| BOOKS
Stephen wrote the synopsis of his first book whilst staying with
friends in Mumbai, on the way home from the Himalaya, in 1985. A
year later the result, Painted Mountains, was published by Hodder & Stoughton and won the prestigious Boardman Tasker
Prize for
mountain literature.
Stephen has since written ten more books. Everest – Alone
at the Summit and A Slender Thread were
both runners up for the Boardman Tasker Prize. Himalaya
Alpine Style won the Grand Award at Banff International
Mountain Festival and Everest – Summit of Achievement
won the King Albert Award.
This is what some of the critics had to say about A Slender
Thread. ‘Powerful dramatic writing … one of the best
mountaineering books to have been published for a very long
while’ (Daily Telegraph). ‘Outstanding’ (Climber magazine). Venables writes with elegance, conjuring up vividly and honestly
his companions [with] an acute awareness of the environment
through which he travels’ (Observer).
In 2006 Stephen published two new books. Meetings with Mountains
is a sumptuous illustrated collection of stories from around the
world.
More on Meetings with Mountains
The other book only touched briefly on the mountains, as
background to the story of Stephen’s elder son, who became
autistic at two and died at twelve from a brain tumour. When it
came out in hardback Ollie made the Sunday Times bestseller list
and promises to do even better in paperback.
Now he has published his long-awaited autobiography,
Higher than the Eagle Soars – A Path to Everest, telling
the story of all his early adventures, finishing on the summit
of Everest.
See synopsis and reviews
Stephen's new book, First Ascent, featured recently in this
Climber magazine feature by Ed Douglas.
Click to download pdf of article |
Click for more on
Stephen's latest book
"Having spent time with Stephen on the Eiger,
I know what good company he is. He has huge talent and a
remarkable story to tell. His Everest climb was one of the great
adventures of our time, but what is really fascinating is the
life journey which took him to the top."
Ranulph Fiennes
click for more on Higher than the Eagle Soars
‘Extraordinary and inspirational’
Good Books Guide
more on Ollie
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