On 29 Might 1953, the summit of Mount Everest was finally reached. The achievement brought popularity and honours to many involved – except the man who produced the ascent feasible.

Now, for the first time, sketching upon previously unseen diaries and characters, rare archive materials and interviews, Everest – The First Ascent tells the remarkable story of Griffith Pugh, the forgotten group member whose scientific breakthroughs guaranteed the world’s highest mountain could possibly be climbed. A doctor and physiologist, about Everest – The First Ascent: The untold story of Griffith Pugh, the man who made it feasible Griffith Pugh revolutionised nearly every aspect of British high-altitude mountaineering, transforming the climbers’ attitude to oxygen, the clothing they wore, their devices, liquid intake and acclimatisation.

Yet, definately not receiving the acclaim he was due, he was met with suspicion and ridicule. His technological contributions were, simply, at odds with old-fashioned notions of derring-do as well as the gentlemanly amateurism that dogged the sport.

This insightful biography shows Pugh to be troubled, abrasive, yet brilliant. Eight years in the composing, closely researched, and informed with unflinching honesty by Pugh’s girl, Harriet Tuckey, Everest – The First Ascent may be the persuasive portrait of the unlikely hero.