UKC regular John Cox reviews the fantastic looking Peak Rock book from Vertebrate Publishing.
"I will make a prediction; it will become this generation's Extreme Rock. Except that it's much better than that ultimately very slightly disappointing book..."
John, thank you for your help earlier and now for producing such a splendid review. With no disrespect to Eric Byne, my guess (and it's only a guess) is that Geoff Sutton also deserves considerable credit for High Peak. He seemed a highly talented man. Never having met either of you, I'd hazard another guess that you'd have got on famously.
Nice review. I've only snacked on a few nibbles so far, but they've tickled my taste buds in new and interesting ways. The book is truly a triumph and if I had my way the authors would be carried through the streets aloft in a Whillans Box tent.
Lovers of trivia are amply rewarded (and really, the climbing world and the nerd world produce a heavily overlapping Venn diagram) but lovers of hard historical data are rewarded equally so. Vertebrate should be congratulated for publishing the book with the loving care it deserves. All that effort for 2000 copies. Buy one.
> This is a just a fantastic book. They made 2,000 copies; under 300 are left. I will make a prediction; it will become this generation’s Extreme Rock.
Have they destroyed the plates then? (Or whatever equivalent of plates one uses in modern publishing.)
Yes it is a superb book and long overdue. I ordered my slipcased edition as soon as I knew about it.
However, I have two criticisms.Could it not have been printed in the UK? Cost I suppose.
Why no index? OK there is one for the large photo's but that's only by chapter not page. Why not for the literary content?
It is a great book, lots of detail that would probably be lost in the near future, living history and all that.... The Peter Biven and Trevor Peck section was fascinating.
I'm not a religious man but this book has been my bible since I recieved it,
Coffee table style books are so often a great collection of photos with no content but this is also a really well written account of climbing history throughout the peak. I've read it from cover to cover three or four times, and if you have any interest at all in British climbing you should too.
Dave, I'm with you on that one all the way. Of all the books I own, Extreme Rock is the one I have read more times than any other and it never ceases to inspire.
'....a shocking post-brushing photo of poor old Downhill Racer, '
I've got a photo of Pete Livesey doing the first ascent. It was quite a dull day with very flat lighting so the photo was nothing special, I seem to recall. I didn't know it was Downhill Racer at the time or even a first ascent. He asked if I was another John Woodhall? God knows where the slide is now, as I have hundreds of boxes not catalogued.
> Dave, I'm with you on that one all the way. Of all the books I own, Extreme Rock is the one I have read more times than any other and it never ceases to inspire.
Indeed. The only thing I find disappointing about Extreme Rock is the fact that I'm not good enough to do most of the routes.
Well done to all the team including Mick Ward, Percy Bishton, Mark Pretty, Keith Sharples, Jon Read, Adam Long, Steve McClure, Tom Randall, Andi Turner, Vertebrate Graphics, the BMC, and everyone else who helped us with the book!
As of this morning there are only around 100 copies held by the distributors, Cordee, and wheen they're gone, that will be the end of the first edition sales.
Just been speaking to Jon Barton, and we reckon the first edition will be sold out within a month from now, which is great, and by the end of May we should be handing over the royalty donations to the MHT/Barker family.
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