Coronation Everest
Jan Morris (1970)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Coronation Everest is a firsthand account in 1953 by noted travel writer Jan Morris (James Morris at the time) of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay.  The Times was a sponsor, and so Morris got the chance to accompany the British-led expedition to one camp below the summit.  Morris’ eyewitness view point is particularly interesting not only for details on the expedition itself but also because this was the journalistic scoop of the century, one that was dependent on codes and bribes and timed to appear right before the Queen’s coronation.  Morris is a very curious and talented writer, and she provides a lot of insightful detail on local customs and the Sherpa people.
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OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - JAN MORRIS
Jan Morris is a well-known journalist, author, and most importantly as one of the world's finest travel writers, known for her portrait of cities and for the pure quality of her writing.  Learn more about her by clicking here.

INTRODUCTION TO CORONATION OF EVEREST:

"This little book is a work of historical romanticism.  It recalls the almost simultaneous occurrence of two events - a young queen's coronation, the first ascent of a mountain - which profoundly stirred the British nation fifty years ago.  The queen was Elizabeth II of England.  The mountain was Mount Everest, the highest of them all, climbed at last by a British expedition after decades of failed attempts."
- Jan Morris, Coronation Everest

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • The mystique of Everest has spawned a lot of amazing travel books, both covering the beauty and glory of conquering the world's highest peak but also because of a few climbing disasters, particularly the 1996 tragedy recounted in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.  We also recommend The Call of Everest, produced by National Geographic and Touching My Father's Soul, by Jamling T. Norgay.