'A classic of its kind... His vivid, high powered but never overdramatised account of the ascent still reads splendidly'

After being swept off his feet by an avalanche and left dangling by a rope around his neck, Herzog 'began to pass water, violently and uncontrollably'. Your reaction may be only slightly less extreme as you move from one nail-biting moment to the next in this wonderful 1952 tale of triumph and frostbite.

Quite simply the greatest mountaineering book ever written.

The climb took place before the Himalayas were a tourist attraction and before Gore-Tex cold-weather gear was available in Marks & Spencer. They had no oxygen, little food and on the descent Herzog lost his gloves, got trapped in a storm, was buried in an avalanche and became frostbitten. His descriptions don't stint on the details of maggot-ridden flesh and amputations without anaesthesia

Those who have never seen the Himalayas...will know that they have been a companion of greatness

As a snapshot of a tumultuous era and a portrait of two legends, this is frequently fascinating

Well-researched

Draws on a rich archive

Mee goes into every detail in his meticulously researched book

Does a great job of examining not only the fighters, but the wider social and political implications of their meeting. Detailing the story with clarity, depth and insight, it's a fine account of a tumultuous time

A fine account of a sparkling career in the saddle

A fine account of a professional sport on the verge of fundamental change

A gripping insight into an unrelenting hard world

A stylish, whimsical and ultimately tragic jaunt through one of cycling’s golden ages

Laurent Fignon gives cycling fans a fascinating glimpse of what really went on behind the scenes of this epic sport