The autobiography of one of the world"s greatest climbers-in one volume for the first time. Includes three 8-page photo inserts Through books, lectures, and TV films, Bonington is one of the sport"s most visible personalities Individually, the three volumes of Chris Bonington"s autobiography are collector"s items. Here they are brought together into one volume for the first time, to form the complete story of one of the world"s greatest climbers. In I Chose to Climb Bonington describes his initiation into climbing from his schoolboy beginnings to his successful ascents around the world, culminating in his, and the first British, ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. The story continues in The Next Horizon where Bonington describes his development as a mountaineer, photographer, journalist, and expedition leader, and ends with his preparations for the 1972 Everest Expedition. In the final volume, The Everest Years, Bonington chronicles his four expeditions to the world"s highest peak and his crowning achievement when he reached the summit of Everest in 1976. With characteristic warmth and enthusiasm, Bonington covers half a century of mountaineering at the highest level, offering insight into a charismatic generation of climbing personalities, his friends, and his own development into the devoted family man and celebrity he is today.