UKC

Any recommendations of classic rock climbing books? Recently been given Steve McClure's new book and wanted to add to the small collection.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

A short walk in the Hindu Kush

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Peak Rock ... brilliant!

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Walter Bonnatti - Mountains of my life. It's excellent!

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Let's Go Climbing - Kirkus, modern reprint out on Ripping Yarns.

In reply to RyanOsborne:

Herman buhl if you like an epic

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

'One man's Mountains' by Tom Patey.

'My Life In The Vertical World' by Lynn Hill.


Also, I'm just finishing 'Tears of the Dawn', by Jules Lines which is excellent ... and slightly terrifying.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=5992

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

This list should keep you going

http://www.boardmantasker.com/award/winners.html

In reply to Fraser:

my number 1!

The hard years - joe brown
Learning to breathe - andy cave <future classic IMO>

In reply to Ellie Rymer:
Psycho vertical by Andy Kirkpatrick is well worth a read.
Another recommendation for The mountains of my life by Walter Bonatti.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:
I really value books that are collections of articles - Games Climbers Play & Mirrors in the Cliffs both contain seminal pieces that document climbing & mountaineering. I constantly go back to key articles to calibrate my understanding of current topics. Both are now quite historic - it would be a great idea to bring out a new one to include developments of the last 20 years. Anyone out there up for it?

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Not specifically rock climbing but Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat, inspiring and almost poetic.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

FIVA by Gordon Stainforth, of this parish.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

AND: Mountaineering in Scotland/ Undiscovered Scotland by Bill (W.H.) Murray.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Scrambles Amongst The Alps

Edward Whymper

THE Classic!

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Most books on this thread are probably best described as mountaineering more than rock climbing, assuming you meant rock rather than 'alpine' or similar. There have been a number of interesting rock biographies recently (Fawcett, Moffat, Moon, Livesey, Radke, Dawes), all of which IMO are worth a read....

b

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

I have read quite a few recently. The ones that stand out for me are:

Deep Play
The Totem pole } all Paul Pritchard
The Longest climb

I actually enjoyed the last 2 more than Deep play but you need to read this 1st this to get to know the character pre-accident.

And another vote for Tears of the Dawn - Jules Lines (he's a top end soloist so you get a different perspective to most of the other books out there)

I also enjoyed
The Villain - about Don Whillans
The Hard years - Joe Brown
Revelations - Jerry Moffatt
Rock Athlete - Ron Fawcett
Full of myself - Johnny Dawes (a tough read but a good insight into one of climbings more colourful characters)
Against the wall - Simon Yates

Happy reading.....

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer. One of the best books I've ever read

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

One Man's Mountains - Tom Patey. A collection of articles and verse rather than a single book, but one of my all time favourite mountain books.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

best I've read recently was John Porter's One Day as a Tiger - UK rock & ice, plus alpine & himalayan epics.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

The Impossible Victory by Peter Habeler. I haven´t read the book in years, so my memory may be rose tinted, but used to like it much more than Messner´s version.

CB

In reply to RyanOsborne:


Just unputdownable!

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

W H Murray wrote 2 excellent books on 1930's and 40's new routing in Scotland on rock and ice.
Quite lyrical and understated writing,and humorous.Gives close insight to certain ice routes on the Ben;so worth a read just for that.Also relates a meeting with a German soldier/mountaineer when he was taken prisoner.Google the titles.

Mitch

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

Feeding The Rat by Al Alvarez. Not the longest of books, but, a very good philosophy.

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

The alternative guide to British rock climbing, gill kent

In reply to Ellie Rymer:

The Ascent of Rum Doodle - W.E. Bowman - it's got a bit of rock climbing.

Mind you, if he said what I think he said, he's not the man I think he is.

And Steve Bancroft's Recent Developments in the Peak District. Definitely a classic.