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The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest

The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-13 06:16:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ed Caesar
  • ISBN：0241977258
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

'One of the best books ever written about the early attempts to conquer Everest。 A fine， fine slice of history by a truly special writer who proves time and time again that he is among the best of his generation' Dan Jones， author of The Plantagenets

'A small classic of the biographer's art' Sunday Times

The untold story of Britain's most mysterious mountaineering legend - Maurice Wilson - and his heroic attempt to climb Everest。 Alone。

In the 1930s， as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Everest， a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceived his own crazy， beautiful plan: he would fly a Gipsy Moth aeroplane from England to Everest， crash land on its lower slopes， then become the first person to reach its summit - all utterly alone。 Wilson didn't know how to climb。 He barely knew how to fly。 But he had pluck， daring and a vision - he wanted to be the first man to stand on top of the world。

Maurice Wilson is a man written out of the history books - dismissed as an eccentric and a charlatan by many， but held in the highest regard by world class mountaineers such as Reinhold Messner。 The Moth and the Mountain restores him to his rightful place in the annals of Everest and in doing so attempts to answer that perennial question - why do we climb mountains？

'A towering， tragic tale rescued from oblivion by Ed Caesar's magnificent writing' Dan Snow

'This bonkers ripping yarn of derring-don't is a hell of a ride' The Times

'It's hard to imagine a finer tribute to one of Everest's forgotten heroes' Elizabeth Day

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Reviews

Ray ，

Ed Caesar's book The Moth and the Mountain is a mildly interesting story about Maurice Wilson， a 1930's English adventurer。 Wilson became obsessed with the idea of being the first to conquer Mount Everest， and to do it solo。 Hardly an admirable character， except for his focus and drive to undertake this adventure， Wilson travelled the world after WW I， had several failed romances， and ultimately decided to fly to Tibet in a bi-plane， and then hike up to the top of Mount Everest。 Numerous obstacl Ed Caesar's book The Moth and the Mountain is a mildly interesting story about Maurice Wilson， a 1930's English adventurer。 Wilson became obsessed with the idea of being the first to conquer Mount Everest， and to do it solo。 Hardly an admirable character， except for his focus and drive to undertake this adventure， Wilson travelled the world after WW I， had several failed romances， and ultimately decided to fly to Tibet in a bi-plane， and then hike up to the top of Mount Everest。 Numerous obstacles blocked his path， including inability to obtain permission from several Countries to enter or fly into their air space， as well as his inexperience as a mountaineer。 Wilson's life hadn't been all that well documented before， but there was enough information from some of his letters and journals and a previous book describing his attempt to summit Mount Everest prepare this more recent book。 Nonetheless， there seems to be more than a little conjecture in putting the all the pieces of this story together。 However， for readers interested in Mount Everest and those who've climbed to the top， it could be an interesting read。 。。。more

Marge ，

Story of a dreamer with very little common sense。 The story was interesting however I felt like I was reading an old time newsreel。 Didn't like the style of writing。 Story of a dreamer with very little common sense。 The story was interesting however I felt like I was reading an old time newsreel。 Didn't like the style of writing。 。。。more

Danauber ，

Fantastic true tale of derring-do。 Maurice Wilson is not so much dipped in luck as positively infused with it。 Beautifully told and deservedly so。

Aubrey Gibson ，

Interesting story if you want to learn about Maurice Wilson and his life experiences （which I did）， but the writing and organization of the book were a hang up for me。 Several parts of the book felt like a slog to get through。

Tim Oneil ，

Good history！

Carla ，

Save me from stories celebrating the lives of mediocre men。To be sure， the core of this story is an interesting anecdote: WWI veteran decides to scale Mt。 Everest by sneaking into Tibet。 But he is laughably， woefully unprepared: for flying to India， for climbing even a modest mountain， perhaps for coping with post-war life suffering from PTSD。The author frames the story as inspirational， a Man Battles Nature narrative that is meant to paint our protagonist， Wilson， as a prototypical British adve Save me from stories celebrating the lives of mediocre men。To be sure， the core of this story is an interesting anecdote: WWI veteran decides to scale Mt。 Everest by sneaking into Tibet。 But he is laughably， woefully unprepared: for flying to India， for climbing even a modest mountain， perhaps for coping with post-war life suffering from PTSD。The author frames the story as inspirational， a Man Battles Nature narrative that is meant to paint our protagonist， Wilson， as a prototypical British adventurer。 But there is relatively little to base the story on---the fault of time and the fragility of documents， not the author。 There are many assumptions about his WWI service， his interpersonal relationships， and the actual attempt to climb Everest。What is unstated is that Wilson is either pathologically self-confident or so scarred by warfare as to be cavalier about his own life。 The blithe ignorance with which he begins his quest is breathtaking。 The author is clearly charmed， talking at length （in second person---ugh） about his fascination with researching Wilson's pluck， will， spirit， and luck。 There's a weird， dated fetishization of the Exceptional Man at play in the book。 （At one point， the author even quotes Freud。）In a world that still doesn't treat its combat veterans terribly well， this book was more a cautionary tale than inspirational story to me。 When life is treated cheaply， people will take foolhardy risks to try to instill it with meaning。 Wilson to me is a sad character---someone who， with therapy and healing， could've lived past 36 and not died a husk on the side of a mountain。 。。。more

Jill Bowman ，

I really expected to like this one more than I did。 I did like learning more about WWI; it reminded me how much I liked Regeneration by Pat Barker （must finish that trilogy） but I didn’t like the 2nd person narrative， nor the speculation and I thought Wilson was either a fool or a man who really needed some therapy。 Probably both。 The book was dull in places。 I’m glad I read it though。 No book is worthless。 For info actually about Everest Krakauer’s Into This Air is much better。

Elke ，

I had never heard of wilson。Quite a read on quite a man！！ Really well written。

Anne E Scott ，

This was an interesting tale of how far bravado can get you。 A well written tale that made me question the whole European idea of conquest。 Definitely worth the read。

Toria ，

This book is about Maurice Wilson who in 1930s went on an alone mission to fly to everest （he crashed） and then climb it to the top。 He had big dreams but neither big knowledge of climbing nor fly and sadly he didn't make it out mount everest alive。 He was an excentric and intriguing person to learn about but wasn't overly interested in the audiobook overall。 This book is about Maurice Wilson who in 1930s went on an alone mission to fly to everest （he crashed） and then climb it to the top。 He had big dreams but neither big knowledge of climbing nor fly and sadly he didn't make it out mount everest alive。 He was an excentric and intriguing person to learn about but wasn't overly interested in the audiobook overall。 。。。more

Pooja ，

I first heard of Maurice Wilson from one of my favorite books， Into Thin Air。 Like the author of this book， I was intrigued by that brief mention， and I’m glad he dug into it。 The Moth and the Mountain is a biography that covers the whole of Wilson’s life， not merely the Everest attempt。 I liked the style of writing - clear and concise - and how Wilson’s path through life was traced。 I did wish however that there was more detail about his actual summit attempts。

Cindypbarnard ，

What a story！ And a TRUE story。So well researched and presented by the author。A page turner。

John ，

The Moth is his plane but it could well be a euphemism for the central character， Maurice himself， drawn to the dangerous flame that is Everest。 Well written， I enjoyed this book a lot but am left puzzled and wondering did we really got to know the central character？

Jeff Eddings ，

3。5 Fascinating bit of history。 If you like reading about Everest or WWI this a great read。

Rachel ，

It's the 1930s， and World War I is happening in England。 A family known as the Wilson's has four boys; their third boy will grow up to make a name for himself。 At the age of twenty， Maurice Wilson is a war hero with recognition to prove it。 After various life circumstances afterward， his dream is to climb Mount Everest。 Unfortunately， due to political reasons， he is denied - ha！ says Wilson。 "The Moth and the Mountain" is the story of Wilson's journey over several years as he proves that determi It's the 1930s， and World War I is happening in England。 A family known as the Wilson's has four boys; their third boy will grow up to make a name for himself。 At the age of twenty， Maurice Wilson is a war hero with recognition to prove it。 After various life circumstances afterward， his dream is to climb Mount Everest。 Unfortunately， due to political reasons， he is denied - ha！ says Wilson。 "The Moth and the Mountain" is the story of Wilson's journey over several years as he proves that determination can get you far in life。I never thought I would be as interested in Mount Everest as am I now after reading "The Moth and the Mountain"。 Not counting Wilson's human faults， he is an encouragement to many to chase their dreams and think of every possible way around a pitfall to achieve success。 Caesar wrote beautifully， he wove years and multitudes of facts together to make a story that is worthy of a heroic man and equally entertaining。 Even if you assume you won't like it， check this book out anyways。 。。。more

Virginia ，

Wendy's book Wendy's book 。。。more

Brian ，

Interesting story set in post WW1 about an indominable Englishman。 Quick and fun read。

Katra ，

Forgive me for stating the obvious， but the guy was crazy。

Heather ，

What a fun book！ I've read lots of books about summiting the great peaks， and this is a perfect companion。 The author admits to his obsession with Maurice Wilson and is self-effacing about the material he has collected。 But， he is able to bring the character to life wonderfully and I couldn't put the book down as he described his harrowing journey in a tiny plane from England to Tibet。 What an adventure！ Although totally ill-equipped to climb Mt Everest Wilson is as determined to get to the top What a fun book！ I've read lots of books about summiting the great peaks， and this is a perfect companion。 The author admits to his obsession with Maurice Wilson and is self-effacing about the material he has collected。 But， he is able to bring the character to life wonderfully and I couldn't put the book down as he described his harrowing journey in a tiny plane from England to Tibet。 What an adventure！ Although totally ill-equipped to climb Mt Everest Wilson is as determined to get to the top as Caesar is to tell a fabulous story。 。。。more

Ruth ，

The lapses into second person weren't my favorite thing ever。 Still， this book had that essential element that keeps drawing me back to mountaineering disaster stories。 The lapses into second person weren't my favorite thing ever。 Still， this book had that essential element that keeps drawing me back to mountaineering disaster stories。 。。。more

Vincent ，

Clear and concise if a bit drawn out。 Good elaboration on viability and quality of source materials。

Amy ，

I love tales of real adventures but this writer struck me as so self-centred and egoistic that I couldnt make it past the first chapter。 （And I tried 3x）。 It saddened me becasue I thought his story sounded really interesting but the writing sufferes from the tone taken- I imagined I was seated in a meeting of the famed Adventurer's club in 1800's London， listening to a well-heeled， and well-traveled older man， pontificate and self-congradulate for 3 hours while showing lantern slides of what app I love tales of real adventures but this writer struck me as so self-centred and egoistic that I couldnt make it past the first chapter。 （And I tried 3x）。 It saddened me becasue I thought his story sounded really interesting but the writing sufferes from the tone taken- I imagined I was seated in a meeting of the famed Adventurer's club in 1800's London， listening to a well-heeled， and well-traveled older man， pontificate and self-congradulate for 3 hours while showing lantern slides of what appeared to be a marvelous adventure that unfortunatly had the life and excitment sucked out of it by the style of the telling。 。。。more

Luke Rafferty ，

Red more like an overly personal textbook than novel。 Ceaser did an impressive amount of research， but what might be one of the most fascinating tag lines / jacket descriptions， was a rather dry and boring description of this story。 The breaking of the wall and talking directly to the reader was not only odd， but confusing and unnecessary。 Would recommend to anyone interested in WWI or Mount Everest。

Laura Spira ，

A quite interesting account of the story of Maurice Wilson and his attempt to scale Everest。 Difficult to warm to this eccentric individual， though - it was fortunate that none of his foolhardy schemes led to the injury or death of anyone other than himself。 The author's fascination with the story prompted commendably thorough research but a slightly odd writing style， in places using "you" to refer to himself。 A quite interesting account of the story of Maurice Wilson and his attempt to scale Everest。 Difficult to warm to this eccentric individual， though - it was fortunate that none of his foolhardy schemes led to the injury or death of anyone other than himself。 The author's fascination with the story prompted commendably thorough research but a slightly odd writing style， in places using "you" to refer to himself。 。。。more

Captain Spider ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Amazing to think with all the modern kit and techniques people still regularly die on Everest， yet this man attempted it on his own with nowhere near enough skill， experience or equipment。 Poignant glimpses of how a family was tore apart by WWI and perhaps the mental disintegration of the protagonist。 Great story。

Juan Rivera ，

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how beautiful it is to climb a mountain and I remember with affection and longing when I， every week I trained going up to the peak of the eagle， to climb mountains like Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl。 It's been a long time since， but climbing a mountain is always a challenge that enriches you when you meet it。 One makes himself known in his greatest intimacy， such as when climbing a mountain。 A story fell into my hands， that of Maurice Wilson who tried to Lately I have been thinking a lot about how beautiful it is to climb a mountain and I remember with affection and longing when I， every week I trained going up to the peak of the eagle， to climb mountains like Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl。 It's been a long time since， but climbing a mountain is always a challenge that enriches you when you meet it。 One makes himself known in his greatest intimacy， such as when climbing a mountain。 A story fell into my hands， that of Maurice Wilson who tried to climb Everest by himself。 A veteran of World War I when he was about 28 years old he made climbing this mountain the goal of his life。 He learned to fly to be able to reach the faults of Everest， in his plane that he by the way he baptized as Ever-wrest。 He was on the verge of perishing several times because governments did not want to let him advance， it took him weeks to reach his destination。 And then a long wait。 He lost a season and finally tried to climb。 But he， of mountaineering， didn't know anything， he didn't even have crampons and still he tried。 His body was found years later。 Some think that he managed to go up and down was he when he died。 But that is unlikely， because in addition to not knowing how to climb， his knees were hurt by parachuting （also without knowing） and his arm has injured， due to a war wound。 I admire Maurice and what he did。 Great story told in the book "The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love， War， and Everest" by Ed Caesar。 An excellent investment of my time。 。。。more

Jill ，

Wilson is a compelling character — a WWI veteran who suffered physical and possibly mental injuries in the war， struggled afterward to hold onto marriages or a job， developed a close and possibly romantic relationship with a married couple， learned to fly a biplane， and decided he would be the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest and he would do it alone， no matter what obstacles fell in his way。 These obstacles included lack of funds， lack of permissions， lack of any kind of mountaine Wilson is a compelling character — a WWI veteran who suffered physical and possibly mental injuries in the war， struggled afterward to hold onto marriages or a job， developed a close and possibly romantic relationship with a married couple， learned to fly a biplane， and decided he would be the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest and he would do it alone， no matter what obstacles fell in his way。 These obstacles included lack of funds， lack of permissions， lack of any kind of mountaineering skill 。。。 the list goes on。 Clearly， Wilson has issues。 But he only left behind a sparse record of journal entries and letters， and had only one surviving relative， so the author had to indulge in a lot of speculation about Wilson's motives and tactics。 He's clearly proud of all of the research he did， as he wrote an entire chapter about this in the second person。 But the material the author dredged up is still full of holes， and you never get a full sense of being on the journey with Wilson — both his exciting and illegal flight to India， and his wreckless assault of Everest。 Meanwhile， there is far too much detail about his and his brother's battles in the war， and his friendship with the couple that ultimately had not much to do with the adventure。 This is probably because those were some of the few tangible details the author acquired。 I knocked my rating down mostly because of the second-person self-referrals （I strongly dislike this device） and because the book felt quite padded throughout only to end abruptly。 But it's still engaging enough， worth the read if you're interested in the subject。 。。。more

Gwen ，

If I could I'd rate it a 3。5。 If I could I'd rate it a 3。5。 。。。more

Janet Mills ，

I’m really addicted to true stories about great adventures—especially those involving arctic travel or mountain climbers。 This was a truly great adventure about a brave but crazy man。

Clinton R。 Keeler ，

A good read。A good read。 Easy to pick up again after a pause。 Entertaining and enough to keep me interested in picking up another of this authors writings。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0