UKC

Talking to a chap in the old Keswick bookshop today he said that Extreme Rock now goes for £150 on account of it being so rare and impossible to re-print due to the plates being inadvertently destroyed. A quick search of Amazon revealed copies at £196.

Crikey! I'd better look after my copy a bit more.

I actually think that's quite sad that such a milestone book can't be reprinted.

In reply to Babika:

Copies of hard rock go for about £60 to £70 as well, so imagine how pleased I was to get a second edition copy in a second hand book shop at the weekend for £3.50 !

In reply to climber34neil:

I will give you a fiver for it. You pay for postage though, I'm not made of money.

In reply to Removed User:

Tempting but I don't know the way to the post office

In reply to climber34neil:


Really??? Do you mean a specific edition? I thought it was still in print - i bought mine new only about 5 years ago.

In reply to Babika: This is a bit of a myth. Most copies go for well under that. Just because one is on Amazon at £196 doesn't mean that's how much it will actually sell for.

I know it's rare, but I'll be the first one to say that, with a few exceptions, it's really quite dull and not worth the money/hype. I sold my copy a few years ago and have never once regretted it.

In reply to climber34neil:


Turn right at Macdonalds, left at Aldi, left again at Lidl and it's across from the chippy.

Signed, Abseil
Gourmet

In reply to Frank the Husky:

I cashed mine in too. But I did get £185 for it, and it wasn't pristine by any means. I should think a "mint" copy would exceed £200. Agree with you it was a shadow of the magnificently evocative "Hard Rock". Anyway I'd done 9 of the 10 routes in it that I thought I could do, leaving only Left Wall that might once have been within my grasp - and I know enough about that without Extreme Rock to prompt me. In any case I'm over the hill now so I figured £185 in crisp new fivers would take up less room than the book!

In reply to Frank the Husky:

If there's such a thing in climbing as blasphemy, I think you're guilty. Now wash your mouth out while I think of a suitable penance.

In reply to Frank the Husky: I always thought that the thing that made it not as good as Hard Rock was having several routes for virtually all the chapters - doing this I think compromised the style of writing on any particular route.

In reply to abseil:

Sorry but by the time I had been in macdonalds Lidl aldi and the chippy I had spent the postage money, still I did get a big Mac meal, a frozen chicken, 2 Halloween outfits , 3 bottles of fine wine and a pickled egg all for the price of posting a small parcel

In reply to Babika:

I've got a near mint copy, mint in all but a slight scuff to back top jacket, looks brand new otherwise, if anyone wants to make me a sensible offer.

In reply to Frank the Husky:

I know what you mean; apart from Alan Baker's 'Heart of the Sun', the essays are a bit all over the place.
It stands the test of time as a picture book though.

In reply to alan moore:


Captures the truely appalling fashions of the period, you mean!

In reply to climber34neil:

I wonder why they don't do a new copy of Hard Rock, like they did with Classic Rock? Surely the plates haven't been lost for that one too?!

In reply to jon:

OK, there are a lot of tights...

In reply to alan moore:


I knew there was a reason why I've not opened my copy in the last 10 years

In reply to Babika:
There's a ticklist on UKC, good enough for me!

In reply to Michael Gordon:

Ken Wilson was in the process of doing a new edition but that was a few years ago and he's now sold Baton Wicks to Vertebrate Publishing https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/about/baton-wicks.html Whether they have a new edition in the pipeline, I don't know.

In reply to Bob:

Thanks. Vertebrate seem like a good choice so that's maybe good news!

In reply to Michael Gordon:

I thought the same when buying a new copy of Classic Rock a few years ago. I also wonder why someone just doesn't do an non copyright intrusive version of a UK Extreme Rock.

In reply to Steve Perry:


Or just use new photos? But I have that book now so it doesn't matter!

In reply to Babika:

Wasn't there some talk of scanning a pristine copy of Extreme Rock and printing a new edition from that?

In reply to pec:


Why would you want the pictures?

In reply to Kipper:


back to an earlier answer......its those tights.......

In reply to Kipper:


I assumed they would scan the words as well!

In reply to Kipper:

Great historical value - it's one of the main charms of the book. But I do agree that an excellent and different range of modern photographs would be just as inspiring for those aspiring to do the routes.

In reply to Michael Gordon:

There's a copy going for £100 on the Oxfam online bookshop. Sounds like a bargain.

In reply to pec:
The problem is that it's not really a classic and just looks dated, unlike Rock Climbers in Action in Snowdonia which is a fantastic snapshot of a special period in North Wales development. My understanding is that it is unlikely to be reprinted unless there was to be a huge demand for it. I'd rather see Black Cliff redone with an update.

cheers

Graham

In reply to Babika: Extreme Rock is very much of its time and the aura around it has been enhanced over the years primarily by the destruction of the printing plates. It is a scarce book but I don't see the benefit in "reprinting". Much better to produce a new book with the extreme routes of the day. There are many examples of this and each is subjective. Ken Wilson and his co writers/team produced three outstanding titles of their day. For some they stand the test of time, for others they don't.

In reply to Graham Hoey:


Now there's a good idea!

In reply to Co1in H:

Now that's a good idea; would it have any sport routes in it though, I wonder?