Killing Dragons: the Conquest of the Alps

Author(s): Fleming, Fergus

Travel Writing

In the eighteenth century the Alps were believed to be home to dragons and other fantastical monsters. This attitude changed during the Enlightenment period, but it was the arrival of the early British explorers which turned mountaineering into an obsession, an art form, and a competitive sport.

Fergus Fleming was educated at Oxford University and City University, London and trained as an accountant and barrister before working as a furniture maker. He has been a freelance writer since 1991, and he has written a number of children's books, including one on the history of spying. Barrow's Boys, which is a chronicle of nineteenth-century exploration, was read on BBC Radio 4. His second work of non-fiction is Killing Dragons: A History of Alpine Exploration. It will be followed by Ninety Degrees North in Autumn 2001. He lives in Cheltenham.

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'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

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.

General Fields

  • : 9781862074538
  • : granpb
  • : granpb
  • : 0.326
  • : 01 August 2001
  • : 197mm X 130mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Fleming, Fergus
  • : Paperback
  • : New edition
  • : 796.5220949
  • : 400
  • : 16 maps