For most of this century, Mount Everest has been considered the ultimate symbol of human endeavour. Everest being the highest summit in the world, has been the crowning target for the world's most courageous mountaineers ever since the first attempt to climb it in 1921.

This, in turn, has stimulated some of the finest writings and photography in the canon of mountaineering, brought together for the first time in this stunning volume. The authors and photographers range from the climbers on the epic attempts of the 1920s and 1930s, men such as George Finch and Howard Somervell, through to Sir Edmund Hillary, Tom Hornbein and Peter Boardman from the post-war decades, to such contemporary figures as Chris Bonington, Doug Scott and Stephen Venables. Peter Gillman's selection also includes some of Everest's most dramatic and controversial episodes, such as the disputed Chinese ascent of 1960 and the enigma of the yeti.