BOOK REVIEWS

NINE ATOP EVEREST.
A YAK FOR CHRISTMAS.

NINE ATOP EVEREST. By Commander M. S. Kohli. Orient
Longmans Ltd., May 1969. Price Rs.75.

Brigadier Gian Singh's book on the first Indian expedition to Everest in 1960 cost Rs. 12.50. Major John Dias' account of the second Indian attempt of 1962 was sold for Rs.27.50. It seems that the mountaineering world has to pay heavily for the Indian success in 1965, for no less than Rs.75 is charged for this book! Mrs. Indira Gandhi in the Foreward says,⁶1 hope this book's appeal will stretch beyond the select band of mountaineering enthusiasts to the libraries of schools and colleges, and to the homes of our bright young people enriching their discovery of India . . libraries, perhaps, but I doubt whether the book at this price will reach even ⁶ the select band of mountaineering enthusiasts' and I think we can forget about the ⁴ bright young people' unless they also have more money than brains (this reviewer, for example!). Orient Longmans and those responsible for this publication have perpetrated a distinct disservice to the mountaineer.

Now to the photographs—50 black-and-whites excluding portraits of members and 35 in colour. If the book is to cost as much as it does, the intention of the publisher should at least be to make certain of giving value for money. Alas, the art of block- making has not progressed beyond 1920—I mean for the black- and-whites ; as for, colour, each and every plate is a disgrace— most of them are so small as to stand as examples of modern impressionist miniature portraiture-they are not even interesting from the mountaineering point of view (I would have allowed myself the luxury of only one full page in colour—that of Ahluwalia and Phu Dorji on the summit)! To fill the volume with blurs and blobs amidst white ice and dark sky, to the attachment of inane titles is unforgivable in a highly priced volume—sorry to be harping on the economics of this, but I do believe the book could have been much cheaper if the unworthy plates had been omitted. This is not to say that the expedition did not take good photographs—the slides which the members and the leader showed during their lecture tour around India were terrific, to say the least.

Poor Kohli! he has indeed been badly served. He and his band of hard-working mountaineer authors have managed to turn my discontent into admiration, for I have nothing but that for the written word. A tale well told, with the correct blend of technical exactitude, humour and humility.

Part one fully describes the story of the ascent. Parts two and three serve as appendices on topics likely to be of the greatest interest to the mountaineer—records and dates, equipment and clothing, food, oxygen, transport, tnedicine, photography, communications, geology, imports, Sherpas and aerial photography.

It is hoped that the written word can be republished in a paperback so that Mrs. Gandhi's hope can be fulfilled.

Soli S. Mehta

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A YAK FOR CHRISTMAS. By Louise Hillary. Rodder &
Stoughtoi| London, 1968. Pp. 208. lllus. Price 30s.

A winter's holiday at 10,000 feet in NE. Nepal among the Sherpas may not be everybody's choice. But if one% husband happens to be building a hospital there and has, besides, had certain other involvements over the years with the mountains and people of the area, it would seem almost the only sensible way to plan a family holiday. And that is just what this book is about. Whilst Edmund Hillary and his deputy-leader Dr. Max Pearl are putting the finishing touches to the first Sherpa hospital at Khunde near Khumjung, they are joined in December 1966 by their two wives each with three children aged from seven to fourteen. During a spell of about six weeks, which includes the ceremonial opening of the hospital, they manage to take part in numerous activities with the Sherpas, official, traditional and social. Also thrown in are a climb above the Khumbu glacier, and a journey to the Everest Base Camp, of special significance to the Hillary family. Later, the walk back to Kathmandu ; and, lastly, a journey through India to Darjeeling to be hosted there by Tenzing. We have met Louise Hillary's chatty, diarist style in an earlier book, and once again this makes very pleasant easy reading ; what the writing might lack in depth, it fully makes up for in sincerity.

Between 1961 and 1966 Hillary, aided by generous sponsors, has built seven schools for the Sherpas ; apart from laying water pipelines for their villages ; and constructing bridges and an airstrip. This has been mostly a labour of love ; and there have been willing assistants from New Zealand, Britain and the U.S.A. In order to launch the more ambitious scheme of establishing a hospital, a Sherpa Trust Board was set up by Hillary in 1966 and donations, originating in New Zealand, soon began to trickle in from many sources including the U.S.A., helping to turn the scheme into reality. The cause seemed worthy. Apart from a high incidence of TB, death from childbirth, and diseases caused by iodine deficiency, statistics apparently had shown that five out of ten Sherpa children never reach the age of 20. The completed hospital, with its appointments and comforts, has brought modern civilization (including hot water on tap) into the heart of Sola Khumbu.

If any quality is to be singled out in the narrative, it is the excellent personal relations achieved with the Sherpas. Almost complete integration in the case of the children ; and the virtual demolition of all national barriers with the rest of the party. This culminates in a grand Christmas party for the villagers of Khunde and Khumjung, complete with all the traditional trappings.

The Hillarys were, of course, sufferers from the usual embarrassments of importunate oriental (in this case Sherpa) hospitality; and one feels that perhaps some of the minor irritations might not have been glossed over so lightly had the visit lasted twice as long. But the author s overall feelings are of genuine gratitude for a rewarding experience, the enjoyment of which is communicated completely to the reader. That a second edition of the book has already appeared is a tribute to its wide appeal.

There are some good illustrations ; and the book is well designed and produced, with end-papers showing a map of the areas described.

Trevor Braham

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