In 1953, Alfred Gregory was chief photographer for the triumphant British team that took Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the summit of Everest. There he took spectacular photographs that record not only the human struggle to conquer the Himalaya but also the once-pristine beauty of the world's highest mountain. In the years that followed, Alfred Gregory travelled the world, leading mountaineering expeditions and recording cultures and landscapes that were then largely unknown to Westerners. He also captured the character, excitement and fading innocence of his hometown, Blackpool. His keen eye and sharp intelligence created pictures that portray all the majesty of the world's greatest wildernesses and that preserve those fleeting moments when ordinary people, objects and places become extraordinary. In this stunning book, more than one hundred remarkable images from Alfred Gregory's lifetime of photography are brought together for the first time.

About the Author

Alfred Gregory FBIPP, Hon FRPS is a climber, explorer and professional photographer. He was born in the UK in 1913 and during World War II was an officer in the Black Watch, serving in North Africa and Italy. Before the war he climbed extensively in the Lake District, Scotland and the Alps. During the 1950s he led several climbing expeditions of his own. For twenty years he worked freelance for Kodak UK, lecturing on photography and presenting his pictures to large audiences throughout Britain and Europe. His work has been exhibited in Britain, France, Belgium, America, Africa, Poland and Australia. He now lives near Melbourne, Australia.