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The World Beneath Their Feet
- The British, the Americans, the Nazis and the Mountaineering Race to Summit the Himalayas
- Narrated by: Scott Ellsworth
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
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The World Beneath Their Feet
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Summary
The stories of the extraordinary men and women - the athletes, aristocrats, opportunists and oddballs - who launched the race to the roof of the world.
From 1931 to 1953, there was a race like no other. It was a race to the top of the world - a race primarily between Great Britain, Nazi Germany and the United States.
Carried on across nearly the entire sweep of the Himalayas, it involved not only the greatest mountain climbers of the era, but statesmen and millionaires, world-class athletes and bona fide eccentrics, scientists and generals, obscure villagers and national heroes.
Centred in the 1930s, with one brief, shining postwar coda, the contest was a struggle between hidebound traditionalists and unknown innovators, one that featured new techniques and equipment, unbelievable courage and physical achievement and unparalleled derring-do.
And death.
One Himalayan peak alone, Nanga Parbat in Kashmir, claimed 25 lives in less than three years. Fuelled by deep national needs, the great Himalayan race captured the attention of the world.
British superiority, German innovation, American determination and the wonder of Sherpas dominated the newsreels, radio broadcasts, books and magazines of the age.
The World Beneath Their Feet will bring this forgotten story back to life.
It will resurrect what was, in fact, one of the most compelling international dramas of the 1930s, a saga of survival, technology, and some of the most breathtaking human physical achievements, and athletes, ever known, all set against the backdrop of a world headed toward war.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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What listeners say about The World Beneath Their Feet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Garret Coyle
- 06-02-21
Exceptional
Engrossed from start to finish, excellent narration, details of different climbers and sherpas tackling Everest and K2 and some others.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-02-21
Excellent engaging story
Very detailed and descriptive account of the adventures of many mountaineering heroes. Particularly thoughtful recollection and recording of the various Sherpa climbers who carried more than their share.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 12-01-24
Dreadful narration
A great take let down by appalling narration. It’s inconceivable that names of places and events can be butchered in this way, especially by the author.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ovekat
- 02-03-20
Great Story Disappointing Narration
There is no doubt that this is a great story and as historical mountaineering books go it will be regarded as one of the best. I was a little disappointed that the detailed story only starts in 1931 which means that reference to Mallory and Irvine plus other great British climbers is superficial and passing.
As a book the narrative will be a great read, but this is audible and as such the narration is everything. In some cases I like to hear the author reading their own book but the problem with Scott Ellsworth to British ears is that he is an American and simply put he butchers not only English pronunciation but foreign places and names as well. For instance Nepal becomes Naypaul, Buddhist becomes Boodist and Darjeeling is Darzheling and worse.
I stuck with the audio because it's a good story and no doubt Scott will go down well with the American market, so if you can live with the narration go for it. .
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1 person found this helpful