UKC

Personally I've never been a great fan of the Himalayan blockbuster or the Alpine extravaganza.
I'm afraid I'm very parochial in my climbing literary tastes so here's the books which really lit the blue touchpaper for me.............

'Menlove'...Jim Perrin.
This fantastic book actually started me climbing when it came out in the mid 80's.

'On and Off the Rocks'/Yes to Dance....Jim Perrin
Consistantly brilliant essays.

'Native Stones'...David Craig
Really touches a poetic nerve.

'Coniston Tigers'...Harry Griffin
I can just feel those stiff frozen tweeds and moleskin trews rubbing my inner thighs !

'Into Thin Air/Into the Wild'...Jon Krakuer
Read these at the same time.Found both unputdownable.

'Journey after Dawn'....Bill Peascod
Like Harry Griffin,a brilliant portrait of a lost age of virgin cliffs and raw talent.

'Climbers'..John Harrison
It's grim oop north !

'Tight rope/Slack'...Dennis Gray
Two autobiogs from the man who was there.In the 1950/60's court of the crimson king himself.

'The Ordinary Route'...Harold Drasdo
Superb writer's perigrinations through 50 years of climbing.


Good are they not ?

In reply to Jonno:

My favourite book of all is "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage" by Hermann Buhl. I think he was amazing.

In reply to Jonno: I'm not sure that I would include Menlove or Climbers. Perrin's easays have always been better than his longer works. I would include Hard Rock, although dated now, I still find it inspiring?

KtH

In reply to Jonno: for the ones i've read off that list (not that many), yes, the are good

thanks for the rest of the list though

In reply to Jonno: extrme and hard rock are meg inspirationall, cold climbs, touching the void, a hard days summer, i choose to climb are all very inspirational.

In reply to Jonno:


Then you should read Summit Fever by Andrew Greig.

In reply to DougG: that's my favourite expedition book - worth mentioning twice ;¬)

In reply to Jonno: suprised that the white spider has not been mentioned as well as joe Browns the hard years, both inspirational stuff

In reply to Jonno:

Let's Go Climbing by Colin Kirkus is worth a read - can usually get it from library loans. It's a bit patchy but remember it was intended for youth/people who hadn't tried climbing - includes stories of last desperate lunges on solo first ascents with his arms failing!! Not sure it is in keeping with the rest of the series - Let's Go Camping, Let's Go Fishing. Wouldn't happen today.

In reply to Jonno:
What about "The Villain" by Jim Perrin. An excellent read. Couldn't put it down!

In reply to Jonno:
Another vote for Nanga Parbat Pilgramage-Hermann Buhl
Also the Kurt Diemberger Trilogy-Summits and Secrets,
The Endless Knot etc
Dave

In reply to Steven Martin: Too new, only time will tell.

KtH

In reply to Kev the Hat:

The first time I read "White Spider" 30 years ago I thought it brilliant. Read it last month and thought it was poor. Probably because Harrer has been outed, but he did labour some tedious irrelevances. Absolutely no humour in it either.

In reply to Steven Martin: Outed?

In reply to Jonno:

>Personally I've never been a great fan of the Himalayan blockbuster or the Alpine extravaganza

Ditto... hence the similarity 'twixt our respective lists.

At the top of mine is Drummonds 'A Dream of White Horses' which just gets better with age (and as I get older).

I'll also add Steve Dean's 'Hands of a Climber' which is on a par with Menlove but is about his contemporary, Colin Kirkus. I also read a very rare monograph about Edwards that belonged to a friend and I can't remember for the life of me who wrote it.

Drasdo's 'Ordinary Route' is superb and was Andy Popp's favourite book during his spell as literary reviewer for High.

On and Off the Rocks - Again superb.

Climbers - MJH - probably my second favourite as it's set close to me with situations and an atmosphere I can recognise.

Dave Gregory's A Necklace of Slings is also a great reflective read.

Finally, something from abroad. Steve Ropers Camp Four makes me wish I was born in 1955 and lived in the Valley with a huge moustache, flares and a headband during the 70's.

In reply to Jonno: Really enjoying Mountains of the Mind at the moment.

In reply to Steven Martin:

Is it actually out yet.I haven't seen it yet and Amazon say 'not yet published' ???

In reply to Jonno: Agree with most - though, personally, I didn't 'resonate' well with Harrison's 'Climbers'.

I would add:

Gaston Rebuffat - Starlight & Storm
Walter Bonatti - Mountains of my Life
Lionel Terray - Conquistadors of the Useless
Ron James - Rock Climbing in Snowdonia
Walter Pause and Jurgen Winkler - Extreme Alpine Rock
Alan Hankinson - The Mountain Men

In reply to Jonno:
Bought mine last night at the Lescar, and Mr Perrin signed it and read extracts from it. They sold all fifty copies they had.

In reply to Jonno: I loved Deep Play, and highly reccommend it, along with all of Simpsons books

In reply to Jonno: I loved reading the Kirkus Biog "Hands of a climber", truly inspirational in a different way to "Deep Play" which was one of the other books that I've really enjoyed!

In reply to Jonno: I checked today and they said 5th Feb.

In reply to Jonno: Rock CLimbers in Action in Snowdonia - why have they never reprinted it? Book of Modern Mountaineering - M Milne. This *defined* climbing/mountaineering at the end of the 60s - great picture book, erudite essays, and with the greatest frontispiece design ever! And more recently (only 20 years old) Gill Fawcett's book of British Climbing... (only partly tongue in cheek...)

In reply to Toby M: Deep play seconded, superb.

Also: One man's mountains, Tom Patey
Feeding the Rat, Al Alv.
Rock Climbing in Snowdonia, Paul Williams(no one describes a route quite like him)

In reply to Jonno: Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight...Nutter.

In reply to Jonno:

I've read and re-read Perrin's On and Off the Rocks many times. It's great.

The two books that really inspired me were Trevor Jones' Welsh Rock and, for pure infectious enthusiasm, the first edition of Paul Williams' Llanberis Guide, the one with the picture of The Quarryman on the back cover. North Wales was a great place to be at that time. Even though I was shit, I loved the tales going round at that time of madness, new crags and grades, jumping off Menai Bridge, Nicki's leap, people really pushing the boat out on hard mountain routes. And it all seemed to be crystalised by Williams in his guide.

Maybe I'm looking at things with rose coloured glasses a bit!

In reply to brothersoulshine:

Lionel Terray - Conquistadors of the Useless
Gaston Rebuffat - Starlight and Storm
Tom Pately - One Mans Mountains
Al Alavez - Feeding the Rat
Ken Wilson - Classic Rock
Ken Wilson - Cold Climbs

In reply to The Flying Giraffe: Maybe noone describes a route quite like Paul williams, but Ron James' Rock Climbing in Wales was a great 'read' - a real bumper book of climbing descriptions - everything you needed to know. If only I hadn't dropped my copy on the E. Face of Tryfan all those years ago...

In reply to The Bantam: Despite my own selections, you're not wrong.

In reply to The Bantam:

You are too young to have that list, or you read your dads copies.

all in my selection BTW, along with nanga Parbat Pilgrimage, THE book to read in the 60s.

In reply to Jonno: can't say i've read a huge amount but One Man's Mountains and Deep Play I really enjoyed.also - not a mountaineering book but i read a book by Wally Herebert about crossing the north pole when i was a wean that was really inspirational.

and of course the lowland outcrops guide.

In reply to Derbyshire Ben:
> I also read a very rare monograph about Edwards that belonged to a friend and I can't remember for the life of me who wrote it.

Are you thinking of Sampson by Noyce & Sutton which was published privately and which I own? This was the first biography of Menlove. I also thought Perrin did him justice.
Can't come to terms with the pretensiousness, mawkishness and tortured prose of most of Perrin though. Hoping his Whillan's biography is up to the standard of menlove.

In reply to Jonno:

Surely the Eiger Sanction should be on everybodies list

Mark

In reply to Jonno:

Although you fail singularly to appreciate the qualities of United, I must agree that we have something in common - five of your books are on my 'list', and near to the top (Peascod's and Perrin's 'samson' are my personal favourites)...thus:

'Menlove'...Jim Perrin.
'On and Off the Rocks'/Yes to Dance....Jim Perrin
'Native Stones'...David Craig
'Coniston Tigers'...Harry Griffin
'Journey after Dawn'....Bill Peascod

In reply to sutty:

Saves buying books myself! And I worked in a bookshop for 4 years...

In reply to Jonno:

Can't believe no one has mentioned Total Alpinism by Rene Desmaison.

In reply to Steven Martin: Couldnt let this comment go by. "outed"? I am not sure as to what you refer.However there was some half hearted attempts at suggesting that the feat of climbing the North face was done as some kind of Nazi propaganda but this has been thoroughly debunked.

In reply to Liathac:
Outed.
I meant outed as a Nazi Officer, which he was, and a teller of untruths. I accept that the ascent of the Eiger was not a political one and fair play to him and his companions for a remarkable ascent.
However, having read other accounts of other ascents, particularly by any Swiss or Italians, his versions can be a little obsessed with devaluing these ascents, and his style seems more concerned with ethics, especially when they didn't agree with his own. He went on and on and on and on about the heroics of of his heroes, and endlessly criticised the deeds of those who weren't. This led to big inconsistencies in his accounts, which are at best subjective opinions and not accurate or consistent reporting.

In reply to Marc C:

Santa Amazon brought me Gaston Rebuffat's Starlight & Storm and Walter Bonatti's Mountains of my Life which I haven't read since I was fourteen. Awesome.

In reply to Steven Martin: I understand, though not quite sure the word "outed" is appropriate, I dont think that he ever intentionaly covered up the fact, he may have not wanted to draw attention to it post war, only natural. Asked to join the Nazi party and been told that I could help myself to whatever equipment and provisions I needed to climb I probably would have been unable to refuse too. This is of course the 1930's. He wouldnt have known what hell was about to be performed. As for possibly bigging up any Austro-German nationalism only natural, same for the French on Annapurna in 1950 and the British with Everest in 53.

In reply to Jonno:

The Owl and the Cragrat is right up their with the best that those charlatans Simpson, Tasker, Pritchard et al have ever produced.

Pure inspiration. I especially enjoyed the "I wandered once up to Hen Cloud..." poem. Sheer genius that one.

In reply to Clauso: You learn something every day... I never knew Joe Simpson or Paul preitchard were in The Charlatans!

PS I think the best OatC poem has to be ' your'...sorry 'my'...oops, I meant 'our' Grooved Arete: VDiff at best...
What a team we could be - Stock, Aitken Waterman, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Peters & Lee eat your hearts out.


PPS Just imagine if we ever combined forces on rock....how the unclimbed last great lines would fall - like cherries from the tree in a gale !

In reply to Marc C:

BTW Marc, how much are you and Duncan making out of the Jennings character merchandising? Cragrat bitter, a masterstroke. Available now at a Morrisons near you.

In reply to Dave Garnett: Indeed a masterstroke! Originally we had the idea of 'Free pint of beer with every 5 copies of Owl & Cragrat purchased' - but that didn't do too well; so, instead, we went for the 'Free OatC with every 5 pints of Cragrat Bitter' (apparently the books make excellent absorbent beermats)

Er The Collected Writings of Eric Shipton or something like that, it was ace. Described first attempts at Everest and K2 as well as the finding of the Nanda Devi sanctuary.

In reply to Marc C:

Tut! Marc, you're getting your sentences jumbled again! Here, let me sort it out for you.

PPS Just imagine if we ever combined forces on the unclimbed last great rock lines ....how we would fall - like cherries from the tree in a gale !

In reply to Jonno: Glenn Randall-Breaking Point
Kurt Diemberger-The Endless Knot
Collected works of Shipton and Tilman
Jim Curran -K2

In reply to Clauso: Yes, but what a poetic way to go! Jim Perrin would be able to write a Guardian obituary: "These two dazzling conjurors of words and image fell like Icarus and Daedalus suddenly bereft of protection from the gods - dumbstruck and doomed. Their hearts swooned and swelled with blood and pride - defiantly gracious of the destiny meted out to them - like ripe cherries scattered into eternity by the unseeing, unfeeling storm. We will never see their like again"

In reply to Marc C:

PTO

... thank Christ. Pair of f*cking lunatics. I've heard enough about owls to last me several lifetimes.

In reply to Jonno:
Downward Bound by Warren Harding
One Man's Mountains -- Patey
Native Stones
A Night on the Ground, A Day in the Open -- Doug Robinson

In reply to Jonno:

Another vote for:
Buhl's Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage
Bonatti's Mountains of My Life
Terray's, Conquistadors of the Useless

And I'd like to add:
Kukuczka's My Vertical World
Messner, Solo: Nanga Parbat
Frank Smythe, most all but especially Mountaineering Holiday and Camp Six

In reply to Jonno:

ok one of my favourites

... "No picnic on Mt Kenya"

a true story of an itallian in a British concentration camp, who escapes, climbs the mountain with almost No equipment and ...

i dont want to spoil the end... just dont watch the film which bears no resemblance to the book.

"Concentration camp" - drivel. It was a perfectly civilised POW camp, the protagonists were Italian POWs, being kept their fully in accord with the Geneva Convention. They returned to the camp of their own accord after getting up Point Lenana and recorded that the camp guards seemed to view their exploit with much amusment and some admiration.

In reply to Derbyshire Ben:


"Camp 4" is excellent, straightforward documentary account of a fascinating time (Once upon a time in the west). There is room for your imagination to engage with the events described. Some more elaborately written books effectively straight-jacket your imaginative experience.

There is some wonderful writing in "Deep Play" but ultimately I found it a little disappointing...doesn't really hang together, better as individual essays.

I waited a long time to read "Feeding the Rat" and was a bit disappointed by that as well, good book but I was expecting a little more of Al. feeding his own rat, if you see what i mean. I do enjoy a bit of personal testimony.

I really enjoy G.F.Dutton's stuff, "A stiff Upper lip" in Cold Climbs is excellent.

Widening the field to include polar exploration I can thoroughly recommend "The Worst Journey in the World", about Scott's doomed 1912 expedition to the South Pole, by Cherry Apsley-Garrard. Instilled some respect in me for a man I had previously considered to be an empire buffoon....they really were very unlucky and Amundsen really was very lucky. Some goose-bump raising descriptive writing and a real human warmth to the book.

In reply to Jonno:
Have to add my weight to Starlight and Storm by Gaston Rebuffat and No Picnic on Mount Kenya. I defy anyone to read starlight and not want to climb north faces in the alps in rope soled espadrilles

In reply to Southampton Tom:

My God there's some drivel being approved here. Krakauer? "Matters"?!? Give me strength.

Always a Little Further, Alastair Borthwick.

jcm

In reply to Anonymous: Thin Air as accurate reflection then granted into the shit tip it goes but if it was fiction pretty good read, I found the book enthralling when I was niave, afterwards I found the author to be a cockhead