The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest
- Downloads：9127
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-24 16:20:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ed Caesar
- ISBN：1501143387
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
“An outstanding book。” —The Wall Street Journal * “Gripping at every turn。” —Outside * “A hell of a ride。” —The Times （London）
An extraordinary true story about one man’s 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 summit—completely alone。 Wilson doesn’t 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。 Wilson’s 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 War’s 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 more—this time with his best friend’s wife—before 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 “rollicking” （The Economist） 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 books—dismissed 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。
An extraordinary true story about one man’s 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 summit—completely alone。 Wilson doesn’t 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。 Wilson’s 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 War’s 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 more—this time with his best friend’s wife—before 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 “rollicking” （The Economist） 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 books—dismissed 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。
Reviews
John
，
Who could fail to enjoy a tale about a man who set off for Everest in a Gypsy Moth， but beforehand flew it to Bradford from London to say goodbye to his mother， crash-landed in a field， but three months later left on his trip anyway？ Or， on the way to India， had to rely on a school atlas to navigate and whose plane was prone to conking out while over the middle of the Persian Gulf？ Or who concocted such a bizarre and extravagant outfit in which to 'disguise' himself while he made the illegal jou Who could fail to enjoy a tale about a man who set off for Everest in a Gypsy Moth， but beforehand flew it to Bradford from London to say goodbye to his mother， crash-landed in a field， but three months later left on his trip anyway？ Or， on the way to India， had to rely on a school atlas to navigate and whose plane was prone to conking out while over the middle of the Persian Gulf？ Or who concocted such a bizarre and extravagant outfit in which to 'disguise' himself while he made the illegal journey on foot to the mountain？ Maurice Wilson was a fascinating eccentric， and Ed Caesar does a wonderful job of bringing him back to life on the page， from relatively scant resources about his real story。 If you have read Wade Davis's excellent book about the slightly earlier 'official' attempts on Everest， much of this account will seem like light relief。 。。。more
Kevin
，
I did not realize it when I began this book， but I had heard of Morris Wilson （the main subject） in other books about Everest that I have read in the past。 This book focuses on Morris and his childhood， WW I experience， his post war attempts at assimilation， and finally his attempted summit of Mt Everest。 It was a compelling read and held my interest。 I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is drawn to adventure stories。
Kjartan Bragi Valgeirsson
，
Stórskemmtileg frásögn af hreint ótrúlegri sögu。 Hélt mér allan tímann og kláraði bókina á einni helgi。 Mæli með！
William Irvine
，
Fascinating and inciteful biography of a little know adventurer， Maurice Wilson。 Ed Caesar does a truly great job given the limited source materials available to him。 Anyone interested in the early Everest expeditions would enjoy this book。
Jonathan
，
Just what you would hope to get from a book about a romantic adventurer attempting to climb Everest in the 1930's by himself。 Deep research but written with a light touch。 Really good。 Just what you would hope to get from a book about a romantic adventurer attempting to climb Everest in the 1930's by himself。 Deep research but written with a light touch。 Really good。 。。。more
Sean
，
Interesting， though not terribly compelling， subject matter。 I enjoyed learning about Wilson and would have rated this book higher but I found the writing style to be very distracting。 He frequently uses the 2nd person perspective （"you grow frustrated trying to find more information on。。。。"） in a way that struck me as completely unnecessary。 Interesting， though not terribly compelling， subject matter。 I enjoyed learning about Wilson and would have rated this book higher but I found the writing style to be very distracting。 He frequently uses the 2nd person perspective （"you grow frustrated trying to find more information on。。。。"） in a way that struck me as completely unnecessary。 。。。more
Montage Matt
，
Amazing story of adventure about a man with little experience flying and no experience climbing decided to attempt the impossible。
Elliot
，
This is an absorbing tale of human endurance， resilience and bravery。 Many expecting an in-depth study of Everest may feel short-changed as the mountain is the supporting character to the extraordinary figure of Maurice Wilson。 An immaculately researched study of the effects of trauma and bereavement alongside humorous and remarkable anecdotes。 I can’t imagine it will be long until the movie rights are sold！
Dave Whittaker
，
The book gets a little slow in the middle but overall it's an incredible story about a fascinating man and his adventures。 The book gets a little slow in the middle but overall it's an incredible story about a fascinating man and his adventures。 。。。more
Nicky Neko
，
"Act then， all ye who fail and suffer， act like him; and from the stronghold of your Soul chase all your foes away - ambition， anger， hatred， e'en to the shadow of desire - when even you have failed。" （p182）"At Wilson's great-nephew's house in Bradford， there is a photograph of Maurice Wilson in a brown leather frame， next to his Military Cross for valour。 The photograph shows Wilson in uniform， with his West Yorkshire Regiment emblem on his lapel， and his MC ribbon on his chest。 His hair is blo "Act then， all ye who fail and suffer， act like him; and from the stronghold of your Soul chase all your foes away - ambition， anger， hatred， e'en to the shadow of desire - when even you have failed。" （p182）"At Wilson's great-nephew's house in Bradford， there is a photograph of Maurice Wilson in a brown leather frame， next to his Military Cross for valour。 The photograph shows Wilson in uniform， with his West Yorkshire Regiment emblem on his lapel， and his MC ribbon on his chest。 His hair is blond and combed back， with a raffish curl。 He looks unblemished。 The photograph was taken after he had recovered from his gunshot wounds， in 1918 or 1919。 A twenty-year-old war hero。 He is sitting at a desk， poring over a map and pointing to a particular spot。 You can't see what part of the world the map shows， but you think at first that it must be the Western Front。 That would make sense: the soldier pointing to the place where he made his stand。 But， no， you look closer， and that's not right。 The map shows a bay and some islands。 It looks at second glance like the Adriatic coastline， but then you think that can't be right either。 In any event， it is not a map of the battlefields of northern Europe。 Where then？ It drives you mad。You want to know what he's pointing at because you want whatever evidence you have collected of Wilson's life to have meaning。 But now， many years after your mania began， you realize that not everything can have meaning， in a historical sense。 To believe so would be to misunderstand both people and stories。 Wilson was pointing to a map。 So what？ Perhaps the photographer thought that a man in uniform should point at a map。 It is a plausibly gallant pose。 The map was probably chosen at random。 Your desire to know is always strong， and your ability to know is at times so frustrated， and between these two poles is the no-man's-land the biographer often inhabits。 Sometimes， Wilson seems distant and ancient。 At others， he is so close that you can hear him。Off again， gorgeous day。" （p227） 。。。more
Carl Nelson
，
This account of Maurice Wilson's 1933-34 solo flight and attempts to climb Mount Everest captures the quixotic audacity of the man。 I read this book rooting for Wilson's courage and whimsy while being melancholic for the experiences， especially his World War I service， that left him seeking escape by the endeavor。 More history than mountaineering， the author gives a cohesive description of the times and events that shaped him。 This account of Maurice Wilson's 1933-34 solo flight and attempts to climb Mount Everest captures the quixotic audacity of the man。 I read this book rooting for Wilson's courage and whimsy while being melancholic for the experiences， especially his World War I service， that left him seeking escape by the endeavor。 More history than mountaineering， the author gives a cohesive description of the times and events that shaped him。 。。。more
Erik Empson
，
A fairly engaging story but one that largely builds on others' efforts， and is interesting mainly because of its subject rather than for what the author adds to the story。 After a promising start， the book dwells for too long on the history of WWI which， though pertinent to the psychological profile of Maurice Wilson， covers too much ground that will be pretty familiar to the reader and is supplied with heavy doses of speculation。 I feel there was simply not enough information available to the a A fairly engaging story but one that largely builds on others' efforts， and is interesting mainly because of its subject rather than for what the author adds to the story。 After a promising start， the book dwells for too long on the history of WWI which， though pertinent to the psychological profile of Maurice Wilson， covers too much ground that will be pretty familiar to the reader and is supplied with heavy doses of speculation。 I feel there was simply not enough information available to the author to give the kind of detail one desires from a story of this nature， hence it was padded with excursions into the detail that he did have， such as the war record of his brothers， that was by and large irrelevant or not significant to add much to the story。 There were some nice touches， and authorly devices that kept you engaged， and some downright odd episodes such as the foray into the discussion on transvestism that seemed slightly gratuitous， but overall one was left wanting。 。。。more
Amy Tudor
，
Interesting story of Maurice Wilson who embarked on a solo trip to climb Mount Everest。 Interesting enough and well written。 Enjoyed the little insights from his diary inserted into the story。
Megan
，
Surprisingly moving。 For much of the narrative， I felt mildly annoyed with Maurice Wilson， who demonstrated repeatedly that he was the kind of white， colonialist Brit who felt that the rules did not and should not apply to him; and who apparently blithely ignored the harm and grief his charging ahead heedlessly caused to to the other people in his life。 But in the book's last chapters， when Wilson finally （view spoiler）[ dies on Everest， in third foolhardy attempt to summit （hide spoiler）]， I w Surprisingly moving。 For much of the narrative， I felt mildly annoyed with Maurice Wilson， who demonstrated repeatedly that he was the kind of white， colonialist Brit who felt that the rules did not and should not apply to him; and who apparently blithely ignored the harm and grief his charging ahead heedlessly caused to to the other people in his life。 But in the book's last chapters， when Wilson finally （view spoiler）[ dies on Everest， in third foolhardy attempt to summit （hide spoiler）]， I was unexpectedly brought to tears。 An adventurer （ultrarunner） myself， I get something of Everest's tug on Wilson's spirit; and I get how difficult it is to actually stop， even when the effort turns dangerous。 The book is a good companion to accounts of more successful endeavours。 。。。more
Megan Derubeis
，
What a crazy guy！ I wish I was as determined to do what I want as he was。
Kate K。 F。
，
This is a solid 3。5 stars。 This was an intriguing read about one of the sadder stories about Everest that showed how the early climbs of Everest were connected to the First World War and the British Empire。 I was at times slightly distracted by some style choices like two points where suddenly there was second person in the non-fiction book and an odd tangent speculating about Wilson's sexuality。 I would recommend this book if you're curious about a not often told story about Everest。 I liked le This is a solid 3。5 stars。 This was an intriguing read about one of the sadder stories about Everest that showed how the early climbs of Everest were connected to the First World War and the British Empire。 I was at times slightly distracted by some style choices like two points where suddenly there was second person in the non-fiction book and an odd tangent speculating about Wilson's sexuality。 I would recommend this book if you're curious about a not often told story about Everest。 I liked learning about the history and the author did a great job of explaining their sources and what was missing。 。。。more
Karla
，
I enjoyed the history and love the adventure but am loath to give more attention to the main character。 He reminded me of a recent narcissistic politician who plays loose with the truth if it means getting more attention。 What a nutter。 It’s crazy to hear that someone was so misguided to believe they could fly from Britain to Nepal （in the 1930’s and he had never flown a plane before）， land on the side of Mt。 Everest and climb to the summit alone （with no climbing experience）！ A few groups had t I enjoyed the history and love the adventure but am loath to give more attention to the main character。 He reminded me of a recent narcissistic politician who plays loose with the truth if it means getting more attention。 What a nutter。 It’s crazy to hear that someone was so misguided to believe they could fly from Britain to Nepal （in the 1930’s and he had never flown a plane before）， land on the side of Mt。 Everest and climb to the summit alone （with no climbing experience）！ A few groups had tried， but this was prior to Hillary and Tanguy’s successful trip。 Again – a nutter filled with hubris。 Oh， to top it off， he had to engage in subterfuge as the sane civil servants of Britain， India and Nepal were on the lookout for this crazy person with a death wish。 The writer did a good job researching his journey， though had more compassion for him than I did。 。。。more
R Davies
，
A bio/tale of Maurice Wilson a WW1 vet who dreamed of flying to and climbing Everest alone in the 1930s， ambitious and eccentric in the most classically British of traditions， this moving biography of a curious character is captivating from the off。 It is worth noting though this story is about Maurice's life as much before his fantastical efforts as it is the mountain， indeed even more so。 Everest only comes in for specific attention in the closing chapters。 Ed Caesar takes us through Maurice's A bio/tale of Maurice Wilson a WW1 vet who dreamed of flying to and climbing Everest alone in the 1930s， ambitious and eccentric in the most classically British of traditions， this moving biography of a curious character is captivating from the off。 It is worth noting though this story is about Maurice's life as much before his fantastical efforts as it is the mountain， indeed even more so。 Everest only comes in for specific attention in the closing chapters。 Ed Caesar takes us through Maurice's life from his upbringing in Bradford， and the experiences of his brothers and himself in the horrors of the first world war， through his post war lives as he manages to accrue an impressively global experience， restlessly keeping an eye on the next adventure， or even the next woman。 The meticulous and empathetic research that is brought to bear on this subject is conveyed to us very well by the author， allowing the reader to make their own mind up on how far the effects of being a soldier had long lasting consequences on his mindset， or whether those seeds were sown prior to the war。 There is necessarily plenty of pluck and ego in his enterprises and once his eyes are set on Everest his spirit in overcoming obstacles - including a lack of experience in either climbing， mountaineering or flying is in its own way very impressive。 There are classical elements of the tragi-fable too， as he ignores all manner of warnings， whilst maintaining a quasi-fanatical level of optimism or self-delusion in pursuing his goal。 The psychology of this pursuit is gently explored and suggested at through the primary material available to the author， letters written to his friends the Evans' and of course the details of his life （lives plural may be more accurate） along the way。 。。。more
JV
，
Hard for a non-fiction writer to create a great book from a story which isn't。 Hard for a non-fiction writer to create a great book from a story which isn't。 。。。more
Saturday's Child
，
When it comes to Mount Everest， I am familiar with the stories of ill-fated George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine as well as the successful Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary。 Recently at my local library I found this book and until I read it， I had never heard of Maurice Wilson another ghost of Everest。 Plucky was a word used to describe him and after reading his story it seems most appropriate。
Lee Prescott
，
An amazing story， but not one that really contains much about Everest。 This is more about a war damaged individual's backstory。 That's interesting enough in its own way but the adventure elements - the solo flight in the Gypsy Moth and the actual trek from Darjeerling through Tibet and attempted climb up Everest amount to no more than 50 or 60 pages。 An amazing story， but not one that really contains much about Everest。 This is more about a war damaged individual's backstory。 That's interesting enough in its own way but the adventure elements - the solo flight in the Gypsy Moth and the actual trek from Darjeerling through Tibet and attempted climb up Everest amount to no more than 50 or 60 pages。 。。。more
Shell
，
Although this was an interesting book， I found I really didn't like Maurice Wilson。 Perhaps his unlikable traits were a result of his terrible experiences during the First World War， so he can't be blamed。 He basically did what ever he wanted no matter how ridiculous or who got hurt。 I felt very sorry for the women who came into his life as they seemed to be just abandoned when they were no longer of any use or something better came along。 So it's like watching a slow car crash seeing a man with Although this was an interesting book， I found I really didn't like Maurice Wilson。 Perhaps his unlikable traits were a result of his terrible experiences during the First World War， so he can't be blamed。 He basically did what ever he wanted no matter how ridiculous or who got hurt。 I felt very sorry for the women who came into his life as they seemed to be just abandoned when they were no longer of any use or something better came along。 So it's like watching a slow car crash seeing a man with no experience or proper equipment stomping off up Everest in his hobnailed boots and jumpers with only his belligerence and self belief to keep him company。 Because I wasn't cheering him on or feeling any sympathy for his mishaps， the book lacked much to keep my interest。 It was well written though and the author had obviously done a lot of research。 。。。more
Richard Thompson
，
This is an interesting biography of an obscure character who made a ill-fated doomed-from-the-start attempt to fly his private plane from England to Nepal and then climb Mt。 Everest alone。 He had little experience as a pilot and zero as a mountaineer。 He was a strange guy who probably suffered from PTSD from his experiences in the trenches in WWI。 He wandered the world， never able to find a career and had several failed marriages。 He may have been a cross dresser。 But he was also bold， determine This is an interesting biography of an obscure character who made a ill-fated doomed-from-the-start attempt to fly his private plane from England to Nepal and then climb Mt。 Everest alone。 He had little experience as a pilot and zero as a mountaineer。 He was a strange guy who probably suffered from PTSD from his experiences in the trenches in WWI。 He wandered the world， never able to find a career and had several failed marriages。 He may have been a cross dresser。 But he was also bold， determined and charismatic。 You can't help rooting for him， even when you know that the only possible outcome will be his death on the mountain。 And though he came nowhere close to the summit， he got amazingly far against staggering odds。 。。。more
Philip Zoutendam
，
A promising story that soon disappoints as it becomes clear how much the author just couldn't find out。 What results is a book that is one-half subject: Maurice Wilson and his endearingly harebrained scheme for conquering Everest; and one-half author: Ed Caesar thinking thoughts out loud about Wilson's mood and motivations。 And， sorry to say， Caesar's amateur psychologizing and ham-fisted speculations in pursuit of a narrative make the book about as successful as Wilson's attempt on the summit。 A promising story that soon disappoints as it becomes clear how much the author just couldn't find out。 What results is a book that is one-half subject: Maurice Wilson and his endearingly harebrained scheme for conquering Everest; and one-half author: Ed Caesar thinking thoughts out loud about Wilson's mood and motivations。 And， sorry to say， Caesar's amateur psychologizing and ham-fisted speculations in pursuit of a narrative make the book about as successful as Wilson's attempt on the summit。 When a biographer has to keep telling you that his subject "must have thought this，" and "certainly felt that，" and "no doubt did this， that， and the other，" what he's actually saying is he has no idea。 A more mature author might not dig up any more information than Caesar did， but she would at least have the restraint to tell the story straight and let it speak for itself， without trying so obviously hard to stretch things into a conveniently cute narrative。 。。。more
Tim
，
Engaging book about an incredible， reckless， occasionally naive but undeniably brave man and his epic adventure。 I wasn’t as gripped as I was by Into Thin Air， but I really enjoyed this and would recommend。
Gina
，
An utterly extraordinary life; the riveting story of Maurice Wilson who， in 1934， flew a gypsy moth airplane to India in an attempt to be the first to climb and conquer Mount Everest。
Trish
，
Just too slow。
John Kettering
，
😴
Eddie
，
Certainly an interesting read， it is a bold adventure story set between 1918 and 1934。 The book gives a great account of a country and people at war。 It is hard to imagine how Maurice could have lived such a full life before the age of 36。 This is a very well written book， tells the amazing story and gives an understanding into the social fabric of society at that time。 I really enjoyed this book
NJK
，