Literature Mountain Literature Classics: Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper
The engravings may be better than the writing, but with its blend of triumph and tragedy, the story of Whymper's five-year campaign for the first ascent of the Matterhorn is one of mountain climbing's defining narratives, says Ronald Turnbull.
Comments
Somebody I was privileged to meet when a schoolboy. His book sits proudly on my bookshelf.
I'm fortunate enough to own George Band's copy of the book, together with his post-it annotations. On p253, where it is mentioned that Everest's "top had first been trodden by Hillary or Tenzing-which?", there is the enigmatic note "T on top". I wonder what that means??
(The book is also signed by Hillary, which is nice)