtonosné lavinózne úbočia Nanga Parbatu až k trúfalým snom novozélandského pestovateľa včiel Edmunda Hillaryho a mladého húževnatého Šerpu Tenzinga, ktorí si v máji 1953 podajú ruky na vrchole Mount Everestu.
February 9, 2022
This one feels a overrated.
I was disappointed.
I’ve been reading articles and watching documentaries on mountaineering and was excited to get to pick a mountaineering book to read with my two-person book club. I was debating between this and Into Thin Air. We both enjoy history so this seemed like a good choice.
It’s not a bad book, it just isn’t really about mountaineering, at least not fully. It’s more of a story about London and Munich between the wars with some early climbs mixed in. Then at the end short sections about Everest, Nanga Parbat and K2 in the early 1950s.
The good:
I really enjoyed the sections about climbing Nanda Devi and Minya Konka.
Not so good:
I was disappointed in how much time was spent in Paul Bauer, an early Nazi who bombed working class German neighborhoods and never led or participated in a successful summit attempt. The author puts a lot of stock in his placing a hat on top of the Nazi flag as a show of non-Naziism.
I wish there had been more on Bauer’s countryman, Hermann Buhl, who made a meth fueled solo ascent from camp five to the top of Nanga Parbat without food or an extra sweater. He got about 2 paragraphs and didn’t include all the details above.
I also wish we’d spent more time with the 1953 unsuccessful attempt on K2. For my dollar this is the best story in mountaineering and it got far less pages than Maurice Wilson’s stunt on Everest and even fewer pages than totally unrelated events such as the night of the long knives and kristallnacht.
Not a bad read, but if you’re looking for mountain stories Wikipedia is free, more detailed and more complete. I’ll be on the lookout for a more detailed history on the mountains and attempts.
I was disappointed.
I’ve been reading articles and watching documentaries on mountaineering and was excited to get to pick a mountaineering book to read with my two-person book club. I was debating between this and Into Thin Air. We both enjoy history so this seemed like a good choice.
It’s not a bad book, it just isn’t really about mountaineering, at least not fully. It’s more of a story about London and Munich between the wars with some early climbs mixed in. Then at the end short sections about Everest, Nanga Parbat and K2 in the early 1950s.
The good:
I really enjoyed the sections about climbing Nanda Devi and Minya Konka.
Not so good:
I was disappointed in how much time was spent in Paul Bauer, an early Nazi who bombed working class German neighborhoods and never led or participated in a successful summit attempt. The author puts a lot of stock in his placing a hat on top of the Nazi flag as a show of non-Naziism.
I wish there had been more on Bauer’s countryman, Hermann Buhl, who made a meth fueled solo ascent from camp five to the top of Nanga Parbat without food or an extra sweater. He got about 2 paragraphs and didn’t include all the details above.
I also wish we’d spent more time with the 1953 unsuccessful attempt on K2. For my dollar this is the best story in mountaineering and it got far less pages than Maurice Wilson’s stunt on Everest and even fewer pages than totally unrelated events such as the night of the long knives and kristallnacht.
Not a bad read, but if you’re looking for mountain stories Wikipedia is free, more detailed and more complete. I’ll be on the lookout for a more detailed history on the mountains and attempts.
June 3, 2023
Really entertaining read if you happen to have any interest in mountaineering. I found it a lot more compelling than books that focused on a single first ascent of a particular mountain, because this takes a holistic view of mountaineering from 1930-1953 culminating in the first ascents of Everest and Nanga Parbat in 1952 (and K2 in 1954).
There are the usual laughable accounts of some of the first attempts that required something like tons of supplies (including cognac and foie gras) to be shepherded up these massive mountains. But the book also covers the historical approach of failed American attempts that introduced the concept of climbing light. The book also places these climbs in the appropriate historical context. For instance, part of the reason Everest was unsummited for so long was that the somewhat easier south face of the mountain was inaccessible because Nepal remained closed off to foreigners. It was only after the triumph of Mao in China that Nepal realized it needed to have friends in Europe that allowed that face to be climbed.
A fair amount in here as well about the Sherpas who were essential to climbing the Himalayan peaks and how shittily they were treated by Europeans. Tenzing is almost assuredly the best mountaineer of his generation but was rarely treated as such. It's a rare moment of historical karma that he was part of the summit group with one of the few people who truly appreciated his skills.
The book also focuses broadly on the peaks that became associated with particular countries, largely due to tragedies. Everest for the Brits, Nanga Parbat for the Germans, and K2 for the Americans.
All in all, a great read. But you do have to be into mountaineering to enjoy it.
There are the usual laughable accounts of some of the first attempts that required something like tons of supplies (including cognac and foie gras) to be shepherded up these massive mountains. But the book also covers the historical approach of failed American attempts that introduced the concept of climbing light. The book also places these climbs in the appropriate historical context. For instance, part of the reason Everest was unsummited for so long was that the somewhat easier south face of the mountain was inaccessible because Nepal remained closed off to foreigners. It was only after the triumph of Mao in China that Nepal realized it needed to have friends in Europe that allowed that face to be climbed.
A fair amount in here as well about the Sherpas who were essential to climbing the Himalayan peaks and how shittily they were treated by Europeans. Tenzing is almost assuredly the best mountaineer of his generation but was rarely treated as such. It's a rare moment of historical karma that he was part of the summit group with one of the few people who truly appreciated his skills.
The book also focuses broadly on the peaks that became associated with particular countries, largely due to tragedies. Everest for the Brits, Nanga Parbat for the Germans, and K2 for the Americans.
All in all, a great read. But you do have to be into mountaineering to enjoy it.
June 10, 2020
The first half of the twentieth century saw some astonishing achievements in the world of mountain climbing. However, no peak greater than 8,000 meters had yet been conquered, and access to the Himalaya wasn’t always straightforward, not only because of geography, but politics as well. As the shadow of war loomed on Europe in the 30’s, the rivalries between nations became even more intense, especially between the British, Germans, and Americans.
At the time, there were varying schools of thought as to how to tackle these great summits, like whether to travel light or to take tons of provisions and porters. “Books, however, were a different matter. …no climber was criticized for taking along his own private library, even to the highest camps of Mount Everest. …Shipton took Gone With the Wind… Even the highest wind-blown ridges of the Himalayas weren’t safe from the intrigues of Scarlett and Rhett, Ashley Wilkes and, as Scarlett would have it, that mealy-mouthed little goody-goody Melanie Hamilton.”
I really liked that each chapter is like a novella detailing different nations undertaking different expeditions. They’re all set against the same historical backdrop, but each varies depending on the climbers, the mountain, and the strategy. There were tragedies and triumphs, and there is no doubt these intrepid adventurers were a brave lot. As Eric Shipton said, “Let us approach the peaks with humility, and, having found the way to them for ourselves, learn to solve their problems.”
At the time, there were varying schools of thought as to how to tackle these great summits, like whether to travel light or to take tons of provisions and porters. “Books, however, were a different matter. …no climber was criticized for taking along his own private library, even to the highest camps of Mount Everest. …Shipton took Gone With the Wind… Even the highest wind-blown ridges of the Himalayas weren’t safe from the intrigues of Scarlett and Rhett, Ashley Wilkes and, as Scarlett would have it, that mealy-mouthed little goody-goody Melanie Hamilton.”
I really liked that each chapter is like a novella detailing different nations undertaking different expeditions. They’re all set against the same historical backdrop, but each varies depending on the climbers, the mountain, and the strategy. There were tragedies and triumphs, and there is no doubt these intrepid adventurers were a brave lot. As Eric Shipton said, “Let us approach the peaks with humility, and, having found the way to them for ourselves, learn to solve their problems.”
August 4, 2021
Koľko? Vraj cez 400 strán (mám ju ako e-knihu, tak neviem). Ale ako jednohubka, keby som mala viac času. Tak sa to totiž čítalo.
Dobre, som zaujatá. Milujem knihy o dejinách horolezectva. A táto mala všetko. Pohnuté osudy, tragédie, zadržaný dych (aj keď už dávno viete, ako to dopadlo), triumfy, oslavy i tiché zadosťučinenia. Veľmi sa mi páčila mravenčia práca Scotta Elswortha, ktorý nám jednotlivých horolezcov naozaj predstavil a zasadil ich do politického kontextu 30. rokov. Bol to výborný pohľad a keď som šla knihou ďalej a ďalej, stále mi vychádzalo, že jediný správny. Pretože jednotlivé vzťahy, spoločenské nálady a politické obraty toho obdobia nielen vyformovali tieto generácie lezcov, ale im aj zametali či naopak zahatávali cestičky k ich snom.
Jedna z vecí, ktoré sa mi rátali najviac, bol priestor venovaný Tenzingovi i ostatným Šerpom a nenásilné zdokumentovanie ich meniacej sa pozície v rámci výprav.
A bol tam Mallory!
Preklad pani Juskovej bol výborný a ja som si celú knihu naozaj užila.
Prečítajte si to.
Dobre, som zaujatá. Milujem knihy o dejinách horolezectva. A táto mala všetko. Pohnuté osudy, tragédie, zadržaný dych (aj keď už dávno viete, ako to dopadlo), triumfy, oslavy i tiché zadosťučinenia. Veľmi sa mi páčila mravenčia práca Scotta Elswortha, ktorý nám jednotlivých horolezcov naozaj predstavil a zasadil ich do politického kontextu 30. rokov. Bol to výborný pohľad a keď som šla knihou ďalej a ďalej, stále mi vychádzalo, že jediný správny. Pretože jednotlivé vzťahy, spoločenské nálady a politické obraty toho obdobia nielen vyformovali tieto generácie lezcov, ale im aj zametali či naopak zahatávali cestičky k ich snom.
Jedna z vecí, ktoré sa mi rátali najviac, bol priestor venovaný Tenzingovi i ostatným Šerpom a nenásilné zdokumentovanie ich meniacej sa pozície v rámci výprav.
A bol tam Mallory!
Preklad pani Juskovej bol výborný a ja som si celú knihu naozaj užila.
Prečítajte si to.
October 2, 2020
The Himalaya mountain range stretches over 1,500 miles across South Asia and contains the globe’s highest peaks. A hundred years ago, this was an unknown and inaccessible region. Scott Ellsworth’s exhilarating book chronicles a “greatest hits” of Himalayan exploration from the 1930s through to the first ascent of Mt Everest in 1953. This was the period when alpinists competed to climb the Earth’s highest mountains, and where the ultimate prize would be the first ascent of Mt Everest. India was a British colony, so until India’s independence following World War II, English mountaineers retained a monopoly on Mt Everest. The German Nazi party quickly realized the propaganda value of fearless mountaineering expeditions. They supported a series of valiant expeditions to slightly lower peaks such as Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, and Nanga Parbat, where their misfortunes made the summit known as the “Killer Mountain.”
The book is rich on personal details and attributes of the protagonists, offering a vivid and engaging read. Connoisseurs of mountaineering history know Maurice Wilson as the eccentric who died alone below the North Col of Mt Everest in 1934. Some may remember that Maurice Wilson had absolutely no mountaineering experience, or that he wished to demonstrate how fasting and faith allowed human beings to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks, or perhaps remember that he flew singlehandedly from England to the Himalayas. Few, till this book was published, would be aware of all these facts. The book’s chapter covering Mr. Wilson describes an industrious and ingenious man, with an uncommon ability to overcome problems. He left England in a Gipsy Moth single-propeller, open cockpit airplane, having just earned his pilot license. He then flew using visual navigation to India, barely making it across the Alps, as his overloaded plane refused to go above 9,000’. After getting arrested in Tunisia, he almost crashed in Libya due to bad gasoline, and all this was before the going got difficult! It seems that the British Government had withdrawn his permit to fly across Persia, forcing Wilson into a perilous circumnavigation of what is today Iran. Thereafter, British authorities made endless efforts to deprive him of fuel and finally refused him permission to fly over Nepal. So, although the novice flyer got no further than India, Wilson showed that he was made of Amelia Earhart material. Wilson then spent 9 months in Darjeeling before sneaking off to Mt Everest disguised as a Tibetan Monk. Though this Everest aspirant is but a footnote in mountaineering history, his story makes for fascinating reading.
Two British mountaineers, Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman, also feature prominently in the book. In the 1930s, the pair crisscrossed the Himalayas for months at a time, exploring great expanses that were blanks on the map. Both participated in expeditions to Mt Everest but did most of their travels together on a shoe-string budget accompanied by a handful of Sherpas. After having been judged “unfit” for the 1936 Mt Everest expedition, Tilman made the first ascent of Nanda Devi (25,600’) with an American party! This was the highest summit climbed by man till the 1950 French ascent of Annapurna. Incidentally, the previous record was Shipton’s 1931 ascent of Kamet, so Tilman usurped his mountaineering companion’s record. The adventures of these incredibly tough and resourceful characters make for breathtaking reading. By the 1950s, Tilman found the Himalayas “too crowded” and started sailing the world’s polar oceans in search of new and uncharted mountains to climb. In his eightieth year, as he was transporting some mountaineers in the South Atlantic, his ship disappeared without a trace. A fitting end to an extraordinary and eventful life.
This is a very readable and engrossing book that comes complete with an amazing cast of characters and events.
The book is rich on personal details and attributes of the protagonists, offering a vivid and engaging read. Connoisseurs of mountaineering history know Maurice Wilson as the eccentric who died alone below the North Col of Mt Everest in 1934. Some may remember that Maurice Wilson had absolutely no mountaineering experience, or that he wished to demonstrate how fasting and faith allowed human beings to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks, or perhaps remember that he flew singlehandedly from England to the Himalayas. Few, till this book was published, would be aware of all these facts. The book’s chapter covering Mr. Wilson describes an industrious and ingenious man, with an uncommon ability to overcome problems. He left England in a Gipsy Moth single-propeller, open cockpit airplane, having just earned his pilot license. He then flew using visual navigation to India, barely making it across the Alps, as his overloaded plane refused to go above 9,000’. After getting arrested in Tunisia, he almost crashed in Libya due to bad gasoline, and all this was before the going got difficult! It seems that the British Government had withdrawn his permit to fly across Persia, forcing Wilson into a perilous circumnavigation of what is today Iran. Thereafter, British authorities made endless efforts to deprive him of fuel and finally refused him permission to fly over Nepal. So, although the novice flyer got no further than India, Wilson showed that he was made of Amelia Earhart material. Wilson then spent 9 months in Darjeeling before sneaking off to Mt Everest disguised as a Tibetan Monk. Though this Everest aspirant is but a footnote in mountaineering history, his story makes for fascinating reading.
Two British mountaineers, Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman, also feature prominently in the book. In the 1930s, the pair crisscrossed the Himalayas for months at a time, exploring great expanses that were blanks on the map. Both participated in expeditions to Mt Everest but did most of their travels together on a shoe-string budget accompanied by a handful of Sherpas. After having been judged “unfit” for the 1936 Mt Everest expedition, Tilman made the first ascent of Nanda Devi (25,600’) with an American party! This was the highest summit climbed by man till the 1950 French ascent of Annapurna. Incidentally, the previous record was Shipton’s 1931 ascent of Kamet, so Tilman usurped his mountaineering companion’s record. The adventures of these incredibly tough and resourceful characters make for breathtaking reading. By the 1950s, Tilman found the Himalayas “too crowded” and started sailing the world’s polar oceans in search of new and uncharted mountains to climb. In his eightieth year, as he was transporting some mountaineers in the South Atlantic, his ship disappeared without a trace. A fitting end to an extraordinary and eventful life.
This is a very readable and engrossing book that comes complete with an amazing cast of characters and events.
March 30, 2025
Výborné spracovanie príbehov horolezcov z mnohých krajín sveta, ktorí sa pokúšali zdolať tie najvyššie hory sveta.
Čitateľ žasne s akým vybavením, s akým postojom, s koľkými ľuďmi a s akou disciplínou pristupovali od konca 19 stor. skalolezci a horolezci k možnostiam zdolania osemtisícoviek. Pred sto rokmi existovalo na Zemi ešte veľa miest, kam ľudská noha nikdy nevkročila. Okrem Mount Everestu to boli aj K2, smtiaci Nanga Parbat či Minja Konka a jej úpäťový raj.
Akými ľuďmi boli horolezci, ktorí na rozdiel od terajších turistov na Everest vysekávali stupy, zatĺkali prvé skoby, stavli tábory na skalných rímsach. Niesli so sebou knihu na čítanie, ale nie pomocný kyslík. Mali informácie o počasí bez využitia satelitných družíc a dlhé roky prekonávali rozdiel medzi skutočnosťou, že na hore je každý iba človek, nie Šerpa alebo beloch.
Výborná kniha, napísaná trocha " starodávnym" úžasne atmosférickým opisom ulíc miest bývalých britských kolónií, osobností jednotlivých horolezcov, politických udalostí a túžby prekonať najmä samého seba a správať sa tak, aby človek aj v tých najextrémenjších situáciách zostal stále človekom.
Jediným mínusom knihy je preklad, ktorý by určite potreboval ešte potrebnú redakciu a korekciu.
Čitateľ žasne s akým vybavením, s akým postojom, s koľkými ľuďmi a s akou disciplínou pristupovali od konca 19 stor. skalolezci a horolezci k možnostiam zdolania osemtisícoviek. Pred sto rokmi existovalo na Zemi ešte veľa miest, kam ľudská noha nikdy nevkročila. Okrem Mount Everestu to boli aj K2, smtiaci Nanga Parbat či Minja Konka a jej úpäťový raj.
Akými ľuďmi boli horolezci, ktorí na rozdiel od terajších turistov na Everest vysekávali stupy, zatĺkali prvé skoby, stavli tábory na skalných rímsach. Niesli so sebou knihu na čítanie, ale nie pomocný kyslík. Mali informácie o počasí bez využitia satelitných družíc a dlhé roky prekonávali rozdiel medzi skutočnosťou, že na hore je každý iba človek, nie Šerpa alebo beloch.
Výborná kniha, napísaná trocha " starodávnym" úžasne atmosférickým opisom ulíc miest bývalých britských kolónií, osobností jednotlivých horolezcov, politických udalostí a túžby prekonať najmä samého seba a správať sa tak, aby človek aj v tých najextrémenjších situáciách zostal stále človekom.
Jediným mínusom knihy je preklad, ktorý by určite potreboval ešte potrebnú redakciu a korekciu.
June 3, 2020
A fascinating book about the efforts, often with tragic consequences, of mountaineers, principally from Britain, Germany and the United States to reach the summits of Himalayan Achttausenders in the first half of the 20th century.
These peeks, over eight thousand meters high, include Everest, K2 and Nanga Parbat. The book takes you to the heights in gale winds, sub zero temperatures and blinding snow storms and gives a sense of the elation and terror felt by the climbers as the struggle to do what no one else has done.
Technology has made the summit of Mount Everest a tourist attraction. Climbers with more money than skill now queue up to stand on top of the world, but Scott Ellsworth’s book allows us to appreciate the enormity of the achievement of Hillary and Tensing in 1953.
Thanks to Haywood Hill for recommendation!
These peeks, over eight thousand meters high, include Everest, K2 and Nanga Parbat. The book takes you to the heights in gale winds, sub zero temperatures and blinding snow storms and gives a sense of the elation and terror felt by the climbers as the struggle to do what no one else has done.
Technology has made the summit of Mount Everest a tourist attraction. Climbers with more money than skill now queue up to stand on top of the world, but Scott Ellsworth’s book allows us to appreciate the enormity of the achievement of Hillary and Tensing in 1953.
Thanks to Haywood Hill for recommendation!
June 11, 2024
This book is so well researched and well-written! It covers so much ground so quickly and in such an engaging manner. Ellsworth provides plenty of "further reading" material on the subjects he covers so readers can easily dive deeper into the people and expeditions he briefly discusses. It's a good one to have on the shelf to bridge the gap between your 20+ books on 1924 and your 20+ books on 1953 (just me?).
Allow me a quibble: the book has numerous, extremely noticeable typos and misspellings. Sentences are missing periods, climbers' names are spelled two different ways, "window" is used instead of "widow," etc. I don't blame Ellsworth for this, but the lack of attention to detail at a publisher like Little, Brown is concerning and annoying. I suppose they're just using AI to edit now, but hey, if you're hiring, call me!
Allow me a quibble: the book has numerous, extremely noticeable typos and misspellings. Sentences are missing periods, climbers' names are spelled two different ways, "window" is used instead of "widow," etc. I don't blame Ellsworth for this, but the lack of attention to detail at a publisher like Little, Brown is concerning and annoying. I suppose they're just using AI to edit now, but hey, if you're hiring, call me!
September 27, 2024
This book is an extraordinary ride into a time long past, where high technology and fancy gear was not yet available, and where being an explorer meant a leap of faith into one’s relentless desire to overcome the unknown and to challenge oneself to go where no one has ever been before. The title of the book mentioned this was a race between nations, to be the first to summit the 8000-plus meter Himalayan most fierce mountains, and indeed it was treated as a race, specially by their main players (Americans, British and Germans). But once we are introduced to the main characters of this adventure, the climbers themselves, and we get an insight into who they were as people, their failures, and successes, what strike me the most was the respect they all displayed for the mountain, the unselfishness toward the fellow climbing comrade, and above all, the love of mountaineering. Never it was about winning the race when they were “up there”. Most of this is also due to Scott Ellsworth’s writing style, who beautifully transformed a history book into a quasi-novel, containing humor, suspense, excitement, etc.
August 2, 2020
My only complaint: he told too much of a story. There were about three stories worth of material in here, and if he had fleshed out each he would have had a wonderful trilogy. Do one book on Everest, one on K2, one on Nanga Parbat. He crammed a lot into 300 pages, and I just felt like it was tragic that he didn't stretch this entire saga into a thousands because it would have been spellbinding. Still, a wonderful book, and if you liked Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," there's a lot that you'll enjoy.
November 28, 2024
You know how artists come out with one hit song and then create an album with garbage around it? That’s how I felt about the last two chapters of this book. Everything before them was a wasteland of jumbled history and impossible-to-remember names.
October 3, 2020
Interesting account of early attempts in the Himalayas. Goes through many of the lesser known stories and unsuccessful, as well as successful, attempts. Fascinating how many unknown climbers pathed the way for those that garnered all the headlines.
May 8, 2020
This is a thrilling, well told account of the race to the top of the world's highest mountains. Ellsworth does a wonderful job telling the stories of the alipinists and adventurers while also explaining the historical context and technological innovations in a relatable style. The result is a fast paced, transportive read. For anyone who loves history and the outdoors, this book is a wonderful escape when many of us are currently quarantined.
November 22, 2021
Tato téma sa mi nikdy nezunuje. Navyše, tentokrát ide nielen o podrobný opis začiatku pretekov v Himalajach, ale aj o historické súvislosti, ktoré tieto expedície ovplyvňovali. Bohatí a vzdelaní Briti v smokingoch a ich sen zdolať Everest. Nemci a ich nedosiahnuteľný vrchol Nanga Parbat aj Američania, ktorym sa nakoniec na vysnívanú K2 nepodarilo vystúpiť pretože radšej zachránili svojho kamaráta. Prvenstvo im vyfukli taliani. A opäť som si musela pozrieť sedem rokov v tibete. Himalaje, raz sa uvidíme. Perfektná kniha.
October 19, 2020
I love a good Everest book, but this one was really long and slow.
November 13, 2020
"Let us climb peaks by all means, because their beauty attracts us; not because others have failed, nor because the summits stand 28,000 feet above the sea, nor in patriotic fervour for the honour of the nation, nor for cheap publicity. Let us approach the peaks with humility, and, having found the way to them for ourselves, learn to solve their problems." --Eric Shipton
The four-star substories of the book (Nanga Parbat, K2, Everest, Hillary/Tenzing, etc.) were more interesting than the global synthesis this title was bringing to the table. Points docked for every use of the sentence "And then it happened." Upshot: nostalgia for old-time technologies and a world where news couldn't be known at every moment. Reading about the rise of the Third Reich during the first week of November 2020 was downright disturbing. (SA == Proud Boys, anyone?) There's a handy index of people at the end of the book. 'World' is worth the climb, and a good springboard to Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'.
"To keep busy, always busy: that was the secret of how I kept warm and healthy." --Tenzing Norgay, re: Everest 1953
Pocket notes below.
------SPOILERS------
Brit Paul Mallory and Sandy Irvine died on Everest
Paul Bauer - German WWI soldier, POW by Britian. Law student. Nazi. Practiced in alps for emotional release.
Eric Shipton - Brit dyslexic bad student who read book about mountains in high school and fell in love.
Hugh Rutledge - leader of British Evert expidition. Seven sherpas died in Everest 33.
Lady Houston. Rich patriotic Brit divorcee who funded big things like airplane research.
Smythe - part of 33 Everest summit attack. Had hallucinations of shadows, third climber company.
Also WynHarris and Wager.
Moore - American descendant of pilgrims. Grew up with privlege. Adventeruous.
Emmons - American. Harvard grad. Gored hand in China. Summited Minya Konka with Moore.
Burdsall - American, 36yo mechE quaker.
Jack Young - Hawaii/Chinese expat, not a climber but spoke fluent Chinese.
Willy Merkl - gets the nod from the Brits in India to climb Nanga Prabat instead of Bauer. Joined by physician Welzenbach, Sherpa recruiter Wieland (Kitar and Gaylay were with Mallory on Everest). Deaths galore, a disaster.
James Hilton. Brit who wrote Lost Horizon.
Tillman. Brit WW veteran. Taciturn. Quick learner of climbing. Biked across Africa. With Shipton, unlocked Nanda Devi ShangriLa for a song in costs. Blew doors open.
Maurice Wilson. Yogi healer WW vet drifter nutjob flies open cockpit to Everest solo. Dies on Everest above Camp 3.
Bryant. NZ climber. Shipton loved him.
Houston. Harvard climber who bagged a NYT cover. With Caeter Darnie Loomis, team with Tillman and the Brits for Minya Konka.
Paul Petzholt. Us boxcar drifter climber at thw Tetons with Herron. Got in with British royalty. Just misswd k2 summit woth sick houston.
Weissner. Young german immigrant to us. Sold ski wax, washed 3mpire state building. Poor. Conquered devils tower. Dreams of Himalayas.
Aufschnaiter lanky austrian nazi. Mason wounded british solider who set up club in India. Nanga parbat for germany?
Harrer. Born in alps poor, motorcyclist rugged. Nazi SS. climbed eiger noth face with kasparek to get cred. Joined with Hecmaier and Vorg mid mountain. World headlines. Met Hitler.
Harrwr joined nanga parbat expedition.
Banal phrasing was code for the Everest scoop.
Schoening's arrest on K2, saving six lives.
Did Gilkey fall to his death to save his comrades?
The four-star substories of the book (Nanga Parbat, K2, Everest, Hillary/Tenzing, etc.) were more interesting than the global synthesis this title was bringing to the table. Points docked for every use of the sentence "And then it happened." Upshot: nostalgia for old-time technologies and a world where news couldn't be known at every moment. Reading about the rise of the Third Reich during the first week of November 2020 was downright disturbing. (SA == Proud Boys, anyone?) There's a handy index of people at the end of the book. 'World' is worth the climb, and a good springboard to Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'.
"To keep busy, always busy: that was the secret of how I kept warm and healthy." --Tenzing Norgay, re: Everest 1953
Pocket notes below.
------SPOILERS------
Brit Paul Mallory and Sandy Irvine died on Everest
Paul Bauer - German WWI soldier, POW by Britian. Law student. Nazi. Practiced in alps for emotional release.
Eric Shipton - Brit dyslexic bad student who read book about mountains in high school and fell in love.
Hugh Rutledge - leader of British Evert expidition. Seven sherpas died in Everest 33.
Lady Houston. Rich patriotic Brit divorcee who funded big things like airplane research.
Smythe - part of 33 Everest summit attack. Had hallucinations of shadows, third climber company.
Also WynHarris and Wager.
Moore - American descendant of pilgrims. Grew up with privlege. Adventeruous.
Emmons - American. Harvard grad. Gored hand in China. Summited Minya Konka with Moore.
Burdsall - American, 36yo mechE quaker.
Jack Young - Hawaii/Chinese expat, not a climber but spoke fluent Chinese.
Willy Merkl - gets the nod from the Brits in India to climb Nanga Prabat instead of Bauer. Joined by physician Welzenbach, Sherpa recruiter Wieland (Kitar and Gaylay were with Mallory on Everest). Deaths galore, a disaster.
James Hilton. Brit who wrote Lost Horizon.
Tillman. Brit WW veteran. Taciturn. Quick learner of climbing. Biked across Africa. With Shipton, unlocked Nanda Devi ShangriLa for a song in costs. Blew doors open.
Maurice Wilson. Yogi healer WW vet drifter nutjob flies open cockpit to Everest solo. Dies on Everest above Camp 3.
Bryant. NZ climber. Shipton loved him.
Houston. Harvard climber who bagged a NYT cover. With Caeter Darnie Loomis, team with Tillman and the Brits for Minya Konka.
Paul Petzholt. Us boxcar drifter climber at thw Tetons with Herron. Got in with British royalty. Just misswd k2 summit woth sick houston.
Weissner. Young german immigrant to us. Sold ski wax, washed 3mpire state building. Poor. Conquered devils tower. Dreams of Himalayas.
Aufschnaiter lanky austrian nazi. Mason wounded british solider who set up club in India. Nanga parbat for germany?
Harrer. Born in alps poor, motorcyclist rugged. Nazi SS. climbed eiger noth face with kasparek to get cred. Joined with Hecmaier and Vorg mid mountain. World headlines. Met Hitler.
Harrwr joined nanga parbat expedition.
Banal phrasing was code for the Everest scoop.
Schoening's arrest on K2, saving six lives.
Did Gilkey fall to his death to save his comrades?
January 21, 2020
I won an advanced reader’s copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway on January 15, 2020. In the notification message, I was advised to allow 4-6 weeks for delivery, but the book was shipped only two days later. Naturally, we’ve all become accustomed to such fast shipment of books. Such is the way of the world now.
But when I received The World Beneath Their Feet on January 21, and began to read it, I soon felt the author, the publisher (Little, Brown and Company), and the printers had released and shipped this book with a compelling sense of urgency. It seems they realize it’s that important to get this book out to readers.
And for anyone about to read this book, prepare to be gripped by it. The author reaches out to the reader that much. As I held the book and begin to read it, it seemed the book was holding me as much as I was holding it. And it has a hard, icy grip from the very beginning, showing the reader “passion and ambition, courage and folly, tradition and innovation, tragedy and triumph.” And of course, “death [is] never far.” I had tears in my eyes before I got to chapter one.
No, I haven’t even read the whole book yet. But I know already that an instant classic like this will always have a place, front and center, on my bookshelf. Beyond being a great read, this book will serve as an example and inspiration for me, as I write from this day forward.
Larry Botkins
Author of Dark Science Fiction Short Stories
But when I received The World Beneath Their Feet on January 21, and began to read it, I soon felt the author, the publisher (Little, Brown and Company), and the printers had released and shipped this book with a compelling sense of urgency. It seems they realize it’s that important to get this book out to readers.
And for anyone about to read this book, prepare to be gripped by it. The author reaches out to the reader that much. As I held the book and begin to read it, it seemed the book was holding me as much as I was holding it. And it has a hard, icy grip from the very beginning, showing the reader “passion and ambition, courage and folly, tradition and innovation, tragedy and triumph.” And of course, “death [is] never far.” I had tears in my eyes before I got to chapter one.
No, I haven’t even read the whole book yet. But I know already that an instant classic like this will always have a place, front and center, on my bookshelf. Beyond being a great read, this book will serve as an example and inspiration for me, as I write from this day forward.
Larry Botkins
Author of Dark Science Fiction Short Stories
May 2, 2020
A very gripping account of all the (mis)adventures that have transpired in order to summit the tallest mountain on planet Earth. I have to admit I was a bit worried that this might be another book that tediously drones on about the details of each particular Mount Everest climb, such as who was moody on this particular day, which food they eat at that moment, how many meters they covered then, and so on. Although there was, of course, some of that in there, luckily this was not the case for the bulk of the book; quite the contrary actually.
Each chapter comprises a sort of stand-alone story, that follows certain pioneering mountaineers and describes an important development in the race to climb Mount Everest. For example, the first summit of an 'achttausender' (a mountain taller than 8000 meters) and the first entrance into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (a circle of high mountains in Northern India). Needless to say, the described ventures in this book are all dotted with interesting and inspiring characters.
I particularly enjoyed the tale of one Maurice Wilson, who decides, basically on a whim, that he shall be the first person to climb mighty Mount Everest. He has no real mountaineering experience, but he comes up with the brilliant plan of flying himself, alone, to base-camp directly, in the hope of saving energy and therefore gaining an edge over the competition. Surprisingly, he was somewhat successful, but I will leave the details of this hilarious (and tragic) story for you to discover on your own.
I should also say I was sometimes wishing for some actual photographs, of which I am sure there are many; especially when the story comes to a point where the mountaineers are actually taking pictures, such as on a precarious ridge having a never-seen-before view over some unclimbed giant, or when they are actually on the summit of one of these things. But I have to say that the author manages to paint a very lucid and vivid picture of all these epic landscapes. I also feel that the writer adequately describes the events of this book to evoke a kind of adventerous feeling as if one was really there, which I think with this kind of book, describing an epic achievement, is definitely warranted.
Each chapter comprises a sort of stand-alone story, that follows certain pioneering mountaineers and describes an important development in the race to climb Mount Everest. For example, the first summit of an 'achttausender' (a mountain taller than 8000 meters) and the first entrance into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (a circle of high mountains in Northern India). Needless to say, the described ventures in this book are all dotted with interesting and inspiring characters.
I particularly enjoyed the tale of one Maurice Wilson, who decides, basically on a whim, that he shall be the first person to climb mighty Mount Everest. He has no real mountaineering experience, but he comes up with the brilliant plan of flying himself, alone, to base-camp directly, in the hope of saving energy and therefore gaining an edge over the competition. Surprisingly, he was somewhat successful, but I will leave the details of this hilarious (and tragic) story for you to discover on your own.
I should also say I was sometimes wishing for some actual photographs, of which I am sure there are many; especially when the story comes to a point where the mountaineers are actually taking pictures, such as on a precarious ridge having a never-seen-before view over some unclimbed giant, or when they are actually on the summit of one of these things. But I have to say that the author manages to paint a very lucid and vivid picture of all these epic landscapes. I also feel that the writer adequately describes the events of this book to evoke a kind of adventerous feeling as if one was really there, which I think with this kind of book, describing an epic achievement, is definitely warranted.
October 17, 2024
This book took me awhile to get into, but once I was hooked I finished it very quickly. It provides a concise but also thoroughly engaging timeline of the development of mountaineering in the Himalayas. I appreciated the excellent historical framework provided, and how Ellsworth explored the ways in which different countries pursued summiting some of the highest mountains in the world. Ellsworth does a very nice job of introducing the wide cast of characters who were fundamental in Himalayan mountain climbing. I was surprised by how thrilling the book was to read given that we all know who ends up 'winning' the race to the summit of Chomolungma/Everest, but even knowing this i found the lead via the many expeditions that came before (and across many different mountains at that) to be fascinating, well told, and remarkable stories in their own right. Overall, I think anyone interested in mountaineering, outdoor adventure, or exploration history would find this book to be worthwhile.
My only drawback to this book (which is mostly just a bit confusing to me) is that there are several times throughout in which names of individuals seem to change spelling midway through. This only seems to happen in relation to individuals in the Sherpa community, such as Tenzing Norgay (whose name is at least once spelled as Tensing) and his first wife, who is first referred to as Dawa Thuti twice and then on the next page the spelling shifts to Dawa Phuti (which seems to be the correct way). These small errors are a bit jarring in an otherwise heavily researched and carefully prepared historical narrative.
My only drawback to this book (which is mostly just a bit confusing to me) is that there are several times throughout in which names of individuals seem to change spelling midway through. This only seems to happen in relation to individuals in the Sherpa community, such as Tenzing Norgay (whose name is at least once spelled as Tensing) and his first wife, who is first referred to as Dawa Thuti twice and then on the next page the spelling shifts to Dawa Phuti (which seems to be the correct way). These small errors are a bit jarring in an otherwise heavily researched and carefully prepared historical narrative.
March 2, 2020
The world beneath their feet.
While we have heard many reports and reviews on Mr. Everest in the last decade , it's truly so interesting to hear the history of past attempts of climbs. This book tells details of so many countries and people the climbers meet on the travels, plus the distance it was to get there to the mountains, how exciting to have lived during this period. Climbers would wear several layers of clothes to stay warm. Also the tents were heavy and not made of material they have now. Even the tools to climb with, So many improvements have been made.
But the author grabbed me from the first page, he felt as they felt, so determined to get the race won. No matter sickness, frostbite, weather and death. He wanted us to be that climber and see how beautiful those giant mountains were.
The history is researched so well and written with such details that I didn’t want to put this book down, it teaches you alot!
The publisher sent me a hard copy and I have never been so happy to get a book with even wonderful pictures. Sure you can read it on your tablet but I highly recommend you put this one on your shelf because You will want to read it again trust me!
Thanks so much to Little, Brown and Company for sharing!!
While we have heard many reports and reviews on Mr. Everest in the last decade , it's truly so interesting to hear the history of past attempts of climbs. This book tells details of so many countries and people the climbers meet on the travels, plus the distance it was to get there to the mountains, how exciting to have lived during this period. Climbers would wear several layers of clothes to stay warm. Also the tents were heavy and not made of material they have now. Even the tools to climb with, So many improvements have been made.
But the author grabbed me from the first page, he felt as they felt, so determined to get the race won. No matter sickness, frostbite, weather and death. He wanted us to be that climber and see how beautiful those giant mountains were.
The history is researched so well and written with such details that I didn’t want to put this book down, it teaches you alot!
The publisher sent me a hard copy and I have never been so happy to get a book with even wonderful pictures. Sure you can read it on your tablet but I highly recommend you put this one on your shelf because You will want to read it again trust me!
Thanks so much to Little, Brown and Company for sharing!!
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