East of Everest, … an account of the New Zealand Alpine Club Himalayan Expedition to the Barun Valley in 1954. By Sir Edmund Hillary and George Lowe. New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1956. 70 pages; 48 pages of photos. Price $5.00.

In April, May, and June 1954, a New Zealand expedition explored the region south and east of Mount Everest: specially, the Imja, Hongu, Choyang, Iswa, and Barun watersheds. Nineteen peaks over 20,000 feet were ascended, but not without a few unsolicited thrills. Baruntse, 23,570 feet, and Pethangtse, 22,080 feet, were the two highest peaks climbed. Several passes were traversed for the first time, notably the Imja-Barun crossing. The story of Jim McFarland’s fall into a crevasse and his subsequent severe case of frostbite should be an incentive for all mountaineers to study appropriate rescue techniques so that they may be employed quickly and skillfully. George Lowe devotes a chapter to "Dumji, a five-day festival," which is an interesting sketch of part of the Sherpa’s environment. Members of the expedition were: Sir Edmund Hillary, Dr. Charles Evans, Dr. Michael Ball, Bill Beavan, Geoff Harrow, Norman Hardie, Jim McFarlane, Colin Todd, Brian Wilkins and George Lowe. Total cost: about £ 8000.

Allen Steck