A fitting biography
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"Because it's there" is a well-written and matter-of-fact biography of George Mallory. There is a minimum of speculation and sensationalism either of Mallory's private life or the question of whether Mallory and/or Irvine reached the summit of Everest in 1924.
Instead, there is a well-written account of Mallory's life and what mattered to him. A particular feature of this book that I enjoyed is that the author often lets Mallory or his contempories speak for himself/themselves. Through this often beautiful prose, one is reminded what sort of human beings Mallory and his ilk were: driven, yes, but also cultured and gentlemen to the last. I was particularly touched by the idea of Mallory reading poetry in the tents in one of the camps while the blizzards raged outside and the 1924 expedition seemed doomed to turn back in the early stages.
The photographs that accompany the text are fascinating: the early photos particularly but also the photo of Mallory's son, daughter-in-law and grandson in 1995: and yes, George Mallory (grandson) did make it to the summit of Everest and back.
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Mallory and his mountain
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This is significant as the first biography of Mallory to be written since the discovery of his body 2,000 feet from the top.
It is also an unusual and excellent biography because unlike many modern biographies it does not seek to diminish the achievements of the subject or to expose interesting but peripheral skeletons. Thus you will search in vain for example for any suggestion that Mallory had homosexual experiences. This biography does not duck the issue but just ignores it and focuses on what Mallory would have seen as the important parts of his life, his friends, his family and his formidable public achievements.
This is why the book whilst not exactly endorsed by the Mallory family seems to carry their approval thus John Mallory writes a moving foreword to the book and in many ways a warning to the intrepid and the brave when he writes
“My great sadness is that I never really knew my father. Yes, I know much about him, but that is not the same.
I hope future generations of mountaineers will learn the importance of being sure to keep an ample reserve of time and energy for a safe descent from whatever mountain they may be climbing.”
The book contains many images of both Mallory and Everest that have not been featured in a mainstream title before. It is an excellent book for those who want to focus on the man and his mountain rather than the emotional cul de sacs that Mallory wandered down in his youth.
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