This lavishly illustrated, fully authorized biography follows the life of legendary explorer Sir Edmund Hillary - from his historic 1953 Everest climb to his adventures in New Zealand and the Pacific, Antarctica, North America, and India to his philanthropic achievements for the Sherpa people.
Alexa Johnston is a freelance writer and curator of a recent Washington, D.C. and Auckland exhibition on Hillary's life. She spent eighteen months working closely with Sir Edmund and Lady Hillary and was given free access to Sir Edmund's archives, building up a detailed understanding of his life and met many of the people who have been his closest associates and friends.
Over 50 years after his memorable ascent of Everest, this book tells the full story of Sir Edmund Hillary's extraordinary life - from his expeditions to remote corners of the world to his humanitarian activities serving the Sherpa people. Drawing on his personal archives, it is an intimate but inspiring portrait of a revered yet modest man who has lived life to the full - surviving personal tragedies as well as achieving historic triumphs, earning worldwide fame, and displaying tireless philanthropy. Ranging from the roof of the world to the frozen extremes of the South Pole, 'Reaching the Summit' is a fitting and revealing tribute to a great man.
