The Ascent of the Matterhorn

'Glorious.' BILL BRYSONArmed with a pick-axe, clad in tweeds and hobnailed leather shoes, Edward Whymper was the first to climb the Matterhorn in 1865. It created a scandal, as four of his party fell to their deaths. These vivid memoirs spelled the birth of mountaineering, capturing the excitement, triumph and tragedy that would hover over the new sport. Causing over 500 deaths since, the Matterhorn has remained both a treacherous and irresistible sports adventure. Whymper was also a photography pioneer and his forgotten climbing photographs are published for the first time'[A] fresh and exciting read.' Chris Bonnington'Unapproachable in Alpine literature... you can almost hear the tinkle of bells on the Alps; you breathe the fresh fragrance of the pine trees.' THE TIMES'The vigour and power that only personal observation can give.' BIRMINGHAM POST'An exceptional book.' HERALD (GLASGOW).'A classic of... all storytelling.' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Edward Whymper was born into a family of engravers in Lambeth, South London, dreamt of becoming prime minister but instead became an accidental explorer who was an inspiration to the teenage Winston Churchill. Whymper explored Greenland and the Andes, while dreaming of conquering the Himalayas and Mount Kilimanjaro.