Letters from Everest

A First-Hand Account from the Epic First Ascent

By: George Lowe, Huw Lewis-Jones

Narrated by: Dan Stevens

Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sixty years after Mount Everest was first climbed, this unique book of letters celebrates, in a very personal way, this most majestic of mountains. With exclusive access to the private archives of pioneering New Zealand climber George Lowe, this is a welcome tribute to an unsung hero.

The ascent of Everest in the summer of 1953 was one of the 20th century’s great triumphs of exploration. George Lowe’s efforts on the mountain were crucial to the endeavour. He was one of the lead climbers, forging the route up Everest’s Lhotse Face without oxygen and later cutting steps for his partners up the summit ridge. In this touching book, read by Dan Stevens, a trove of unpublished letters from the Lowe collection are brought together for the first time, to describe the day-by-day moments of this historic expedition as never before. As often as he could, George wrote letters home to his family. In turn, they could then keep their friends updated with news, frequently before the local newspapers had full accounts of the climb.

These rare letters from Everest provide a vivid, behind-the-scenes witness of a climb that would make history. In clear and elegant prose, this is a unique testimony of a superlative human achievement.

©2013 Silverbear (P)2013 Silverbear

Critic Reviews

"poignant, funny, beautifully written" (Financial Times)

Dan Stevens, though...

I bought this book to preoccupy me with an adventure on a long flight to Chicago, but that's not how Dan Stevens' voice works. Instead, Dan Stevens in his pajamas lays next to you in bed, you cradled in the nook of his arm, while he pours through the brittled pages of George Lowe's expedition. He takes a sip of tea with most every pause, on others he gently kisses you on the forehead as you nod off.

I forgot what this book was about. Something about a mountain, I think.

Beautiful account of Everest!

I started the book to listen to while I was doing a simple task, but the narrator was so engaging and the words so beautiful, I ended up stopping what I was doing and listened all the way through in one sitting! The author describes each location beautifully and the narrator Dan Stevens makes the audiobook very vivid. This is a beautiful first hand account of the Everest ascent in 1953. I was completely enthralled. I highly recommend. This book is hard to find in print, so I definitely recommend the masterful audiobook!