As a critic, you encounter all kinds of books. Some are just awful. Some are worthy, but dull. A few are good; some books even entertain. Then there are books you live in. (They don’t come along very often.) Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest is one of those kind of books. As thrilling as any adventure story, and grounded in awe-inspiring research, this magnificent account of the British Everest expeditions of the 1920s and the doomed attempts of George Mallory to scale the world’s tallest mountain is one of the best books I have ever reviewed.
December 9, 2011
My Book of 2011: Into the Silence by Wade Davis
Posted By
URL
Categories
BLOG CATEGORIES
Books
History
Ideas
Miscellany
News
Newspapers
Sports
Television
Travel
RECENT BLOG POSTS
December 9, 2011
My Book of 2011: Into the Silence by Wade Davis
As a critic, you encounter all kinds of books. Some are just…
August 22, 2011
Critics: A Wretched Species?
Two cheers for the critic! Superannuated (perhaps, but still hanging on by…
June 9, 2011
Bobby Fischer Against the World
HBO’s new documentary perfectly captures the pathos and ugliness of one of…
May 6, 2011
What bin Laden Cost Us
National Journal has just published a fine and deeply depressing piece…
May 6, 2011
Guardian City Guides launch
The Guardian’s travel section just launched a nifty series of interactive city…
SELECTED ARTICLES BY
MATTHEW PRICE
An Honourable Englishman: The life of Hugh Trevor-Roper
The Boston Globe, December 25, 2011
The Price of Life is Death: Mallory on Everest
The National, December 8, 2011
Why The Nazis Fought On: Ian Kershaw's The End
The National, November 11, 2011
South with the Sun: Amundsen at the South Pole
The Boston Globe , October 23, 2011
The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean
The National, July 1, 2011
KINDRED SPIRITS
BookDaddy
Caleb Crain
Critical Mass
Elegant Variation
Howard French
Andrew Hearst
Jacket Copy
Scott McLemee
Maud Newton
Carlin Romano
Chris Rose
Slipped Disc
J. Peder Zane
BLOG CATEGORIES
Books
History
Ideas
Miscellany
News
Newspapers
Sports
Television
Travel