George Band (1929–2011)

Most Everest chronicles are decidedly boring, not so this one. Rare combination of first person recounting of history, with 50 years of retrospective, and a large dose of humility.

George Band was the youngest member of the 1953 British Expedition where Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay who summited for the first time. Pleasant and unassuming recounting of those events on the 50th anniveresary. Includes fair number of quality color photographs.

Also includes some of early (British) Everest show more history from the 1920s onwards. Recommended for broad swath of people interested in Mt. Everest or British climbing history. show less

A well written colaboration between George Band and Ted Wrangham, detailing the conception, preparation, and execution of an attempted climb on Rakaposhi. Copious well chosen photographs accompany the text. Four delightful chapters are given over to Wrangham to describe the drive from England to Pakistan in a Bedford Dormobile van. The climbing narrative is detailed and excellent, but I found I was disappointed by the abrupt end to the tale.

George Band, the accomplished Mountaineer, collects and presents all the attempts, successes and failures in a book that makes great reading and then becomes an invaluable reference.

Excellent with pictures -- a sincere book trying to capture all aspects connected with the Peak -- the social aspects, political too