Table of Contents
Map viii
A Note to the Reader xi
Prologue. The Last Place on Earth xv
Book 1
Chapter 1 Ice Axes and Dinner Jackets 3
Chapter 2 A Wind from the East 11
Chapter 3 Everest, 1933 26
Chapter 4 The New Emersonians 57
Chapter 5 Nanga Parbat 78
Chapter 6 Shangri-La 98
Chapter 7 Yogis and Yak Meat 118
Book 2
Chapter 8 A Knock at the Door 137
Chapter 9 Murder Mountain 152
Chapter 10 Triumph-and Trouble 165
Chapter 11 An American Everest 190
Chapter 12 A Bit East of The Plaza 208
Chapter 13 The North Face 224
Chapter 14 The Summer at the End of the World 240
Book 3
Chapter 15 War 251
Chapter 16 A New World 259
Chapter 17 The Brightness of Their Rising 275
Chapter 18 Glory, Strength, and Decency 294
Epilogue: To the Stars 309
Acknowledgments 313
The Climbers 319
The Expeditions 329
A Glossary of Mountaineering Terms 335
Notes 343