Hillary and Norgay

To the Top of Mount Everest



This exciting new book relates the story of the first explorers to reach the top of the world. Sir Edmund Hillary, a veteran New Zealand climber, and Tenzing Norgay, a Tibetan Sherpa or mountaineering guide, reached the top of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, on a British expedition in 1953. The achievement was hailed around the world and launched a 20th century obsession with climbing ever higher. Details include

* how other climbers tried and failed to reach the top of Everest

* how hard, dangerous, and difficult mountain climbing can be

* the mountain's history and a history of colonial conquest

* the job of the Sherpa as a guide to western mountaineering expeditions

* how climbing expeditions changed the way of life of the people who live near the mountains

* later Everest expeditions and their impact on the environment