This is a companion book to The Ghosts of Everest, which tries to present as unsensationalised an account of the discovery of George Mallory's body as possible. Although the book has dated, Anker now believes that it is possible that Mallory and Irvine reached the summit, it is still an interesting addition to the Everest canon, and does at least attempt to separate the facts, as remembered by Anker, from the fiction, and provide some context to the decisions made at the time. By alternating the chapters between 1999 and 1924, whether deliberately or not, Anker and Roberts are able to reinforce Anker’s point that Everest is not a mountain to be underestimated and that the best equipped, most experienced climbers, can still get into serious trouble on the mountain. ( )

This book is a nice companion to Ghosts of Everest - it takes a less romanticized view of the same project, and comes to what feels to me like a more likely conclusion. Ghosts of Everest brought me to my fascination with Everest, but I really like Anker's style and impressions. If you read one, I very much suggest reading the other. ( )

The story of the disappearance of George Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, while ascending or descending Mount Everest on June 8, 1924 has fascinated mountain fans for decades. They were last seen ascending the upper reaches somewhere between the "First" and "Second Steps." Did they make it to the summit? Did the accident which took their lives occur on the way up or on the way down? Ultimately these questions cannot be answered; however, until the May 1999 NOVA/BBC sponsered search for Mallory's and Irvine's remains there was little evidence on which to base speculation. This book tells the story of Conrad's Anker's discovery of Mallory's body, his carefully reasoned suggestions about whether they were the first to summit Everest and the scenario of their demise; and it tells the story of George Mallory, the most gifted mountaineer of the first half of the twentieth century and the only man to have been a part of all three British reconnaissance and summit attempts of the 1920s. It's a good quick read for the armchair adventurist. ( )

Definitely one of Robert's better works, due to the fact that he kept his ego in check. ( )

Leigh-Mallory, George Herbert, 1886-1924/Mountaineers > Great Britain > Biography/Mountaineering > Everest, Mount (China and/Nepal)/Anker, Conrad/Mount Everest Expedition (1924)