Sir Ed and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay after they stood on the summit of Mt Everest in 1953. Photo supplied. : Homage to flawed hero

Sir Ed and his first wife, Louise Rose in 1953. Photo supplied. : Homage to flawed hero

Sir Ed and Lady June chat with Japan's Junko Tabei, the first woman to reach the summit of Mt Everest, in Kathmandu in 2003. Photo by Pawel Kopcznski. : Homage to flawed hero

The scars from a public family feud between Sir Edmund Hillary's children, Peter (left) and Sarah (right), and their stepmother Lady June are still healing, judging from interviews in a new book about Sir Ed out next week. Photo by NZ Herald. : Homage to flawed hero

Lady June. Photo by Reuters. : Homage to flawed hero

Sir Edmund Hillary kept a tight rein over what was written about him during his life, but now a new book, After Everest: Inside the private world of Edmund Hillary, explores the inner struggles and contradictions of a New Zealand hero. Photo... : Homage to flawed hero