Fallen: Everest and the Enigma of George Mallory

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'Mick Conefrey's Fallen is a marvellously researched and written story about the enigma of George Mallory and the fulfilment of his "Because it's there!"' Peter Hillary

'Mick Conefrey's gripping account explores the 1924 expedition and the enigma of the man who nearly made it to the summit.' Financial Times

'Mick Conefrey has become one of our finest gazetteers of the Himalaya.' The Spectator
In the years following his disappearance, George Mallory was elevated into an all-British hero - handsome, charismatic and daring, he was the 'Galahad' of Everest, who had died while taking on the ultimate challenge. But he was also a risk taker who could never get behind the wheel of a car without overtaking the vehicle in front; a climber who pushed himself and those around him to the limits; and a chaotic technophobe who was forever losing equipment or mishandling it, putting himself and his colleagues in danger.

Based on diaries, letters, memoirs and thousands of contemporary documents, Fallen is a forensic account of Mallory's last expedition to Everest in 1924, as well as an attempt to get to know the real Mallory; to get under his skin, understand the forces that made him and destroyed him and separate the man from the myth.

Reviews

Compelling, thoroughly researched and beautifully written, Mick Conefrey's Fallen is a biography that strives to get to the heart and mind, and not just the achievements, of one of the most famous and obsessive mountaineers in history. -- Robert Wainwright, author of THE MAVERICK MOUNTAINEER

Fallen, Mick Conefrey's grippingly forensic examination of the 1924 British Everest expedition - a tragic failure that was so nearly a triumph - helps to explain why the achievements of Mallory and his companions remain as
fascinating as the first successful ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay 29 years later.

* Financial Times *
Mallory and Irvine's 1924 attempt on Everest is a foundational mountaineering epic, and Mick Conefrey's Fallen brings the story to life in gripping style. George Mallory-imperfect and all too human, admirable and ambitious-drives the narrative as Conefrey details not only the 1924 expedition, but also its backstory and aftermath. Mallory and the mysteries surrounding his attempt on the world's highest mountain still grip the world's imagination today; Conefrey's deeply-researched and convincingly-told account shows us why. Fallen belongs on the shelf of Himalayan and Everest classics. -- Patrick Dean, author of A WINDOW TO HEAVEN: THE DARING FIRST ASCENT OF DENALI: AMERICA'S WILDEST PEAK
Mick Conefrey's Fallen is a marvellously researched and written story about the enigma of George Mallory and the fulfilment of his "Because it's there!" * Peter Hillary *
On 8 June 1924 high on Everest and seen going strongly for the summit, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine died in an attempt to conquer the world's highest mountain ... The rigour and the valour is colourfully captured by Mick Conefrey in a book brought out to mark the 100th anniversary. * Daily Express *

Author Bio

Mick Conefrey is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He made the landmark BBC series MountainMen and Icemen and The Race for Everest to mark the 60th anniversary of the first ascent. His previous booksinclude Everest 1922, Everest 1953, the winner of a LeggiMontagna award, The Last Great Mountain, the winner of the Premio Itas in 2023, and The Ghosts of K2, which won a US National Outdoor Book award in 2017.