The true story of the thrill-seekers, map-makers, soldiers, occultists, artists and porters who paved the way for modern mountaineering.
WINNER OF THE 2025 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD FOR HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
A beautifully written and sure-footed history of mountaineering ‘before Everest’, full of wonderful stories and spanning continents and centuries. A splendid debut.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author of Shackleton
Hugely entertaining… Light is above all a storyteller. Anyone who loves mountains will enjoy this book.
Sarah Wheeler ― The Spectator
Wonderful… a massive story with an enormous cast of characters, among them some of the most compelling figures of mountaineering history.
Wade Davis, author of Into the Silence
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