What do You think about The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory On Mt. Everest (2001)?
I really enjoyed this book. It was very fascinating to learn about the discovery of Mallory, albeit I also feel that some lines may have been crossed vis-a-vis the inspection of the body. It's a very fine line. Certainly any mountaineer (or non-mountaineering mountaineering enthusiasts such as myself) would be curious to know whether Mallory and Irvine ever reached the top, and surely the belongings on Mallory's person were the last and really only evidence available to reach that conclusion. Th
—Lindsay Anne
I am completely blown away by the achievements of this great mountaineer. This is an account of extreme bravery, fortitude, and mettle that most ordinary people cannot even fathom. I am mystified by what drives some humans to such levels of obsession for a prize that is so abstract. Was it really just "Because, it's there" or was there a fierce ambition and arrogance beneath the calm and genteel exterior of Mallory or was it sheer passion? It was fascinating to read this as the writing of the person who found the body of Mallory. The book is well compiled. The chapters alternate between the writings of the two authors, one giving the historical details from the 1920s and the other giving factual details of the expedition that found the body of Mallory in 1999. For someone like me who didn't know much before, the book is also of a good size to learn the facts without being overwhelmed. However, I felt that both authors said too much about the group that found Mallory's body, sounding vainglorious at times, seeming to emphasize on how great Anker is. Anyone reading the book cares much more about the Mallory/Irvine story. I was also bothered by Anker's confident and smug justification on why Mallory couldn't have reached the top. It was also disturbing how Anker kept comparing himself to Mallory. Of course, the smugness of these modern climbers just makes me adore Mallory even more.
—Somantika
