So what if we're mired in 90-degree heat in flat Florida for the 50th anniversary of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's great feat of climbing Mount Everest? Through books, we too can journey to the border of Tibet and Nepal. So secure base camp. Slip on your mittens, zip up your down jacket, strap on your oxygen tank and grab your ice ax. Let's begin our climb, 29,035 feet, to the highest place on Earth:
Everest: Summit of Achievement by the Royal Geographical Society (Simon & Schuster, $50, 252 pp)
This work, with more than 400 photographs, chronicles the Mount Everest Committee, a joint effort between England's Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, beginning in 1921 and culminating with Hillary and Norgay's climb. Included is a letter from the Dalai Lama, the first aerial views of Mount Everest, the last known photograph of Sir George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who died on the slopes soon after it was taken, as well as countless images of nearby villages and daily experiences of expedition team members.
To the Top: The Story of Everest by Stephen Venables (Candlewick Press, $17.99, 96 pp)
This book, also published in association with the Royal Geographical Society, is a great companion piece for the larger book. Although aimed at children aged 9-12, Venables' efforts serve adults as well. He begins with a look at the mountain itself, pondering the question, "What is it like, this giant, and how did it get there in the first place?" He chronicles the attempts made during the early 20th century to reach the summit, and reports on his own trip to the top in 1988. Venables ends with a reminder to treat Chomolungma, the Eastern name for Mount Everest, with respect. "For that great pyramid at the heart of Asia will always remain the highest spot on Earth."
Because It's There by Alan S. Weber (Taylor Trade Publishing, $19.95, 474 pp)
Perhaps the most endearing work in this collection is by Douglas William Freshfield. Freshfield (1845-1934) was an Englishman considered to be one of the most experienced climbers in the early 20th century who also served as president of the Alpine Club and Royal Geographical Society. This burly mountaineer, however, took time out to publish a collection of poems. In The Song of the Himalayan Faeries he wrote: "We wait on our white islands/Of everlasting light/For souls who love the Highlands,/That soar above the Night."
Other writers in this collection include Mark Twain, Alexander Dumas, David Thoreau and Peter Matthiessen.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (Anchor Books, $13, 333 pp)
Although the hardback was published in 1997, this list would be incomplete without Krakauer's account of a catastrophic journey up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent Krakauer, a veteran journalist and seasoned climber, on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall, by the end of summit day eight, several people were killed, the result of a rogue storm. Into Thin Air provides the reader with valuable insight into the accident as well as providing historical information on expeditions past. Krakauer writes: "There are many, many fine reasons not to go, but attempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act - a triumph of desire over sensibility."