The Maverick Mountaineer – The Remarkable Life of George Ingle Finch

The Remarkable Life of George Ingle Finch: Climber, Scientist, Inventor

In the spring of 1901 a teenager stood on top of a hill, gazed out in
wonderment at the Australian landscape and decided he wanted to be a
mountaineer. Two decades later, the same man stood in a blizzard beneath the
summit of Mount Everest, within sight of his goal to be the first to stand on
the roof of the world. George Finch, a boy from the bush, was at the highest
point ever reached by a human being and only his decision to save the life of
his stricken companion stopped him from trying for the summit.

George Finch was a rebel of the first order, a man who dared to challenge the
British establishment who disliked his independence, background, long hair and
lack of an Oxbridge education. Despite this, he not only became one of the
world’s greatest alpinists, earning the respect of George Mallory, but
pioneered the use of the artificial oxygen that enabled Everest to finally be
conquered thrity years after his own attempt. A renowned scientst, a World War
I hero and a Fellow of the Royal Society, involved in the development of some
of the twentieth century’s most important inventions.

In a fond and fascinating tribute to George Finch (1888-1970), acclaimed
biographer Robert Wainwright restores George Finch to his rightful place in
history with his remarkable tribute to one of the twentieth century’s most
eccentric anti-heroes.