In 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared into the mists of history: Mallory's body was discovered on Everest in 1999, and Irvine's body is still believed to be there. Graham Hoyland's compelling description of what actually happened on that day answers that most intriguing of questions - did they actually climb Everest?

Last Hours on Everest: The gripping story of Mallory and Irvine’s fatal ascent

Biographies & Memoirs

Hoyland, Graham

Historical

William Collins

Dawn broke fine on that fatal day. A couple of thousand feet above the tiny canvas tent the summit of the world’s highest mountain stood impassively, waiting for someone to have the courage to approach. Inside the ice-crusted shelter, two forms lay still as death. Then there was a groan, a stirring, and eventually the slow scratch of match against sandpaper. Low voices shared the high-altitude agonies of waking, the heating of water, the struggle with frozen boots. As the sun rose through wisps of cloud beyond the Tibetan hills to the east, one of the men emerged through the tent flaps. It was a fine morning for the attempt, with only a few clouds in the sky. The two of them stood for a while, shuffling their feet and blowing into their hands. Inside the tent lay a mess of sleeping bags and food. The men lifted oxygen sets onto their backs, then they turned towards the mountain and stamped off into history. On the 6th June, 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared into the mists of history. George Mallory’s body was discovered high on Everest in 1999. Sandy Irvine’s body is still believed to be on the mountain having been rediscovered in 1975 by a Chinese climber who was killed the very next day. In 1993, Graham Hoyland became the 15th English man to climb Everest having become obsessed by the mountain and the myth of what happened to Mallory and Irvine. It was his evidence that led to the discovery of Mallory’s body and it will be his evidence that will lead to the discovery of Sandy Irvine’s. The Last Hours on Everest is the most detailed reconstruction of what happened after the two English climbing legends left the camp on that fateful day. Combining personal experience, the physical evidence found on the mountain and an insight into the hearts and minds of the two climbers, Graham Hoyland produces the most compelling description of what actually happened on that day and the answer to that most intriguing of questions – did they actually climb Everest?

Sports & Outdoors

Miscellaneous

Collins

‘The most effective advertisement for the countryside I've ever encountered’ Daily Mail
Walking Through Spring follows Graham Hoyland’s journey as he traces a new national trail, walking north with Spring from the South Coast to the Borders.
Hoyland connects a labyrinth of ancient footpaths, marking each mile by planting an acorn and drawing a path of oak trees that stretch through the English countryside.
From dairy cows cantering and kicking their heels in lush meadows in the West Country, to galloping bands of lambs in the Peak District and secret green ways winding along canal tow-paths up the Derwent Valley, Hoyland draws inspiration from the vast literary landscape as he watches the season unfold across the country.
Whether it is sailing a dinghy through the Lake District or taking in an otter’s point of view down the River Eden to the Scottish border, he finds himself engaging with some of England’s best nature writers, discovering the essence of the country and meeting England’s rural characters along the way.

Walking Through Spring

Science & Math

Nature & Ecology

Yeti: The Abominable History

Religion & Spirituality

Buddhism

Merlin: The Power Behind the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster: The Story of the Engine That Won the Battle of Britain and WWII

The most iconic planes of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, DeHavilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster, were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design.\nPublished to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain, Merlin is the extraordinary story of the development of the Rolls-Royce engine that would stop Hitler from invading Britain and carry the war to the very heart of Germany. 
The story of the Merlin engine encompasses the history of powered flight, from the ingenuity of the Wright Brothers to the horrors of World War I, and from the first crossing of the Atlantic to the heady days of flying in the 1920s. There is also the extraordinary story of the Schneider Trophy – an international contest wherein nations poised on the precipice of war competed for engineering excellence in the name of progress. 
And at the heart of this story are the glamourous lives of the pilots, many of whom died in their pursuit of speed; the engineers, like Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, who sketched the engine that would win WWII in the sand of his local beach; and perhaps most importantly the Lady Lucy Houston who after the Wall Street Crash singlehandedly funded the development of the engine and the iconic Spitfire. 
Never was so much owed by so many to so few – and without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the few would have been powerless.

History

Europe

The most iconic planes of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, DeHavilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster, were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design. Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain, Merlin is the extraordinary story of the development of the Rolls-Royce engine that would stop Hitler from invading Britain and carry the war to the very heart of Germany. The story of the Merlin engine encompasses the history of powered flight, from the ingenuity of the Wright Brothers to the horrors of World War I, and from the first crossing of the Atlantic to the heady days of flying in the 1920s. There is also the extraordinary story of the Schneider Trophy - an international contest wherein nations poised on the precipice of war competed for engineering excellence in the name of progress. And at the heart of this story are the glamourous lives of the pilots, many of whom died in their pursuit of speed; the engineers, like Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, who sketched the engine that would win WWII in the sand of his local beach; and perhaps most importantly the Lady Lucy Houston who after the Wall Street Crash singlehandedly funded the development of the engine and the iconic Spitfire. Never was so much owed by so many to so few - and without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the few would have been powerless.

Leaders & Notable People

Merlin: Library Edition

Military

Blackstone Pub

The invention of the jet engine had a profound social effect on the world. Commercial jet aircract revolutionized travel, opening up every corner of the planet. Millions were able to travel anywhere in the world. Few know the jet engine was invented by an Englishman in 1929, with the first jet airliner being the British de Havilland Comet. Britain then gave the technology away, not only to the United States, but also to the Soviet Union. Jet engines came on the scene just when conventional piston engines had reached their physical limits. In a masterstroke of simplification, the jet engine replaced all the over-worked components with one moving part. The result delivered a smooth flow of power. The dream of cheap, exotic travel might have been realized, but there were downsides to the world-reaching power of aircraft. In 2020, the effects of COVID-19 had brought the aviation industry to a sudden halt. Taking a look at its history and how the world has changed since its invention, it is time to appraise the Age of the Jet.

Jet: The Engine that Changed the World

Key Publishing

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