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The definitive book on Sandy Irvine and the mystery of his and Mallory''s disappearance on Everest in June 1924 . The fate of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, who were last seen disappearing into the clouds as they headed for the summit of Mount Everest on 8 June 1924, still grips the imagination over 100 years later. Mallory''s body was found in 1999 and Sandy Irvine''s boot and foot were discovered in 2024, becoming an international news story. Drawing on previously unpublished material and new discoveries, Irvine''s great-niece Julie Summers and mountaineering historian Jochen Hemmleb (who was part of the team that found Mallory''s body) have written the definitive account of the expedition from twenty-two year old Sandy''s perspective, challenging misconceptions about his role. They also bring to life all the remarkable characters involved in the attempt on Everest and reveal fascinating discoveries about what really happened on the men''s final climb. Beautifully written, The Everest Mystery is a powerful story of adventure and courage - and an intriguing detective story.
About the author
Julie Summers is a biographer, historian and author of fourteen works of non-fiction. She is Irvine's great-niece and the family spokesperson. In 2000 she published her biography,
Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine (Weidenfeld), and curated the Sandy Irvine Trust from 1999 to 2005, where the collection is now in the archives of Merton College, Oxford.
She has been closely involved with the mountaineering community, chairing Britain's Mountain Heritage Trust from 2006-2009 and regularly lecturing about Sandy Irvine. She took part in the IMAX film,
The Wildest Dream, and has contributed to documentaries, blogs and radio programmes on the subject of the 1924 Everest expedition. Most recently she co-narrated the Alpine Club documentary
Everest: by 'Those Who Were There'. She lives in Oxford.
Jochen Hemmleb is the author of fifteen books, including the award-winning
Ghosts of Everest about the 1999 discovery of George Mallory. The scope of his writing ranges from investigative stories and personal expedition accounts to climbers' biographies and mountain monographs. He has translated seven books by renowned English-speaking mountaineering writers like Bernadette McDonald and Peter Gillman into German. Jochen was co-instigator and member of the Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition in 1999, which found the body of George Mallory.
As a writer and filmmaker, he has specialized in mountaineering, Alpine history, and mountain environments, with the aim of honouring and preserving the heritage of pioneering climbers and expeditions. He has recently published his autobiography,
Spuren am Everest, in German and is working on a film about the 1988 ascent of the Kangshung face of the mountain. He lives in Lana, northern Italy.
