Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine

BBC film producer Firstbrook was a member of the 1999 expedition that discovered climber George Mallory's body on Mount Everest (see Ghosts of Everest, reviewed above). His account of the BBC-sponsored expedition and of the famous 1924 attempt by Mallory and Andrew Irvine to scale Everest is a marvelous blend of adventure, history, geopolitics and biography. While the authors of Ghosts offer readers a better education in the technical and logistical details of alpine climbing, Firstbrook is more willing to speculate about Mallory's character and emotions. He is also a natural storyteller. His beautifully paced narrative swoops back to the geologic birth of Everest and the Himalaya range about 70 million years ago, a process that continues today as the Himalayas grow by as much as one inch per year. Firstbrook edifyingly sets the British love affair with Everest within the context of the ""Great Game,"" as Britain, Russia and China scrambled for influence in Central Asia in the 19th century. Firstbrook gradually builds up to stirring accounts of three expeditions: Mallory's 1921 reconnaissance survey of Everest, when British climbers found giant footprints in the snow identified as those of yeti or Bigfoot; Mallory's 1922 attempt on the summit, during which an avalanche killed seven of his porters; and the 1924 expedition in which Mallory and Irvine vanished. Unlike the authors of Ghosts of Everest, Firstbrook believes that only Mallory plunged to his death when the rope tying him to Irvine snapped; in this scenario, Irvine died a short time later from exposure. Like the Ghosts authors, Firstbrook concludes that it is still not possible to determine whether Mallory and Irvine succeeded in reaching Everest's summit. As Firstbrook tells it, Mallory's story is a very moving tale of aspiration, courage, determination and a desire to leave one's mark. Two 8-page photo inserts. (Oct.) FYI: Firstbrook is producer of the BBC documentary Lost on Everest, which will air on public television in January.