Click here to preview or buy all Graham’s books on Amazon UK or Amazon USA. They are also available in all good booksellers.
First on Everest: The Life of Howard Somervell (History Press, due May 2026) – preorder now
‘Hoyland writes with rare authority, empathy and insight, delivering a vital and beautifully told biography long overdue.’ – Sir Chris Bonington, renowned British mountaineer
The pioneers who attempted the first climbs of Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924 knew nothing about the mountain other than its height. They had to learn the hard way about the lack of oxygen, the jet-stream winds, the illnesses of altitude, and the vital importance of the Sherpas. They fought cerebral oedema, frostbite, hypothermia, and raging thirst in the cold, thin air. They had to find a route, avoid avalanches, and work out what to do when confronted by an insurmountable rock climb at extreme altitude. Many of them died.
Howard Somervell was Mallory’s closest friend on the mountain during those groundbreaking first ascents. An exceptionally gifted man, his life takes us far beyond the mountain: he had a double first from Cambridge, was a talented artist and an accomplished musician. He served as a surgeon at the Battle of the Somme during the First World War and was one of the foremost alpinists of the day when he was invited to join the 1922 expedition. After Everest, he was awarded an Olympic gold medal for Alpinism in 1924. But in India, he will be remembered as a surgeon who dedicated the remainder of his life to healing the sick.
Those early climbers showed the way. Somervell took part in the first attempt to climb the mountain, and his oxygen-free height record in 1924 stood for over 50 years.
The Car: A History of the World in 150 Cars (Key, 2024)
Where might we have been for the last century without the car? Henry Ford saw the potential for a more dynamic and connected world, moving beyond the limited travel options of trams and steam trains.
Before the advent of mass-produced cars that were affordable to the general population, our lives were quieter and more localised, but with its advent, we embraced an exciting new era of exploration and freedom.
The car is an unparalleled consumer product, transforming our lives and allowing us to travel further, broadening the horizons of our journeys and experiences. Yet surprisingly little has been written about its profound social impact in recent times.
This book offers a comprehensive technical, social, and cultural history, examining 150 game-changing cars to illustrate how this simultaneously remarkable yet commonplace invention, J. G. Ballard’s ‘huge, metallised dream’, has come to so deeply influence our lives.
Jet: The Engine That Changed The World (Key, 2022)
The invention of the jet engine had a profound effect on the world. Commercial jet aircraft revolutionised travel, opening up every corner of the planet. Few know that the jet engine was invented by an Englishman in 1929. The invention was a masterstroke of genius by 21-year-old Frank Whittle, replacing the piston engine’s thousands of reciprocating parts with one part: a single smoothly revolving turbine.
Although the world’s first jet airliner was the British de Havilland Comet, Britain then gave away the technology – not only to the United States but to the Soviet Union as well. The Jet Set, the air hostess and the package holiday all followed. The dream of cheap, exotic travel had been realised. Yet, just like the impact of the internet, there were downsides to the world-reaching power of this phenomenon. Jet tells the story of this brilliant new technology, how it shrank the world and how it changed life forever.
Merlin: The Power Behind the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster (William Collins, 2020)
#1 Bestseller in Aviation History on Amazon
#1 Bestseller in WWII Battle of Britain on Amazon
The most iconic planes of WWII were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design. Merlin encompasses the history of powered flight, from the ingenuity of the Wright Brothers to the horrors of World War I, and from the first crossing of the Atlantic to the heady days of flying in the 1920s.
At the heart of this story are the glamourous lives of the pilots, many of whom died in their pursuit of speed; the engineers, like Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, who sketched the engine in the sand of his local beach; and Lady Lucy Houston, who singlehandedly funded the development of the engine and the iconic Spitfire. Never was so much owed by so many to so few – and without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the few would have been powerless.
Yeti: An Abominable History (William Collins, 2018)
“Illuminating and Entertaining” – The Times (winner, Book of the Week)
What leads mankind to believe in monsters? What happens when we meet the brutal creatures of our nightmares? Tales of the Himalayan yeti have been recorded for centuries. This huge, ape-like, hairy creature has tantalised explorers, mountaineers and locals with curious footprints and elusive appearances. But until recently, no one has been able to identify what this mythical creature might be, or even determine if it is real.
On an expedition to the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Graham Hoyland found and filmed footprints of the mythical yeti in a part of the country that has never before been visited by Western explorers. As he delves into the fascinating history of this ancient legend, Hoyland hears tales of the yeti from Sherpas who have tried and failed to track it. He explores the literary hinterland behind the legend. From the dubious, mystical pseudo-science of the Nazis in the 1930s to our current era of ‘post-truth’ and ‘fake news’, Hoyland examines the age-old cultural phenomena that fuels belief in the existence of these monstrous creatures.
Walking Through Spring (William Collins, 2017)
“The most effective advertisement for the countryside I’ve ever encountered” – Daily Mail
Did you know that the English Spring moves north at the speed of a walk?
In 2015 Graham followed the spring on foot through the whole of England, from Christchurch to the border at Gretna Green, planting an oak tree every mile. This book documents his journey; following Richard Jefferies, Edward Thomas and Robert Macfarlane into the wilder parts of our country, Walking through Spring is a book in the English pastoral tradition.
Graham connected a labyrinth of ancient footpaths into a new national trail, marking each mile travelled by planting an acorn in hedgerows of blackthorn, hawthorn, dogwood and hazel. He drew a line of trees stretching through the English countryside, nicknamed “The Oak Route”.
On the way many aspects of Spring are explored: how does the earth’s angle to the sun make the seasons change? Which plants start blooming first? Which birds survive the bitter winter in our hedgerows and which arrive from overseas? You can preview the first pages of Walking Through Spring on Amazon UK or Amazon USA.
Last Hours on Everest: The gripping story of Mallory & Irvine’s Fatal Ascent (Collins, 2013)
#1 Amazon Mountaineering Bestseller
Could Everest have been climbed in 1924, years before Hillary and Tenzing?
An expert mountaineer cracks Everest’s most intriguing mystery – did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit before they perished on its slopes?
On the 6th June 1924, mountaineers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine perished in their attempt to reach the summit of Everest. Obsessed by uncovering what happened, in 1993 Graham Hoyland became the 15th Englishman to climb Everest. His investigations led to the finding of Mallory’s body; it will be his evidence that will recover Irvine’s.
‘Last Hours on Everest’ meticulously reconstructs that fateful day. Combining his own expert insight with the clues they left behind, Graham Hoyland at last answers the most intriguing of questions – did the two men actually reach the top of Everest?
You can preview the first pages of Last Hours on Everest at Amazon UK or Amazon USA.
