The Call of Everest: The History, Science & Future of the World's Tallest Peak

National Geographic (2013)

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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

National Geographic has produced the most complete book on the history, allure and agony of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest. National Geographic was an important sponsor of the first American venture to successfully scale this peak, an expedition that also led to the first successful climb of the hazardous West Ridge. And so in 2012, virtually 50 years later, adventurer Conrad Anker led another National Geographic team (co-sponsored by The North Face) up for a legacy climb, leading to this definitive book. The stories of course are compelling, but the photography and focus on the science around the world’s highest point, especially given environmental changes and a world of disappearing ice, are what sets The Call of Everest apart from similar books.

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OTHER A5 RECOMMENDATIONS ON EVEREST

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. Interestingly, recollections often differ even among those who were on the same trip. Here are our recommendations on the best.

FOREWORD, BY THOMAS HORNBEIN

"In the spring of 2012 the National Geographic Society and the North Face sponsored the Legacy Expedition to Everest. Its goal, and that of a companion expedition sponsored by Eddie Bauer was to revisit the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition's journey nearly half a century before, with teams ascending from the South Coi route and the West Ridge. The plan, like ours in 1963, was to meet on the summit with the West Ridge climbers descending, as did Will Unsoeld and I, by the South Coi Route."
- Thomas Hornbein, The Call of Everest

INTERESTING LINKS:

Interested in learning more about the Sherpa culture and contributing to support their cultural identity? We recommend the American Himalayan Foundation, backed by Sir Edmund Hilary.