RUTTLEDGE, Hugh (1884-1961). Everest 1933. London: Hodder & Stoughton Limited 1934. 1st Edition. 8vo (260x186mm), xiii, [3], 390pp, photographic frontispiece with tissue guard, 58 plates (2 folding), 4 maps (3 folding), diagrams embedded throughout the text. Good. Original dark blue cloth binding, gold gilt lettering and decoration on the spine, original unclipped dustjacket. Small tear in the top left front corner of the dust jacket, rubbing around the jacket edges and marks and scratches on the rear. Knocks at the head and base of the spine, and small cosmetic marks on the front and rear boards. Foxing is evident along all page edges when the book is closed. Internally, most pages contain some foxing, being more concentrated at the start and end of the textblock. Pages towards the centre are largely clean. Structurally the book is in excellent condition, the textblock is square and tight. 

This is a scarce copy with the original unclipped jacket, of Ruttledge’s legendary work documenting the first attempt to summit Everest since the fatal 1924 expedition. While the attempt was unsuccessful, in this work Ruttledge provides an extensive and beautifully illustrated description of the climb, including sections written by other members of the climbing party, Frank Smythe and Lawrence Wager.