Everest Miscellaneous Books

1. Climbing the World's 14 Highest Mountains: The History Of The 8000-Meter Peaks

by Richard Sale, John Cleare (Photographer). Published 2000. Highly recommended! The book details the exploration, first ascent, and other major ascents of all 14 8000m peaks, including spectacular photos.

2. Over the Himalaya

by Koichiro Ohmori. Published 1998. One of Michael Chessler's Best Mountain Photo Books. This book features 44 spectacular 2-page aerial photos of the 8000m Nepalese mountains - Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest and Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri (cover) - and several others, including Jannu, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam. Route diagrams and some basic history of the first few ascents are also included.

There are seven 2-page photos of the Everest, Lhotse and Makalu region - Everest is in 6 of the photos, Lhotse in 5, Makalu in 5, and Nuptse in 3.

3. 8000 Metri Di Vita, 8000 Metres To Live For

by Simone Moro. Published 2008. In Italian and English. This coffee-table size book features excellent photos from all 14 8000m peaks. Each 8000m peak has a brief history, a photo of each face showing the climbing routes, and lots of excellent photos.

There are 21 pages on Mount Everest. Simone Moro's first Himalayan expedition ended at 7400m on Mount Everest in 1992. His attempt on the Everest North ridge in 1998 ended at 8200m due to bad weather. Simone Moro reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 24, 2000 via the Southeast Ridge. He reached the summit of Mount Everest for a second time on May 24, 2002 via the Northeast Ridge. Moro abandoned the idea of a Lhotse-Everest traverse in 2006, and instead Simone completed a traverse of Everest. He reached the summit of Mount Everest for the third time on May 20, 2006 climbing in only 4:11 from the South Col, arriving at the summit at 3:15 in the dark. He then descended in just five hours to reach Everest North Advanced Base Camp at 8:30 in the morning.

The photos and route diagrams are excellent.

4. Doug Scott: Himalayan Climber: A Lifetime's Quest to the World's Greater Ranges

by Doug Scott. Published 1997. One of Michael Chessler's Best Mountain Photo Books. Scott details his many climbs over the years.

In 1975 Scott and Dougal Haston successfully climbed the South West face of Everest. He dedicates 15 pages to the climb, including spectacular photos as he and Dougal climb the Hillary Step, climb towards the summit and stand on the Everest summit on Sept 24, 1975 as the sun goes down. He also includes a 6-page section on his attempt to climb the North-East ridge of Everest in 1987.

5. Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants

photographs by Ed Viesturs, text with Peter Potterfield. Released in early 2003, this book presents photographs with some basic text descriptions of Viestur's ascents of 11 of the 14 8000ers. After this book was published he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat in June 2003, Broad Peak in July 2003, and on May 12, 2005 he reached the summit of Annapurna, becoming the first American to reach the summit of all 14 8000ers, all without oxygen. The front cover is Manaslu.

Viesturs devotes 59 pages to his attempts on Everest in 1987, 1988 East Kangshung Face, 1993 and 1995, and his successful summits in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, and 1997. Ed was part of the 1996 Everest IMAX movie, and on his own way to the summit he had to pass the bodies of Scott Fischer and Rob Hall who had died days before. "I had never had a friend die, let alone a climbing partner. So seeing my friends' bodies was very difficult."

Ed's photos are excellent.

6. Chris Bonington Mountaineer: Thirty Years of Climbing on the World's Great Peaks

by Chris Bonington. This edition printed 1996. Famed British mountaineer Chris Bonington tells his autobiography mostly in photos in this coffee-table type book. The book features his early climbs in Great Britain; his alpine climbs in the Alps including Mont Blanc, the Eiger and Grandes Jorasses; his expeditions around the world including Paine in Chile, Baffin Island and the Blue Nile; and his expeditions both large and small to the Himalayas and the Karakorum - Annapurna II, Nuptse, Annapurna I South Face, Everest Southwest Face, Everest Northeast Ridge, the Ogre, K2, and Menlungtse.

Bonington devotes 16 pages to the 1972 and 1975 South-West Face expeditions with Doug Scott and Dougal Haston reaching the summit on Sept. 24, 1975, followed two days later by Pete Boardman and Sirdar Pertemba. Sadly, Mick Burke was last seen just below the summit.

Nine pages are dedicated to the 1982 attempt on the North-East Ridge that ended with the tragic deaths of Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman. Four pages are dedicated to his own ascent of Everest in 1985.

Bonington's photos are excellent.

7. Hall and Ball: Kiwi Mountaineers from Mount Cook to Everest

by Colin Monteath. Published 1997. This book details the climbing adventures of fellow-kiwis Gary Ball and Rob Hall, including three chapters, 48 pages, on Everest. The photos are excellent. Other chapters include Mount Cook, Antarctica, Ana Dablam, Pik Kommunizma, Karakorum, Kangchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Carstenz Pyramid, and Lhotse - Cho Oyu - Makalu.

Hall and Ball will be remembered for pioneering commercial guided expeditions, leading 19 climbers to the top of Everest from 1992 to 1995. The book has some good stories including the Lydiagate controversy of 1988, rescuing a Polish climber from the top of the Lho La in 1989, and turning Chantel Maudit around at the South Summit in 1995.

"This is Rob Hall calling from the top of Mount Everest. My very best friends Gary Ball and Peter Hillary are standing beside me. I know there are many New Zealanders listening and to the many people who believed in us and supported us over the years I'd like to say "Thank you very much" - Rob Hall May 10, 1990.

On October 6 1993, six months after his fortieth birthday, Gary Ball died of pulmonary edema at 6500m on the Northeast Ridge of Dhaulagiri, in Rob Hall's arms. Hall finished the obituary with this moving sentiment: "Some people come into your life and leave footprints across your heart-and they never go away."

Rob died in May 1996 on the South Summit of Everest. "I love you. Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much." -- Rob Hall's last words to his wife.

8. Los Ochomiles: Karakorum e Himalaya: las catorce cumbres más altas del mundo

by Marco Bianchi. Published 2003. Although the title claims to be the 14 highest summits in the world, this beautiful, large-format photo book really focuses on the seven mountains the author climbed. The text is in Spanish, but the photos transcend language.

After attempts on Makalu in 1986 and Cho Oyu in 1989, Bianchi summitted seven of the 14 8000m peaks: Manaslu Sept. 28 1992 via Northeast Face, Broad Peak July 6 1993 via Normal route, Cho Oyu Sept. 18 1993 via West Ridge, Shishapangma Oct. 6 1993 via Southwest Face, Dhaulagiri Sept. 25 1994 via Northeast Ridge, Everest May 12 1995 via Northeast Ridge, and K2 Aug. 10 1996 via North Ridge. The front cover is Shishapangma.

There are four pages of the Tibet approach from Kathmandu, and 20 pages on Everest from his climb of the North face. The photos are excellent.

You can preview many of the photos at cuboimages.it by searching for Everest.

9. All Fourteen 8,000ers

by Reinhold Messner. Published 1999. One of Michael Chessler's Top 100 Mountaineering Books. Messner briefly details his ascents of all 14 8000m peaks, documented with his photos. He also includes route diagrams and some basic history of the first few ascents.

On May 8, 1978 Messner and Peter Habeler climbed Everest from the Nepal side, the first ascent without the aid of artificial oxygen.

On August 20, 1980, Messner made the first solo ascent of Everest, climbing without oxygen, over the North Col and following a partly new route across the North Face.

10. Himalaya Alpine Style: The Most Challenging Routes on the Highest Peaks

by Andy Fanshawe, Stephen Venables. Published 1996. This book briefly details 40 of the world's finest climbs on mountains in Pakistan (including Broad Peak, K2 and Nanga Parbat), India, Nepal and Tibet (including Annapurna, Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga). Each climb is illustrated with many excellent photos, climbing routes, and summary statistics and information. Each area has an excellent overview map. The front cover is Kangchenjunga.

There are 8 pages on Everest North Face direct.

11. World Mountaineering: The World's Great Mountains by the World's Great Mountaineers

by Audrey Salkeld. Published 1998. The book briefly details 52 of the world's finest climbs, including Kangchenjunga, documented with photos, excellent aerial-type maps, and a basic climbing history.

It includes a spectacular 2-page photo spread of the Hillary Step with the summit beyond, taken by Kurt Diemberger during his ascent as a member of the 1978 French Everest Expedition.

It also has a 2-page article about the successful 1995 North Face climb by George Mallory II, the grandson of George Mallory.

12. Peaks Of Glory

by Stefano Ardito. Publishd 1993. This is a large coffee-table style book with excellent photos, briefly listing the most challenging mountains on each continent, including Everest, Annapurna, Nanga Parbat, K2 and the Trango Towers in the Himalaya, and K2, Denali and Aconcagua, and Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

The photos of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse are spectacular. The front cover photo shows the final steps to the summit of Everest with Lhotse behind, while the back cover photo shows a happy summit team.