UKC

Wolfgang Gullich Eclipses Extreme Rock

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 Mark Collins 16 Nov 2016
Just thought I'd see if there were any books about this interesting individual, and came across this!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfgang-Gullich-Vertical-Tilmann-Hepp/dp/18718906...

Puts the current price of a second hand Extreme Rock in the shade, or so I thought...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0906371368/ref=tmm_hrd_new_olp_sr...
1
 Neil R 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

I've got a copy I'd be happy to sell for half of that!
 james mann 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

I bought a copy of this for £3 on eBay last year. Great photos.

James
 Rob Exile Ward 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

Sadly I think that online booksellers just put silly prices against books when they run out, rather than withdrawing them from sale.

No doubt if someone expressed a serious interest in Extreme Rock for £1,000 they could find someone to buy a copy from. Me, for instance!
 james mann 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Alibris has copies for about £130.
 aln 16 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

Your post contradicts itself.
 stp 17 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

Yeah completely absurd prices. I suspect no human involvement in pricing these books. Probably done by some malformed computer algorithm using exponential prices when stock gets low and completely devoid of any common sense.

Books like that can't be worth much more than about £25 (probably about what they were when new).
 james mann 17 Nov 2016
In reply to stp:

The gullich book was published in reasonably small numbers in English and was able to buy mail order through ote I think. Wolfgang Gullich was a very pivotal character in climbing, perhaps more now than he was considered at the time of his death especially in the U.K. Hepps book is excellent and it contains many of the articles written by the man himself as well as some superb photos. Over the years copies are lost and many are sat on shelves in houses like mine. This means that few copies are available to purchase. Books are worth what someone will pay for it. The original value has no relevance to this price. No reprint, like extreme rock increases the value.

James
 stp 17 Nov 2016
In reply to james mann:

I'm sure such books now out of print are very hard to get hold of. But that doesn't mean they're any better now than when they were plentiful. The content is exactly the same, no better, no worse though somewhat dated. I'm sure some people with plenty of money would pay over the odds for such books. But £640 or £999 for one book?? You'd have be properly mad to pay that much. They still have to compete with new books that are coming out all the time at much more reasonable prices that will be much better in many ways.
4
 bouldery bits 17 Nov 2016
In reply to stp:
Collectors mate. Collectors.
Post edited at 23:30
 Andy Say 18 Nov 2016
In reply to stp:

> But £640 or £999 for one book?? You'd have be properly mad to pay that much. They still have to compete with new books that are coming out all the time at much more reasonable prices that will be much better in many ways.

I'm with you on that one. I mean look at that Mona Lisa painting. You can buy really good photos nowadays, framed as well. Cheap as chips. Who in their right minds would want a dingy old daub.

And don't start me on that Van Gogh; I can grow sunflowers for nowt.
 Mike Highbury 18 Nov 2016
In reply to Andy Say:
> And don't start me on that Van Gogh; I can grow sunflowers for nowt.

And, damnitall, they are even easier to paint.
 stp 18 Nov 2016
In reply to bouldery bits:

Well of course there are collectors of art, old cars and antiques etc. But collectors of old climbing books? Do such people even exist? Surely only climbers, and pretty keen long term ones at that, would even appreciate a book on Wolfgang or Extreme Rock. And I imagine most of those are far too busy actually going climbing than to be bothered about paying a grand for some old books on the subject. It's just such a participant oriented sport it seems to me that few people have such a strong (ie. expensive) need for nostalgia.

I remember cherishing my Master of Rock (John Gill) book in the eighties. I lent it to someone and of course when I asked for it back they couldn't find it. I was gutted. Back then it was irreplaceable - impossible to get another copy. I looked online recently and found one for £25. I was very tempted but in the end I didn't buy. Had it been half that price I think I would have bought though.
 bouldery bits 18 Nov 2016
In reply to stp:

This dude maybe?

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=8298

I agree though - I'd never pay that much for a book personally. I can see why others might though!
 Simon Caldwell 19 Nov 2016
In reply to stp:

> But collectors of old climbing books? Do such people even exist?

Yes. There are enough of us that they even publish books listing books

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/are-you-a-fanatical-guidebook-collector88
 stp 19 Nov 2016
In reply to bouldery bits:

> This dude maybe?

LOL. Yeah maybe. Then again it looks like he's got every book already. Amazing.
 Sean Kelly 20 Nov 2016
In reply to james mann:

I'll hang on to my mint copy then James!
 Sean Kelly 20 Nov 2016
In reply to Mark Collins:

Talking about books, no word yet about the Boardman Tasker Awards 2016. Anyone out there know anything?

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