Book
The moth and the mountain : a true story of love, war and Everest / Ed Caesar.
From New Yorker writer Ed Caesar, 'The Moth and the Mountain' is a sweeping true story about one man's attempt to salve the wounds of war and save his own soul through an audacious adventure: flying his biplane five thousand miles across the world and attempting to become the first person to summit Mt. Everest.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781501143373 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xxiv, 259 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
- Publisher: New York : Avid Reader Press, 2020.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Includes index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Wilson, Maurice, 1898-1934. Mountaineers > Great Britain > Biography. Air pilots > Great Britain > Biography. Mountaineering > Everest, Mount (China and Nepal) |
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 796.522092 Wilso-C | 31681010216042 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
The award-winning journalist and author of Two Hours documents the redemption journey of traumatized Great War veteran Ed Caesar, who in 1933 flew a biplane to Everest to attempt a first solo ascent. 40,000 first printing. Illustrations. Maps. - Simon and Schuster
âAn outstanding book.â âThe Wall Street Journal * âGripping at every turn.â âOutside * âA gem of a book.â âThe Guardian * âA hell of a ride.â âThe Times (London)
An extraordinary true story about one manâs attempt to salve the wounds of war and save his own soul through an audacious adventure.
In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Mount Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceives his own crazy, beautiful plan: he will fly a plane from England to Everest, crash-land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summitâall utterly alone. Wilson doesnât know how to climb. He barely knows how to fly. But he has the right plane, the right equipment, and a deep yearning to achieve his goal. In 1933, he takes off from London in a Gipsy Moth biplane with his course set for the highest mountain on earth. Wilsonâs eleven-month journey to Everest is wild: full of twists, turns, and daring. Eventually, in disguise, he sneaks into Tibet. His icy ordeal is just beginning.
Wilson is one of the Great Warâs heroes, but also one of its victims. His hometown of Bradford in northern England is ripped apart by the fighting. So is his family. He barely survives the war himself. Wilson returns from the conflict unable to cope with the sadness that engulfs him. He begins a years-long trek around the world, burning through marriages and relationships, leaving damaged lives in his wake. When he finally returns to England, nearly a decade after he first left, he finds himself falling in love once moreâthis time with his best friendâs wifeâbefore depression overcomes him again. He emerges from his funk with a crystalline ambition. He wants to be the first man to stand on top of the world. Wilson believes that Everest can redeem him.
This is the tale of an adventurer unlike any you have ever encountered: complex, driven, wry, haunted, and fully alive. He is a man written out of the history booksâdismissed as an eccentric, and gossiped about because of rumors of his transvestism. The Moth and the Mountain restores Maurice Wilson to his rightful place in the annals of Everest and tells an unforgettable story about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
