This is an astonishing book - combining the real-politic of the British empire with the derring-do of Francis Younghusband and the path to opening up the access to Everest through Tibet.
Cruelty, bravery, endurance; climate and conditions which lie at the brink of possibility. And dreams and aspirations which reveal the utopian spirit of the human journey.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy,
While I wouldn't say I'm a hard-core Everest aficianado I have always been interested in stories about the mountain and the people who climb it. It probably begain with "Into Thin Air" and grew from that. I think it's fair to say that most of what I know is recent history.
The author said he wanted to write "The book that ended where all the other Everest books began." That may seem like it wouldn't be particulary interesting as it's effectively a long prolog, but that is not the case. From the very start with a daring move by Francis Younghusband in Tibet I was hooked. The story is a mix of mountaineering, politics and war with lots of larger than life personalities mixed in. Even though you know it will end before the ultimate climax it is fascinating to see how we got there.
If you are interested in the story of the conquest of Everest I would suggest this is a must read. Then follow with one of the accounts of Mallory and Ivine's failed attempt and then the original "The Conquest of Everest". That's my plan. off I go to do some more reading.

This book is the story of finding Mount Everest. The finding which ultimately led to the conquest.

The book starts by providing the reader a background in the colonial times of East India Company and how the Great Game was instrumental in the hunt for mount everest. The British exerciseof creating maps of India had a crucial role to play in this hunt. This hunt for mount Everest actually started when some British surveyors at Darjeeling trained their theodolites towards Tibbet and they noticed this tall mountain.
Because of its geo location Mount Everest was practically inaccessible to not only the western world but also to the British India. This inaccessibility also could not stope few individuals from attempting to conquer it.

There are many books out there which have covered the various historical events meantioned in the book, however, there are few books which have stiched these events together and presented as a single integrated event.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an advanced review copy of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Appearing a hundred years after two British men became the first Westerners to set foot on Mount Everest, Craig Storti’s The Hunt for Mount Everest offers a rich and colorful history of earlier attempts to understand, assess and reach the fabled pinnacle. The characters and episodes he chronicles are dramatic enough to fill several novels, while his professional background in intercultural communication helps ground his depictions in a nuanced understanding of the always complex and sometimes destructive ways in which Western ambitions intersected with non-Western lands and cultures. A wonderfully rich, dramatic, and thought-provoking read.

A very thorough look at Mt. Everest and the treks up to the peak. Worth reading if you enjoyed Into Thin Air.

I am not a Mountineer & neither have I climbed anything much for a huge number of years , last thing being Great Gable in the Lake District with my husband & children. But I have always admired those who have a passion no mater how crazy it may seem to the rest of us.
I have learnt so new Historical & Geographical facts while reading this Book.
I did find the start rather long winded & drawn out , but soon became enthralled in it. "It would be necessary in the first place to find the Mountain"" George Mallory !
In fact the Mountain already existed but was known on either side of the 1,000 mile Himalayan range by other names. , the first Westener's to encounter these majestic & magnificent Mountain Boarders were the Soldiers of Alexander the Great in 326BC. These Peaks but especially Everest tower above the Earth looking down on Mankind to show just how tiny & insignificant we truly are in Mother Nature's Eyes ,to her we are like tiny Ants trying to scale the tallest Cathedral,
I was shocked & horrified by some of Western man's predacious, domineering of the native Asian peoples, they seemed to believe it was their `GOD' given right to domineer,& also the horrific atrocities carried out by all parties during these years of Empire !
Also it proves that mankind still hasn't learned her lessons , maybe that's why men ( plus women now ) may climb Mountains & reach the Summit but they can never truly conquer them ,as the Mountain always has some surprise in store , which is why sadly since 1927 so many have lost their lives in their attempts to do just that.
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What an excellent read! So well-written! I could not put this down. This was a fascinating insight into the evolution of the myth of Everest, into its entry into popular consciousness, and the history of the first westerners on the mountain. I enjoyed very much the details about the mountaineers themselves, as well as the political events that led up to the first exploration (by westerners). I spent a lot of time after I put the book down trying to find out more about what happened to these larger-than-life humans after 1921 (Mallory 🥺💔), and about the mountain that has so captured our imagination. I mean, I want to summit Everest too, just as soon as there's a cable car or teleportation to the top ♡

Highly recommend!

A fascinating book, exploring the history surrounding British attempts to locate and conquer the world's highest mountain. For many years, Everest was undiscovered and inaccessible, mainly due to the known access being via Tibet, a country that was reluctant to allow entry to the British.

The stubbornness and determination of a number of individuals finally led to permission being granted for an expedition in 1921, among the members of which was George Mallory who disappeared near the summit three years later. Mallory was a natural climber, a charismatic and driven man - he and Guy Bullock were possibly the first Westerners to set foot on the mountain. Although the route to the summit was initially missed due to a misunderstanding of local geology, this was later corrected by another member of the party, but the harsh winds on the upper slopes prevented an attempt on the summit at that time.

The mountain was finally conquered in 1953, news of the feat reaching London on the eve of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Craig Storti lays out in great detail the diplomacy - sometimes chaotic, but never dull - that led to the 1921 expedition, and the characters who came together to make the first foray into the Himalayas that revealed the majestic splendour of Everest, recalled in evocative prose by Mallory. Tibet emerges as a country full of natural wonders, but also difficult weather conditions that proved almost as much of a challenge as the mountains.

There were names here I had never heard of but became fascinated by, not least Alexander Kellas, a Scottish chemist and ardent mountaineer, who sadly died on the 1921 expedition.

There weren't any photographs to enhance the visual aspect, but these may have been left out of the ARC. The maps at the beginning were useful and I liked the use of quotations before each of the chapters.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Nicholas Brealey US, in return for an honest appraisal.

I loved reading this book, though I could not speed through it like I would normally. Often, I found myself pausing and thinking about these mountaineering men, the feats they achieved, the way the Raj, India, the British, the locals worked on a daily basis and how things that happened even as long as a century ago added little by little to the bagging of Everest.

I loved Craig Storti's dry wit and wisdom in presenting the hunt and the hunters for Everest, and all the underlying political and geographical intricacies with Nepal and Tibet and its rulers. Storti did a marvellous research and was able to weave a lot of his findings into the story - without making it quotation-heavy or broken. Still, having the participants speak for themselves allowed us, readers, a wonderful insight into the minds of these extraordinary (or, sometimes, extraordinarily petty) people.

An absolutely enjoyable account.

I've read many books on expeditions to Everest but none on the discovery or the early explorers and their quest to conquer it. The author excellently outlines the difficulties these men underwent to discover various routes as well as dealing with the Tibetan authorities. First part focuses on the discovery of the peak and then leads on to the planning of the first expedition. A fantastic read and definitely to be recommended to anyone who loves alpine climbing.

I wasn’t sure what I would make from this book as it’s not my usual read. However I did enjoy this book. The story about Mount Everest is a lot more complicated than I had ever imagined. The book details these complications through a conversational discussion of the history, geography and politics of the region. Publish date October 21 so for anyone interested in a great historical read with lots of history and politics thrown in then this is a book you should put on your reading list.

I am not a mountaineering or climbing person. I am, though, fascinated by tales of 'discovery' and history in general and finding out about bits I know nothing of.

'Discovery' in quotes because, of course, while this story is about the hunt for "Mt Everest", it's not like the mountain was unknown to the people of Tibet or Nepal or, I imagine, people in China or (what is now) India. And thankfully Storti makes this clear fairly often - that this is discovery only for westerners and, in particular, the British. Storti is under no illusions that some of the things done by the British in both India and Tibet were despicable, and I think he keeps an even hand in explaining the contemporary reasoning (I learned more about "the Great Game" of Britain v Russia in this one book than ever before; the 19th century is so not my period), while simultaneously not excusing or approving of, for instance, sending spies into Tibet when it was explicitly closed to foreigners.

So: the book! The overall point is the discovery that what the British decided to call Mt Everest turns out to be the highest peak in the world. (Yes, there's a section on why it's called Mt Everest, and the fact that didn't even match contemporary expectations of using local names.) There's a digression into the 'discovery' of mountains as beautiful - until the early 19th century they were generally dismissed as being a waste of space and just getting in the way; and also about the development of mountaineering as a hobby, and people climbing in the Alps. Also a whole bit about the great trigonometric survey of India, which was fascinating and absolutely relevant and also bonkers as an undertaking. Within all of that is the colonial attitude towards India, and towards Tibet in particular - the fact that Tibetans didn't want the British within their borders and what some men did in contravention of that (Mr Younghouse, I'm looking at you, arrogant bastard). And eventually, there's the expedition in 1921 that finally means westerners got a look at Mt Everest from close up.

Storti writes a really engaging narrative, explains issues clearly, and balances storytelling with historicity. As someone on the outside of mountaineering I'm unconvinced that George Mallory is more important than Edmund Hillary in the whole Everest saga, but I'll allow him to champion the man now I know a bit more about him (interesting to read about, probably a right pain in the bum to actually spend time with).

This was a really fun book to read (well, fun and sometimes tragic, as is always the case with both mountaineering history and colonial history).

With the path to the top of Mount Everest now clogged with adventurers waiting their turn to summit, it is hard to believe that it was just 100 years ago when westerners stood for the first time at the base of the great mountain. That 1921 expedition by a small team of British climbers and scientists who trekked for days, along with local porters and pack animals, across the rugged mountains and plains of Tibet to find the fabled Everest, is the subject of Craig Storti's readable, sometimes gripping, well-researched account, "The Hunt for Mount Everest."

As told, the story begins well before the 1921 expedition, and is populated by a cast of daring and larger-than-life mountaineers -- most of whom were Europeans who honed their climbing skills in the much lower altitudes of the Alps. Located on the border between Nepal and Tibet -- countries that were historically inaccessible and politically closed to the outside world -- the existence and location of Everest, and its identity as the world's highest peak, was debated for decades until finally confirmed by Nineteenth Century scientists. Even then, climbers were unable to enter either Nepal or Tibet, and thus unable to hike within sight of Everest, much less attempt to scale the mountain.

Alexander Kellas, one pre-1921 adventurer told of "downed bridges; bottomless crevasses to leap over, go around or even bridge in some cases; seracs that could collapse at any moment; raging torrents to cross; piercing cold winds; all-enveloping mists; waist-deep snowfields taking hours to wade through; snow-blindness; frostbite; headache-inducing sun glare; storms that come on in minutes; the constant risk of avalanches and rock falls; giant ice fields; stubborn and frightened porters who refuse to go on," and more. And all this in some of the "lower" mountains of the Himalayas.

Kellas is one of the book's fascinating characters, but none looms larger than George Mallory, the pre-eminent climber who, as part of the 1921 expedition, was arguably the first Westerner to set foot on Everest -- and whose life subsequently became consumed by the mountain. The aim of the expedition had been not simply to locate and stand upon Everest but to summit the mountain, or at least attempt to identify a path to the top. For a variety of reasons, the team failed in its ultimate goal, but the 1953 conquering of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay owed much to Mallory and those who came before.

"It must be remembered that they did not know where they were going," Storti writes of the 1921 expeditionary team. The Everest Saga, filled with great risk and adventure and unspeakable tragedy, is as epic and formidable as the mountain itself, and Storti does a wonderful job of telling it.

Thanks to Nicholas Brealey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book in advance of its publication.

I've forever been fascinated by Mt. Everest and the many trips and climbs to reach the highest mountain. This book is just what the Everest enthusiast needs to realize their journey! I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Net Galley for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti provides an intensely well defined and informative storyline about the finding and exploration of Mount Everest. The events described in the book provide factual and in-depth data about the original passions or interests carried by academics, surveyors and adventures to understand the mystical as well as natural science behind the mountain range. The book provides a combination of historical accounts that allow lovers of history, mountaineers, scientists or day to day readers to find a deep understanding of the events that happened before our times. I recommend this book to any person who searches for the theoretical or human-like impacts Mountain Everest had on society, countries and the ordinary person since the discovery thereof. In summary, this book remains a must buy.

Standing tall—taller than everything else on the planet—and aloof, there was a mountain, mighty and majestic, unknown to the humans for the best part of their history. It still stands tall—in fact a bit taller than before—but is no longer left alone; besieged by thousands of people willing to risk their lives just to set foot on its summit, Mount Everest is the most famous mountain on earth today. The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti tells the story of this transformation from obscurity to renown, from the moment when some British surveyors on the hills near Darjeeling in British India trained their theodolites on this blotch on the horizon a hundred-odd miles away, up to the day seventy-one years later when a group of mountaineers and explorers stood at the foot on this colossus.

Situated on the Tibet-Nepal border, Mount Everest was inaccessible to the western explorers—particularly to the British rulers of the neighbouring India—due to political considerations. But that did not deter some enterprising individuals, drawn by the irresistible allure of the mountain, from doing all that was possible to find it, reach it and climb it. The account of these efforts is full of absorbing drama, political intrigue and espionage, wars and treaties, acts of cleverness and foolishness, feats of determination and endurance, and a lot of breath-taking adventure. Spanning across several decades and featuring an eclectic cast of characters—some well-known, like Sir Francis Younghusband, Lord Curzon and George Mallory, and some unsung, like Alexander Kellas, Sir Charles Bell and Guy Bullock—The Hunt for Mount Everest is a magnificent picture set on the immense canvass of the Himalayas.

While much has been written about Mount Everest and the attempts to climb it, beginning with the first attempt in 1921, there is little publicised information about the decades prior to that, and this book fills that void pretty nicely. In addition to telling the Everest story, the author generously touches upon the history of mountaineering itself—beginning with alpine climbing in late eighteenth century—providing a detailed background to the core of this book.

Backed by meticulous research and written in an appealing prose, The Hunt for Mount Everest is an essential read for all those who love mountains, mountaineering and adventure in general. My heartfelt thanks to Craig Storti, Nicholas Brealy Publishing and NetGalley, for the privilege to read and review the e-ARC of this engaging and enlightening work.

Great book with a broad scope

I enjoyed this book. The story about Mount Everest is more complicated than I had imagined. The book explores these complications through a brisk, conversational discussion of the history, geography and politics of the region. This is a much broader scope than I was expecting. I also enjoyed all the biographical information. Overall this book is a great look at the discovery of the great mountain. Thank you to Netgalley and Nicholas Brealey US for the advance reader copy.

This history of Mount Everest's early years in the public imagination is nonfiction at its finest!

The average reader may know a little about the 20th/21st century story of Everest... the summit conquered, the lives claimed, the burgeoning waste and crowding problems. A reader may know about George Mallory, one of the first and most famous climbers who lost his life on the mountain in the 1920's. Most histories of Everest would <i>begin</i> with him.
But in a fascinating rewind, this book treats Mallory as the <i>end</i> of the story, a story decades in the making, in which Everest is all but invisible to human eyes.

And it all begins with math. For decades, no Westerner could approach the mountain closer than about 100 miles due to the political restrictions enforced by Nepal and Tibet. And it's so remote that very few Easterners had ever gotten close to it either. From Darjeeling, India, on a clear day, the tip of Mount Everest could be seen, although it looks lower from there than other mountains due to the curvature of the earth. This book describes the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, a British project that took most of the 19th century to complete.

The calculations that led to the discovery, the frustrating attempts to get closer, the clandestine forays into Tibet, the fights and bloodshed that changed the political landscape, the countless feats of human strength and derring-do, and the humanizing of those early explorers all make for absolutely compelling reading. (I <i>still</i> want to know <i>how close Alexander Kellas got in 1913!</i>) The Googling kept me up late at night.

The book focuses mostly on the all-consuming goal of getting to the mountain, with all the bravery and persistence that required. But it also drops in a few thought-provoking observations about why these men were so driven to reach it. The spirit of exploration ("we climb it because it's there") was at its zenith, but there were some darker philosophies at work too. The author notes that it was "imperial hubris" that supported the British in their attitude that they <i>must</i> be the finders, climbers, and conquerors of the mountain. And one of the most ardent explorers described it as an effort to dispel "the ridiculous idea of the littleness of man." Yes, there's much to think about here.

I could have done with a little condensing of the political context, but this book was well written and gripping throughout. Easily one of the best works of nonfiction I've read!

You may believe Everest was always there, but someone had to find it first. This tells that tale. Fascinating

I cannot believe that someone would write a book on the history of Mt.Everest. However, I consider this book to be knowledgeable , insightful, humorous, and all around interesting. From the discovery of the highest mountain, the practice of mountain climbing around the world, to political events, and scientists exploration and observation; it was all leading toward the goal of Mt. Everest. For enthusiast of mountaineering history and Mt.Everest, I highly recommend this book.