Sunday, September 9, 2012

Everest, by Rebecca Stephens

Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb Everest, writes a children's book about mountains, with a focus on Everest in Everest: Discover the World's Greatest Mountains from Recordbreaking Heights to Hidden Peaks beneath the Sea. The book comes from the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Book series, so it's a bit cluttered with illustrations and trivia. The information is pretty accurate, and covers a wide range of topics, from plate tectonics to cultural geography, from natural history to climbing gear. The topics move from natural to cultural to climbing, with each two-page spread covering a different topic.

Regarding Everest, the book covers some of its history and a bit about climbing at altitude. Both the 1924 and the 1953 expeditions get their own spread, as does the Seven Summits. Additionally, she mentions Junko Tabei's women's expedition and Messner and Habeler's 1978 climb without supplemental oxygen. I was a bit amused that the "Traverses and Triumphs" sections doesn't actually mention a traverse beyond the title. The mountain rescue, climbing gear, climbing extremes, and technique sections also have a bit to do with climbing Everest and occasionally mention the mountain.

Rebecca Stephens wrote about her experience as the first woman to climb Everest in On Top of the World. She is also the co-author of The Seven Summits of Success. This post is a revision and expansion of an earlier post, in which I was a bit unfair, which can be found here.

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