High Adventure

as others have said, this is a must read if you're into mountaineering or even adventure type books. Well written, very easy to read, tough to put down. Even getting to the base of the mountain was an adventure and accomplishment at that time.

The funny thing is that people probably eschew this book, thinking it's written in "old fashioned" terminology or it's "just another summit book." Nothing could be further from the truth. Hillary's enthusiasm for mountain climbing punctuates every page (literally; I don't think there's a page in the book that lacks an exclamation point). He talks about the technicalities of climbing with ease and in accessible language, and he regards the mountains as beings in their own right, worthy of respect and awe. In addition, the edition of the book I read, despite being a paperback, was illustrated not only with line drawings reminiscent of Arthur Ransome's books, but with simple maps and diagrams showing exactly where the various glaciers are or the path through the Khombu icefall (not nearly as simple as later books/authors make it seem!). These diagrams add even more personality to an already-fascinating book, and give the reader a real sense of what these explorers faced. This is an enthralling book that goes along at a great pace and it was definitely over too soon. Give it a try: it's worth at least a dozen of the whiny 70's mountaineering books!

HIGH ADVENTURE is Sir Edmund Hillary's engaging and somewhat self-effacing account of the first recorded successful Everest ascent in 1953. An earlier reviewer describes Hillary as "a bigot," I suppose because he describes the Sherpas he worked with as "coolies." Of course, HIGH ADVENTURE was written in 1955, when attitudes were much different. And Hillary, far from being self-aggrandizing, seems to shun the spotlight. Certainly, Hillary makes fairly little of his pre-Everest climbs, although they undoubtedly made him a splendid mountaineer. His lyrical voice for settings and experiences is fine, though never as poetical as Peter Matthiessen in THE SNOW LEOPARD, who traversed much of the same ground. One of the shortcomings of this book is the lack of an Afterword in the new edition. One has to wonder what Hillary thinks of Everest's now chintzy, clockworked guided climbs. For a view from today's polluted top of the mountain read Jon Ktrakauer's INTO THIN AIR.

(I read the 2003 hardcover reprint with contemporary preface by Sir Hillary, ISBN 8174362665)Written shortly after the historic 1953 climb, the adventure is detailed with modest nonchalance in a prose style of intense clarity and directness. I physically shuddered during portions of the narrative, and wept not a few times also. Needless to say, I could not put it down. No ghost writers here; Hillary is a masterful pen and his personality is revealed not only by the monumental journeys he describes but in the way he describes them.There are two crude maps of the Himalaya region in this book--they alone will not be adequate if you wish to follow the story step-by-step, but they do provide a general overview, and they do show the routes being discussed. There are several pages of photos also, although they were not printed on glossy media in my hardcover edition.As both a crucial primary historical record and an entertaining read, this book is essential.

Although Ed Hillary is basically laying out the facts of his Himalayan expeditions leading up to and including his historic summit with Tenzig Norgay, he does it in such an engaging way that you won't be able to put this book down. The story of their ascent is fascinating, especially in contrast with modern ascents as described in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. If you enjoyed Into Thin Air, you'll love High Adventure.