SMYTHE F.S..
CAMP SIX. HISTORY OF THE 1933 EXPEDITION TO MOUNT EVEREST
Transl. A. Dobrot
Warsaw 1938, Tow. Wyd. "Rój", pp. 335, [17], illustrations outside the text, format 14,5x20 cm
HARDCOVER CONTEMPORARY HALF LEATHER, SPINE WITH RAISED SPHINCTERS, EMBOSSING, GILT AND TWO SIGNBOARDS, MARBLED PAPERBOARD.
Francis Sydney Smythe, better known as Frank Smythe, was one of the pioneers of British Himalayan mountaineering, a naturalist and writer. In the Alps, he co-authored two famous routes on the east face of Mont Blanc - Sentinelle Rouge (1927) and Major (1928). He participated in several important Himalayan expeditions between 1930 and 1938, including the first ascent of Kamet (7756 m) in the Garhwal Himalayas, and stormed Kanchendzonga and Everest without success.
In 1933, on the slopes of the latter, Smythe reached 8570m alone, equaling the achievement of Edward F. Norton nine years earlier, which was the world altitude record before World War II. A similar height was reached two days earlier by two: Percy Wyn Harris and Richard Wager. At the time, they found a checker belonging to Irvine 20 meters below the northeast ridge at 8450 meters.
BDB-/ condition, minor staining of the k.tyt., pages yellowed, EFFECTIVE COVER.