Ever wonder why some people just can't stop? Why they’ll literally walk into a frozen death rather than turn around? That’s basically the engine behind the Paths of Glory book by Jeffrey Archer. It isn't just a biography. It’s a weird, obsessive, and honestly heartbreaking look at George Mallory, the guy who might—just might—have beaten Edmund Hillary to the top of Everest by three decades.
Most people know the name. They know the "Because it's there" quote. But Archer does something different here. He digs into the soul of a man who was caught between a wife he genuinely loved and a mountain that acted like a jealous mistress. It’s a heavy read, not because the prose is dense—Archer is famously readable—but because you know how it ends. You’re watching a train wreck in slow motion, but the train is a polite British schoolmaster in tweed.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Paths of Glory Book
A lot of readers go into this thinking it’s a standard history book. It's not. Archer calls it a novel, though it’s built on a massive skeleton of research. He spent years looking at the life of George Mallory, from his days at Cambridge to the final, misty disappearance on the North Ridge in 1924.
The title itself is a bit of a wink. It comes from Thomas Gray’s "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." The full line is: "The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
Grim, right?
But that’s the point. The book explores the cost of ambition. Mallory wasn't some adrenaline junkie in the modern sense. He was a product of a Britain that had just been hollowed out by World War I. For that generation, doing something "glorious" wasn't just a hobby. It was a way to prove that life still had some kind of meaning after the trenches.
The Ruth Mallory Factor
Honestly, the most underrated part of the Paths of Glory book is the relationship between George and his wife, Ruth. In many climbing books, the wives are just background noise. They're the ones waving handkerchiefs at the docks.
Archer flips that.
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He portrays their marriage as deeply romantic and intellectually equal. Ruth knew. She knew the mountain was her rival. There’s this recurring tension where you see George's guilt. He wants to be a good father. He wants to be home in the garden. But then a letter arrives from the Royal Geographical Society, and you see the light change in his eyes. He’s gone before he even leaves the house.
The Mystery That Drives the Plot
Did he make it?
That’s the million-dollar question that keeps the Paths of Glory book moving. On June 8, 1924, Mallory and Sandy Irvine were spotted by Noel Odell. They were "going strong" for the top. Then the clouds rolled in. They weren't seen again until 1999, when Conrad Anker found Mallory’s body bleached white by the sun and preserved by the cold.
Archer leans into the theory that Mallory reached the summit.
He uses a specific piece of evidence to build his narrative climax: the photo of Ruth. Mallory had promised his wife he would leave her photograph on the summit of Everest. When his body was found in '99, his wallet was intact. His goggles were there. His gear was there.
The photo was missing.
It’s a tiny detail, but Archer turns it into a monumental emotional payoff. Whether it's historically "proven" is still debated by Everest nerds today, but for a storyteller, it’s gold. It transforms Mallory from a failure who died into a hero who finished the job and then succumbed to the elements.
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Why Archer’s Style Works (And Why Some Critics Hate It)
If you’ve read Jeffrey Archer before, you know he isn't trying to be James Joyce. He writes fast. His chapters are short. He loves a good cliffhanger.
In the Paths of Glory book, this pace creates a sense of vertigo. You feel the ticking clock. Mallory was getting older. Younger climbers were coming up behind him. This was his last shot. Archer captures that "now or never" desperation perfectly.
Some historians grumble that he takes liberties. Sure. He imagines conversations that happened in private bedrooms and on icy ledges. But he gets the feeling right. He captures the suffocating social expectations of 1920s England. The way the "establishment" treated Mallory—sometimes as a golden boy, sometimes as a useful tool—is portrayed with a lot of nuance.
Archer himself is a controversial figure, given his own history in British politics and time in prison. It’s interesting to see him write about a man whose reputation was everything. You can almost feel Archer projecting a bit of his own preoccupation with legacy and public perception onto Mallory.
The Technical Reality of the 1924 Expedition
Let’s talk gear for a second. These guys were insane.
The Paths of Glory book does a great job of highlighting just how primitive their equipment was compared to the North Face-clad climbers of today. They were wearing silk, wool, and gabardine. Their boots were leather with hobnails. They were using "bottled oxygen" setups that weighed a ton and frequently leaked or hissed like angry snakes.
Mallory hated the oxygen. He called it "unsporting."
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But Archer shows the pragmatic side, too. Mallory realized that without it, the mountain was impossible. The book details the agonizing logistics of the porters, the political maneuvering required to get into Tibet, and the sheer physical toll of high-altitude coughs that could literally break a man’s ribs.
Key Takeaways from the Paths of Glory Book
Reading this isn't just about mountaineering. It's about the human condition. Here is what stays with you long after you close the cover:
- Obsession is a double-edged sword. It makes you great, but it also isolates you from the people who actually care if you live or die.
- Legacy is written by the survivors. For decades, the world thought Mallory failed. Archer argues that the "path of glory" is defined by the attempt, not just the result.
- The 1920s were a weird time. The juxtaposition of Victorian manners with the brutal, lawless environment of the Himalayas is fascinating.
If you're looking for a dry, academic breakdown of the 1924 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition, look elsewhere. Go read Wade Davis’s Into the Silence. It’s brilliant, but it’s a marathon.
But if you want to feel the wind biting at your face and the heart-wrenching choice between a warm bed and a cold peak, the Paths of Glory book is the one. It’s a story about a man who was most alive when he was closest to death.
Next Steps for Readers
To get the most out of George Mallory’s story after finishing Archer's book, start by looking at the actual photographs from the 1924 expedition taken by John Noel; they provide a haunting visual context to Archer’s descriptions. Then, compare Archer's narrative with the 1999 findings of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition to see where fiction meets the icy reality of the North Face. Finally, if you're interested in the technical side of the mystery, research the "Second Step" controversy to understand why experts still argue about whether Mallory could have actually climbed it in 1924.