Product Description

Full of eccentric characters, "Killing Dragons" is the story of the first British mountaineers to tackle the Alpine summits of Switzerland during the late 18th century. Originally the explorers of this area were poorly equipped, wearing ordinary shoes and no protective clothing. The British arrived intent on reaching every Alpine summit, and "mountaineering" was born. The title refers to the legend of dragons inhabiting these peaks: "here be dragons", quoted the old maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #248472 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There is a mathematical law which explains why you wait for ages for a bus to turn up and then two appear at the same time. This may be of small comfort to Fergus Fleming, whose Killing Dragons, a thoroughly engaging story of how the Alps were conquered--primarily by the British, has had some of its thunder stolen by another book, Jim Ring's equally excellent How The British Made the Alps which was published a month earlier. Inevitably the two books cover similar ground, but Fleming should not be too disappointed at not having cracked the market first as the Alps are his natural stomping ground. Fleming came to prominence last year with the publication of Barrow's Boys, the story of how the Navy sought to justify its budget in peacetime by organising a series of quasi-scientific expeditions to increasingly remote locations, and Killing Dragons is a natural successor. Fleming has a natural affinity for charming, buccaneering eccentrics and there are more than enough on offer here. He starts, understandably enough, with the early pioneers and the first ascent of Mont Blanc by Balmat and Paccard in 1786; this is chattily written and good fun with it, but the book steps up a gear with the arrival of the Brits, such as Tyndall and Whymper. In the early days of Alpine climbing, scientific endeavour was felt to be far more important than the conquest of the peaks, but the Brits stripped away these pretensions and turned the Alps into an adventure playground where rivalries were played out in the pursuit of glory. Fleming strikes a fine balance in his storytelling. He doesn't bore us with endless details of belays and rappels but he still conveys a sense of the technical difficulties involved. Most of all, though, he has a natural feel for what people want to read. When it comes to the conquest of the North Face of the Eiger he admits that the ascent doesn't strictly fall within his remit, but he tells it anyway as the story is so gripping. --John Crace

Review
'Fleming shins up the sheer face of Alpine exploration...[and] is excellent at the detail, excitement and danger of specific climbs.' Literary Review; '[A] richly entertaining as well as highly informative read. Highly recommended.' Focus; '[Fleming] has now corne up with another equally stirring tale...a stylistic equivalent of the modern athlete-climber, leaping from peak to narrative peak...it is hard to imagine the story of men and mountains being told with more gusto.' Sunday Telegraph; 'The story [is] as engrossing as any novel. Its wit and erudition make me think I'll never look at a glacier in the same way. [He] leaves us wanting more. Which, of course, after this excellent book, we do.' Scotland on Sunday; 'Fleming attacks his theme with verve, mining entertainment from eccentric Alpinists, sensational ascents and grisly accidents.' Food and Travel Magazine; 'Fergus Fleming kicks off his book as he continues - by spinning one ripping yarn after another, gleaned from exhaustive research into contemporary accounts.' Daily Telegraph; 'Fergus Fleming['s]...excellent book...[is] a tremendously exciting...account of the mountaineers and their adventures. Fleming tells a ripping good yarn, of which there are dozens in the annals of Alpinism.' Times Literary Supplement; '...it is hard to picture the unassailable, mysterious Alps of the past, but in Fleming's book, they come to glorious life...[a] wonderful book...' Evening Standard; 'Fleming's latest is great fun. An invigorating read' Time Out; 'Killing Dragons is more scientifically alluring and anecdotally toothsome than most travel books, as well as being riddled with improbably hilarious tales of doomed Brits striding up the Matterhorn in boating blazers' Tim Moore, Daily Mail; 'Fergus Fleming [has] an eye for a good story, an appalling scandal or disaster, a savoury fact or intriguing character' The Independent

About the Author
Fergus Fleming is a freelance writer living in London W8 and Gloucestershire. Educated at Oxford University and City University, London, he trained as an accountant and barrister and has worked as a furniture maker. Fergus is also the author of Amaryllis, a portrait of his aunt, and of several children's books. His recent non-fiction book Barrow's Boys, is published by Granta Books.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating and worthwhile, although tedious in places.
This is a strange book, which I was struggling with for the first
third or so but which improved greatly towards the end.

First, a few words about the style of the book, which was not exactly
what I had expected. It seems to me that Fleming is, first and
foremost, a historian: he obtains his sources, surveys & absorbs them,
and distills them into a work of his own. This is testified to by two
things: the extensive bibliography of books, journals, and letters at
the back of the book, and the frequest references to that bibliography
throughout the text. Indeed, you really get the feeling that
virtually every statement Fleming makes has its source on another
sheet of paper somewhere. That's fine, in fact it's probably better
than an unsubstantiated stream of commentary, but it did take a bit of
getting used to, personally.

Now for the subject matter. In general, the book is concerned with
two things: the "opening up" of the Alps, from before the Napoleonic
era until just prior to the second world war, and the development of
mountaineering as a pastime and concept. More specifically, the book
tells this story by concentrating (though not exclusively) on a small
number of key players and events. Although a lot of ground is
covered, there are three major sections, each concerning a particular
"phase" of mountaineering development.

The first major section concerns the conquest of Mont Blanc, the Alps'
highest peak, and mainly involves the characters Saussure, Pacard,
Bourrit, and Balmat. The second major section concerns the
Matterhorn, and mostly looks at Tyndall and Whymper. The third
section considers the post-Whymper world, looking at Coolidge,
Davidson, the Meije, and the Eigerwand. These are generalisations -
many other characters and mountains are mentioned, but these the
primary subject matter.

To my mind, the most interesting parts of the book were the accounts
of actual climbs, which got much better as the book went on. Early
on, I found it hard to picture Saussure and Pacard struggling up Mont
Blanc - the descriptions didn't quite "come to life". By the time of
Tyndall and Whymper's attacks on the Matterhorn, the mists were
clearing and I could imagine the scenes - and appreciate their scale -
much better. The last chapter, concerning pre-war attacks on the
perilous north face of the Eiger, had me absolutely gripped and was
undoubtedly the most vivid and exciting section of the book. Whether
this development was due to Fleming finding his stride, or me finding
my imagination, I couldn't say, but I suspect the former.

The least interesting aspects (again, to me, others may differ), were
the accounts of arguments and disputes between the various players
concerning who had done what when. Clearly this is important from a
historical point of view, but on the whole I found it tedious. This
was particularly bad in the (long) Mont Blanc section, and a third of
the way through the book I was in danger of giving it up, but I'm now
very glad I persisted, as the book improved greatly.

Between these two extremes, the other major themes of the book -
namely the gradual transformation of the Alpine region from "badlands"
to tourist-trap, and the corresponding transformation of
mountaineering from an indication of insanity, through being an
occupation of gentlemen, to a competetive international sport -
unfolds naturally and enjoyably.

In summary, despite some initial difficultly I found this to be a
fascinating and occasionally gripping account of a remarkable period.
If you have no interest in history or mountaineering, you probably
won't enjoy it. If you have an interest in either (especially
mountaineering), you probably will. If you are a mountaineering
historian, don't miss it!

Fascinating personal histories and tales of derring do!
Fergus Fleming realy brings to life those larger than life characters who were obsessed with alpine exploration. The book is built up from a series of chapters that are roughtly chronological, but also feature a particular individual or group of climbers. Full of rich and interesting detail, the book is patently well researched.

It is quite chucklesome too. You will find yourself reading parts aloud to your friends and family, and smiling to yourself as you read the wry, warm, and humorous accounts.

If you have ever visited the alps, or are interested in social history and biography you will find this unputdownable.

Buy, read, enjoy, and bore all your friends about it!

An excellent book in bitesize chunks.
"Killing Dragons" by Fergus Fleming is an excellent book for climbers, travellers and historians. It charts the exploration of the alps since records first began and is well researched and written. The author brings alive the climbers written about by adding in little bits of information which make them interesting. It also includes a very concise and useful bibliography in case you are interested in researching or just reading a bit more about the subject of mountaineering.