Climber, author and film director Graham Hoyland was the 15th Briton to climb Everest and during one of his nine expeditions to the mountain was responsible for the discovery of George Mallory's body. He writes for the Independent newspaper and worked as a BBC director on programmes such as Dragons' Den, the Today programme and Around the World in 80 Faiths.
Praise for Merlin 'To get deeper into the nuts and bolts of aviation, Graham Hoyland spent a year taking apart the story of the Merlin and putting it back together in a form that roars beautifully from the very start' Simon Calder, Independent 'A stirring account of how these hand-wrought machines, geared for speed and encased in elegant airframes ... delivered us in 1940 ... Merlin depicts a heroic age of smashed land, air and water speed records ... and the extreme bravery of those pioneers, who incurred many fatalities. Hoyland marries the drama and excitement with a clear focus on the technical: he puts you in the cockpit and into the very guts of the machines ... Anyone with a serious interest in engineering will find much to enjoy and appreciate.' Colin Greenwood, The Spectator Praise for Graham Hoyland 'Illuminating and entertaining' The Times 'A towering work full of twists and turns' Independent 'Richly enjoyable' Daily Mail