Selecting the photographs in this exclusive collector's edition of Everest

Compiled, written and edited by Peter Gillman for The Folio Society, Everest: From Reconnaissance to Summit is an exclusive record of five key expeditions to the summit of the world.

The first volume, A Photographic History, collects 268 of the most remarkable mountain photographs ever taken, including breathtaking panoramas, steep gorges, glaciers, ice-fields, pinnacles and close-ups of the ascents.

Peter Gillman's selection of photography from the Royal Geographical Society archives is a masterpiece of visual storytelling, further enriched by his detailed captions. As well as capturing the sublime beauty of the mountainscapes and the skill and endurance of the climbers, they are pioneering works in the history of photography: the 1921 expedition supplied the very first recorded images of Everest and the Tibetan people.

Some pictures have seldom been seen, while others, such as Edmund Hillary’s shot of Tenzing Norgay at the summit, rank alongside the most famous news photography of the 20th century. They include new digital scans from the fragile silver-nitrate negatives held at the RGS, providing a sharpness never before possible.

The Folio Society produces beautifully crafted collector’s editions of the world’s greatest books, each with unique illustrations or specially researched photographs throughout. Find books you love at foliosociety.com

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