The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 08:51:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ed Caesar
- ISBN：0241977258
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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
'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
Reviews
Conrad
，
For many men who experienced and survived the horrors of the Great War， there was a sense of detachment from normal life after the war。 So it was with Maurice Wilson。 Unable to settle and restless in spirit， he needed a quest to latch on to。 The challenge of conquering Everest had become a popular fixation and it captured Wilson’s imagination。 He came up with the wild scheme of flying a plane to Nepal， landing on the slopes of Everest and climbing to the top of the mountain by himself。 There was For many men who experienced and survived the horrors of the Great War， there was a sense of detachment from normal life after the war。 So it was with Maurice Wilson。 Unable to settle and restless in spirit， he needed a quest to latch on to。 The challenge of conquering Everest had become a popular fixation and it captured Wilson’s imagination。 He came up with the wild scheme of flying a plane to Nepal， landing on the slopes of Everest and climbing to the top of the mountain by himself。 There was only one problem - he was neither a pilot nor a mountaineer。 Nevertheless， he bought a plane， learned to fly and made it as far as India before his plane was impounded。 He subsequently snuck out of town with three guides， trekked hundreds of miles and made his big attempt on the mountain。 There was a naive optimism about him insofar as he felt he could overcome any challenge。 While he ultimately failed in his quest and the mountain exacted the ultimate price， nevertheless what he did achieve was quite remarkable and adds another story to the folklore that surrounds Mt。 Everest。 。。。more
Carol C
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This story was more about the backstory than the time on the mountain itself。
Pat
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Maurice Wilson served in WWI。 He became obsessed with climbing Mt。 Everest。He flew in a biplane to as close as he could get to the mountain。He barely knew how to fly。He definitely didn't know how to climb。Interesting topic to write about。Wilson was quite a character。 Maurice Wilson served in WWI。 He became obsessed with climbing Mt。 Everest。He flew in a biplane to as close as he could get to the mountain。He barely knew how to fly。He definitely didn't know how to climb。Interesting topic to write about。Wilson was quite a character。 。。。more
Alessandro
，
Un libro che tiene incollati dalla prima all'ultima pagina， un'ottima narrazione e un protagonista inimitabile。 Consigliato agli appassionati di montagna e a quelli di avventura。 Divorato in meno di una settimana。Spero in futuro di leggere altri libri di questo autore。 Un libro che tiene incollati dalla prima all'ultima pagina， un'ottima narrazione e un protagonista inimitabile。 Consigliato agli appassionati di montagna e a quelli di avventura。 Divorato in meno di una settimana。Spero in futuro di leggere altri libri di questo autore。 。。。more
Bill Conrad
，
tEd Caesar indeed went above and beyond when he researched Moth and the Mountain。 He describes the chaotic journey of Maurice Wilson， who attempted to climb Mount Everest without help。tMaurice is quite a character。 From having multiple wives to eccentric ideas。 However， we have to admire his boldness and tenacity for attempting such an impossible goal。 His well-thought-out plan was to fly as far as possible to Mount Everest and climb the rest of the way。tThis book is outrageous and well research tEd Caesar indeed went above and beyond when he researched Moth and the Mountain。 He describes the chaotic journey of Maurice Wilson， who attempted to climb Mount Everest without help。tMaurice is quite a character。 From having multiple wives to eccentric ideas。 However， we have to admire his boldness and tenacity for attempting such an impossible goal。 His well-thought-out plan was to fly as far as possible to Mount Everest and climb the rest of the way。tThis book is outrageous and well researched。 Maurice must have been an exciting person， and I wish I could sit down and buy him a drink。 I enjoyed reading this book and recommended it to a friend who is into mountain climbing。 。。。more
Jane Wilson-Howarth
，
I was quickly drawn into this intriguing story but I think the author missed a few tricks， given that he seems to be quite a traveller。 I didn't really feel he did a particularly good job of evoking the Indian sub-continent and the Himalaya but more importantly there were a few mistakes most notably suggesting that Nepal was ever a British colony， indeed he states 'The Kingdom of Nepal had been independent from the British Empire since a treaty of 1923。' The book is also so overloaded with Ameri I was quickly drawn into this intriguing story but I think the author missed a few tricks， given that he seems to be quite a traveller。 I didn't really feel he did a particularly good job of evoking the Indian sub-continent and the Himalaya but more importantly there were a few mistakes most notably suggesting that Nepal was ever a British colony， indeed he states 'The Kingdom of Nepal had been independent from the British Empire since a treaty of 1923。' The book is also so overloaded with Americanisms that I went a-googling to establish Caesar's nationality。 I understand that publishers launching a book in the US （which is a bigger market than the UK） might want to use US spellings but the inappropriate American idioms when writing about the Raj really really jarred。 What I shame Caesar's English voice couldn't be respected。And I also found Caesar's use of the second person irritating too; what's wrong with 'I'？ 。。。more
Kristi Starr
，
A fascinating story of human will。 I'm a sucker for outdoor / adventure stories and this one didn't disappoint。 You'll meet an extremely eccentric individual with a determined， individualist streak and a goal that required defiance of multiple governing bodies and their attempts to stop him。 Learn about the early days of flying， the Great War， and the history of Everest expeditions。 If you have any knowledge of the preparation that goes into today's summit attempts， you'll recognize the sheer lu A fascinating story of human will。 I'm a sucker for outdoor / adventure stories and this one didn't disappoint。 You'll meet an extremely eccentric individual with a determined， individualist streak and a goal that required defiance of multiple governing bodies and their attempts to stop him。 Learn about the early days of flying， the Great War， and the history of Everest expeditions。 If you have any knowledge of the preparation that goes into today's summit attempts， you'll recognize the sheer lunacy （or naïveté） of Wilson's adventure。 Still， for anyone who has ever dreamed of being the first to accomplish a seemingly impossible task， you'll be cheering for him as he seeks to banish demons and become the first man to conquer Everest solo。 。。。more
Lucy
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Book club。 Excellent writing。 Novel was extremely well researched。 Another crazy story about climbing Mt Everest。 Lots of info about WWI， British life and society， early flying。
Rebecca
，
Super interesting true story about Maurice Wilson。 He definitely left his mark in the world。 He bravely （and sometimes flat out stupidly） faced death multiple times。 These stories remind me of the importance of journaling。 I really should get into that， but not sure I want anyone reading my inner thoughts。 ;）Anyway a remarkable journey both the flying and the climbing parts。 This took a lot of determination to accomplish any of it！ “Not everything can have meaning in an historical sense， to beli Super interesting true story about Maurice Wilson。 He definitely left his mark in the world。 He bravely （and sometimes flat out stupidly） faced death multiple times。 These stories remind me of the importance of journaling。 I really should get into that， but not sure I want anyone reading my inner thoughts。 ;）Anyway a remarkable journey both the flying and the climbing parts。 This took a lot of determination to accomplish any of it！ “Not everything can have meaning in an historical sense， to believe so would be to misunderstand both people and stories。”“Off again， gorgeous day！” ~Maurice Wilson 。。。more
Brian
，
This story read a bit dry to me。 A British soldier comes home from the war injured， but is well to do enough to not only survive not getting a government pension， but spends the next few years traveling the world。 Marries and divorces or separates from two women， comes back to England and decides on a whim to do something that he did not have the training or permission to do。 The story shows historical class privilege in very stark detail - as his father puts the family outside of the working cl This story read a bit dry to me。 A British soldier comes home from the war injured， but is well to do enough to not only survive not getting a government pension， but spends the next few years traveling the world。 Marries and divorces or separates from two women， comes back to England and decides on a whim to do something that he did not have the training or permission to do。 The story shows historical class privilege in very stark detail - as his father puts the family outside of the working class poor and the main character uses this social mobility to gain others trust and then leave them when it did not suit his fancy。 It is kind of remarkable that the main character’s “pluck” got him one thing after another， and it was interesting to think back 100 years ago to the differences in travel option， training for major types of expositions and air travel， and the strange nature of the Tibetan and other mountain cultures that supply the support for all of these expeditions。 I left being more interested in that culture of support for climbers from far places rather than the climber himself。 。。。more
Chris
，
Easy listening， lighthearted adventure story。 No hard inspirational details
Wristband
，
Better as a magazine article - but it is a story that qualifies as both totally bonkers and unusual。
Carlos Ferreira
，
Awesome story！Fun read ， and I certainly would recommend it。 However ， it never really “got a hold “ of me。 But it did move me enough to look up as much as I could on Wilson。 Cheers
Rylee
，
I have always been fascinated by mountaineering and Everest。 This was a great nonfiction read about a man and a journey I had never heard of before。 Many stories are lost to history but I’m glad this was not one of them。
Clay Olmstead
，
The Moth and the Mountain asks: was Morris Wilson a hero， an iconoclast， or just crazy as a box of frogs？ In 1933， Mr。 Wilson took of from London in a single engined biplane; his objective， to crash land at the base of Mount Everest and walk the rest of the way to the peak。 Then it gets weird。Mr。 Caesar does a good job of telling a ripping yarn while exploring the reasons Wilson - or anyone else - would attempt an impossible task。 He resists the temptation of writing off Wilson as a total nut jo The Moth and the Mountain asks: was Morris Wilson a hero， an iconoclast， or just crazy as a box of frogs？ In 1933， Mr。 Wilson took of from London in a single engined biplane; his objective， to crash land at the base of Mount Everest and walk the rest of the way to the peak。 Then it gets weird。Mr。 Caesar does a good job of telling a ripping yarn while exploring the reasons Wilson - or anyone else - would attempt an impossible task。 He resists the temptation of writing off Wilson as a total nut job， while describing him as not completely sane， either。 That's an admirable feat of balance for an author， and a rare achievment in this age of easy answers and cheap celebrity。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Other climbing books are much better。 The weird switches to second person just felt forced and "trying to be artsy。" Other climbing books are much better。 The weird switches to second person just felt forced and "trying to be artsy。" 。。。more
Sylvia Langford
，
Great adventure story about my favorite subject: Mt。 Everest。
Jon
，
Superb book。 I had no idea about Maurice Wilson and his story。 A review in The Guardian alerted me。 Read it in a couple of days， transfixed。 Ed Caesar has a style about him that makes this book as much a straightforward boy's own adventure story as a biography。 Highly recommended。 Superb book。 I had no idea about Maurice Wilson and his story。 A review in The Guardian alerted me。 Read it in a couple of days， transfixed。 Ed Caesar has a style about him that makes this book as much a straightforward boy's own adventure story as a biography。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Steve Chilton
，
One of the strangest Everest stories， brilliantly researched by Ed Douglas， and put in context of the mores of the time。 The author used many sources but unfortunately little is known of the climb itself。 I suspect he was using his imagination to surmise Wilson's actions （and words even） at some points。 Nevertheless， a cracking and suspenseful read。 One of the strangest Everest stories， brilliantly researched by Ed Douglas， and put in context of the mores of the time。 The author used many sources but unfortunately little is known of the climb itself。 I suspect he was using his imagination to surmise Wilson's actions （and words even） at some points。 Nevertheless， a cracking and suspenseful read。 。。。more
AVid_D
，
Whilst I enjoyed this book， it is clearly hampered by the limited written data available and the fact that none of the key participants is alive to supplement the lacking data （what did he do all those years in New Zealand？; what did the various women in his life make of his unfaithful behaviour？）。 I also found the flow a bit disjointed， not helped by points being repeated in separate chapters， or a footnote telling a tale and then the main text tells the same tale。I think it was the author's ob Whilst I enjoyed this book， it is clearly hampered by the limited written data available and the fact that none of the key participants is alive to supplement the lacking data （what did he do all those years in New Zealand？; what did the various women in his life make of his unfaithful behaviour？）。 I also found the flow a bit disjointed， not helped by points being repeated in separate chapters， or a footnote telling a tale and then the main text tells the same tale。I think it was the author's obvious fascination for （and， perhaps bewilderment of） Maurice which overcame my reservations about the book。 。。。more
Doug
，
Fascinating biography of a plucky Englishman who tried to climb Mount Everest on his own and died trying。
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
，