UKC

The short list for the prestigious Boardman Tasker prize for mountain literature has been announced for 2012 and is as follows:

Jim Curran
here, there and everywhere...
Wade Davis
INTO THE SILENCE
Andy Kirkpatrick
COLD WARS - Climbing the fine line between risk and reality
...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67434

Great to see Fiva has made the list, a truly fantastic book!

In reply to UKC News:

Surprised that Johnny's book isn't on the shortlist. A shame.

In reply to Tom Briggs:

Yeah I agree Tom - great book that reflects Johnnys personality. A true autobiography.

In reply to Henry Iddon:

Haven't read it yet, but the review by Douglas on UKC noted errors in it and a somewhat convoluted structure - suggesting these were the result of his choice to self-publish rather than work with an editor. I wonder if the jury take into account these more 'technical' issues?

It's an interesting question as to whether there being typos and spelling errors in a book makes it necessarily a bad (or at least, less good) book?

In reply to TobyA:

I think this is where multiple levels of editing comes into it. If the errors are of a proofreading nature, e.g. typos, spelling errors, then that can be overlooked by many people, but if the editing required is more structural then it's more problematic.

In reply to Tom Briggs: Did he submit it? If not, there's not much the judges can do!

In reply to TobyA: The typography in "Full of myself" left much to be asked for, and it was in part a tedious read (I confess to just having skimmed parts), and it obviously left out a great deal of the period of his life I imagine was most difficult to live through.

For all its fault it is still a great book, really great.

Since "Full of my self" was self-published I very much doubt it got submitted, but that would be a really lame excuse from the part of the awards-committee not to consider the book: sometimes you have to be pro-active. I guess I am not alone in doubting that one of the shorlisted books would be more deserving ( http://steviehaston.blogspot.se/2012/09/boring-boadman-tasker-award-by-stev... )

In reply to Sheffield Sam:

Here, here!

In reply to jwi:

Agreed. For all its faults, it's a unique book about one of the most influential rock climbers that ever lived. And it has some brilliant writing in it.

In reply to Tom Briggs:

Seeing Johnny this weekend in Norway and I'll ask him about the book (I'm sure he'll tell me!).

Liked Stevie's take on the BT, although we know he's never read one word of any book submitted, making him the worse kind of critic. If we left culture to Gods like Stevie we'd all be living in Sparta, and the only literature we'd have would be on the subject of pull ups!

Stevie's always been my idol, but the older I get, the less time I have for his extremist view of the world, or of climbing, or life in general - where only those who climb 9a, or those at the top, have the write to speak and be heard.