HILLARY, Edmund. High Adventure. [Signed by the author]

Easton Press: Norwalk., 2003. Octavo. 246 pp. Full burgundy leather, raised bands, gilt decorations, all edges gilt, silk endpapers, ribbon marker. Signed by the author, with signed certificate of authenticity and Easton note card laid with blank Easton bookplate. A fine copy

"The world's greatest explorer"

On May 29, 1953 at 11:30 AM a 33 year-old beekeeper from New Zealand, Edmund Hillary, and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, stepped onto the "roof of the world" and secured a place in the annals of human exploration. Prior to 1953, no one had yet climbed Mt. Everest or even knew if it was possible to do so. Long the "Holy Grail" for mountain climbers, it wasn't until 1951 that a possible route up the south slope was discovered. Believing his achievement would be of interest only to other climbers, Hillary descended to find he had become a living legend. Sir Edmund went on to become the world's greatest explorer. His monumental adventures include the first trans-Antarctic expedition to the South Pole in 1958, the first successful climb of Antarctica's Mount Herschel in 1967, and, in 1977, the first exploration of the Ganges River to its source in the Himalayas. Author of eleven books, Sir Edmund has received many honors and awards for both his exploration and humanitarian work, including, in 1955, the most prestigious of all British knighthoods, the Order of the Garter.

High Adventure is the definitive and entertaining memoir of Sir Edmund's Himalayan quest. He takes the reader step-by-step up the slopes, describing in vivid detail the agonizing and perilous climb. We experience the ascent through the eyes and words of the first men on Everest. High Adventure is a mountaineering classic - a thrilling and inspiring story of courage and endurance that will captivate a new generation of readers on the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund's extraordinary achievement.