This biography of Tony Streather describes a man who was one of the very great trailblazers of the golden age of Himalayan climbing in the 1950s. Tony Streather was a professional soldier to the core, serving in the North-West Frontier of India, Germany, Cyprus, North Borneo and Northern Ireland among many assignments. But through a chance meeting in post-Partition Pakistan, he became transport officer to a Norwegian expedition to Tirich Mir and joined the summit team that scaled the mountain for the first time. From that moment onwards, he combined soldiering with a distinguished mountaineering career. He summited Kangchenjunga as a member of the second rope in 1955 and survived tragedies on K2 and Haramosh. Many expeditions followed. His military career, which included co-founding the Army Mountaineering Association, was exemplary. For the first time, this authorized biography tells the full story of Tony Streather, soldier and mountaineer.

Tales from the Himalaya is essential reading for anyone with a stake in the Himalaya, whether a first-time traveller to the region, a trekker, a mountaineer, or simply someone who is captured by the allure of the high mountains. This book tells epic stories of religion, science, politics, and society that define the lives of every man, woman and child in this highest of human habitats. Lavishly illustrated with an extensive bibliography, Tales from the Himalaya is an inspirational journey, a feast for the eye as well as the mind. Each tale is introduced by an episode from the author's travels and climbs across the Himalayan range.