The Ascent of Everest -- SIGNED By Ed Hillary, John Hunt, George Lowe, G. Band & 6 others + Letter Signed By TENZING

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1953. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. TRUE COLLECTOR'S ITEM. --- FIRST PRINTING of First UK Edition -- NOT a later printing. TENZING signature present. SIGNED by "Ed Hillary" and Inscribed and SIGNED by John Hunt "In happy recollection of earlier associations. John Hunt" on the short-title page. Also SIGNED by "George Lowe" and by "George Band" on the short-title page. All of the latter were members of the first ascent team. Also SIGNED by Reinhold Messner (achieved first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen and made first true solo ascent of Everest...still not repeated), Krzysztof Wielicki (achieved first winter ascent of Everest in the heart of winter), Junko Tabei (first woman to reach the top of Everest and a really good climber with ascents worldwide), Babu Chiri Sherpa (first and only person to spend almost one day, 21 hours, atop Everest and the ONLY to live to tell the story -- he died month's later in a crevasse fall on Everest), Stephen Venables (achieved first ascent of a new route up the dangerous Kangshung Face of Everest), and Kurt Diemberger (legendary climber who made first ascents of two 8000m peaks and seemed to sign anything and everything -- he did climb to the top of Everest and took some great photos and filmed parts of the climb) on the short-title page. WITH loose typed letter on Tenzing's official letterhead SIGNED by Tenzing, a letter with reference to a guided trip to Tibet. This book contains a very uncommon assemblage of signatures of climbers who each made benchmark history on Mt Everest. The book measures 221mm tall x 145mm, and has 300 pages, 71 b/w & 8 color photos, 4 maps, sketches, 9 appendices, glossary, index. CONDITION: The book is in sharp condition, being in better than usual condition for this title, The covers are very clean and not faded, slightest touch of rubbing (= fading) at the extreme tips of cover corners, pages are bright and clean, NO foxing, tight and secure binding, no previous owner marks or writing on any pages (other than the inscribed and signed short-title page), one of the best-condition multi-signed examples of this book that we have encountered in over 40 years of working with mountaineering books. The original dust jacket has light surface chipping at spine ends and tips of corners (very minimal loss, mostly just loss of surface coloring), 1cm tear lower front near outside corner, 1cm clean tear upper rear, three minor 5mm or less tear upper edges, price-clipped front flap corner, slight sunning to spine. PHOTOS ARE OF ACTUAL ITEM BEING OFFERED.