First Over Everest The Houston - Mount Everest Expedition 1933
London: John Lane, 1933. Large octavo, original blue cloth; xx, 280 pp., portrait frontispiece, numerous maps and plates, stereoscopic glasses (see further details of collation provided below). Cloth a bit rubbed and dulled with moderate localised stain affecting the backstrip, slight preliminary foxing. A very good copy, internally quite fresh and pleasing. First edition of one of the great aviation books, describing the bold plan to map Mount Everest from the air. This copy includes the stereoscopic plate and glasses, providing a three dimensional rendition of the mountain.
In his foreword, John Buchan summarises the outcome of the expedition as such: 'The first purpose was to put Everest and the untrodden ground south of it on the map. There could, of course, be no hope of producing a complete map of so big an area; for that many flights would have been needed. What was obtained from the two flights was a series of survey strips, based upon vertical photographs. Thus the experts were able to piece together a map strip some twenty miles long and something under two miles wide, culminating in the summit of Everest… It was not expected that the flights would reveal any startling new geographical features, but two glaciers, hitherto unknown, have been discovered, and a small high-level lake, which may possibly be hot water.'
This book is often encountered missing some plates and the stereoscopic glasses. However, the present copy is collated and complete, as follows: frontispiece, 36 plates (including the stereoscopic plate printed in colour), five double page panoramic photo plates, three folding maps and diagrams. The stereoscopic glasses are also present and well preserved in the sleeve attached to the rear pastedown endpaper. Importantly, the two printed tissue guards overlaying plates facing pages 32 and 58 are extant and well preserved.
This copy also includes an additional map which is not listed in the contents of the book. This is a single page map facing page 219 titled "Diagram of portion of Everest flight". And for further clarification, the technical diagram of the Eagle III Williamson camera is included in the letterpress pagination (although it is not listed in the contents). Item #4214
Price (AUD): $500.00