Most of this book is a biography of George Mallory, followed by a short account of the expeditions after his death in 1924 which throw significant light on his and Irvine’s fate. Only the last few chapters relate the events … Continue reading →
Prologue – Weissmies (almost) 15/16 July Looking back, soloing my first ever Alpine 4000m as an acclimatisation exercise was perhaps just a little ambitious. I left Saas Almagell (1680m) and walked up to the Almageller Hut (2894m – 3hrs). Setting … Continue reading →
Highly original first novel – a story of a place rather than a person, told in voices spanning two centuries.
Continue reading →Detective novel set in Venice.
Continue reading →Patrick French has written a fascinating, well-researched and readable account of the life of Sir Francis Younghusband, soldier, explorer, mountaineer, diplomat, spy, and mystic. If at the end I still find it impossible to define or understand the man, it … Continue reading →
I am not competent to review this book from a philosophical point of view. Instead, I have tried to give an overview of Popper’s themes which might perhaps encourage you to read the book for yourself! To understand Popper’s viewpoint … Continue reading →
This book is an impressive achievement. Despite its length, Seth keeps his reader engaged throughout. Every character in the complex, interwoven story is finely observed and detailed with sensitivity and gentle humour. The book covers a period of a little … Continue reading →
Anyone writing more than a simple account of a visit to Antarctica is faced with the problem of which aspects to cover – the narrative, descriptive, historical, scientific, political, and (for many) spiritual aspects of their experience. Sara Wheeler was … Continue reading →
Deutsch bases his theme on the concept of multiple universes, which emerges from quantum theory as a solution to some of its inherent problems. From there he extends into virtual reality, time travel, and the possibilities (and constraints) of near-infinite … Continue reading →
Esther Dyson’s publicity says she has been dubbed "the First Lady of the Internet", so it’s probably my fault that I hadn’t heard of her until I saw a review of this book in the paper. Or perhaps it’s just … Continue reading →