My latest completed proofreading project for Pen & Sword Books was one of those ‘one-off’ projects that I get sent every now and again, this one entitled Mallory, Irvine and Everest. I would imagine that most people will be aware that the first successful climb of Mount Everest was in 1953. However, this manuscript was something of a ‘might have been’, looking at a British expedition to Everest in 1924 and the possibility that two of the climbers involved, Mallory and Irvine, might have reached the summit first. The story goes that they were last seen alive, by one of their fellow mountaineers from a lower level, only a few hundred feet below the summit. Sadly they were never seen alive again. Mallory’s body was only found by a subsequent expedition in 1999 whilst that of Irvine has never been found. The book traces the story up to the time of the last sighting and then discusses what might have happened. Although interesting to read, the book perhaps leaves as many unanswered as answered questions.
