Chasing Mallory's Dream

The incredible stories of the British and German climbers and their death-defying attempts to summit Everest. Chasing Mallory's Dream tells the story of the first British attempts on Everest and the competition with German climbers in the Himalayas. And all those who sought to test themselves against that famously dangerous terrain had been directly affected by the First World War, whether they had been veterans of the trenches or civilians raised in its aftermath. Both England and Germany saw Himalayan climbing as a route to national renewal--a sentiment reinforced in Germany by the arrival of the Nazi regime, which encouraged reckless risk-taking for state glory. The attempts, chronicled here, to realize famous climber Sir George Mallory's dream of summitting Everest involve some of the most dramatic stories, poignant tragedies, and fascinating characters in mountaineering history. Recounting these perilous expeditions allows us to explore what motives pushed the climber to attempt the impossible and their contrasting attitudes to risk, leadership, and climbing style. Including striking archival photographs, Chasing Mallory's Dream is a gripping narrative of Himalayan climbing during the years between the First and Second World Wars.