That Untravelled World. An Autobiography.

1969. London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1969. 8vo. Original cloth, dustwrapper with author's portrait on back; pp. 286, 27 photographic illustrations and drawings, sketch maps; a fine copy with a signed autograph letter by the author loosely inserted. First edition. An autobiography by 'arguably the greatest explorer of all times' (Neate). Eric Shipton took part in five Everest expeditions, is best known for his private expeditions with Tilman and spent his later years exploring and climbing in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. The letter, on RGS-headed paper of two pages to Mr. Blunt, written in blue ink manuscript on both sides of a single leaf, dated 15 October, 1970 in pencil (by another hand) the author describes in detail the views from the ridge of Pumori and following his re-visit to the region in 1969, related to Blunt, a fellow mountaineer, how one can see many of the features of the face from much lower down than he and Edmund Hillary first witnessed, ' . . . From the ridge of Pumori one gets a splendid view of the North Face of Everest and one can see all the features I mentioned . . If there is any further information I can give on advising about your forthcoming journey, Please don't hesitate to ask. . . . Yours / sincerely / Eric Shipton. P.S. The height on the Pumori ridge is / in fact about 19,500 ft.' Neate S65; Yakushi S438a; Perret 4046; S & B S27; not in Spence.