UKC

A lot of books came out of the mid-20th Century British climbing boom, including well-selling autobiographies of Bonington and Joe Brown. This one is a bit different, says Ronald Turnbull.

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By coincidence (?) a French translation of this has just been published, but it has no photos. Long time since I read the original but I'm sure I remember photos & this review seems to confirm that, wonder why they were left out of the French edition

I loved the book. Climbing of it's era, which was also my era. Sat alongside The Games Climbers Play on my bookshelf for a long time.

Joe's factory where he famously made his helmets was the old school in Nant Peris, later a studio for one John Redhead.

Thanks enjoyed this. You might like my obit of Al Alvarez. 
 

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/al_alvarez_-_a_climbing_obituary-7108...

I'd have thought AA was remembered in the wider world mainly as the author of The Savage God and whatever that rather charming elegiac book about his daily swim in old age in the Hampstead Heath pools was called.

jcm

Feeding the Rat is a much better book than this review suggests. My guess is it likely introduced Paul Pritchard to the term 'deep play'. One of the few 'climbing books' I might recommend to someone not particularly interested in the game. 

Horses for courses, but I though the Old Man of Hoy chapter far and away the worst bit of the book.

Obit of Al Alvarez here, seems he's likely to be remembered by quite a few - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/23/al-alvarez-obituary

I agree with Ron: a proper classic book worthy of some attention in a bivvy.

FACTOID: It's known as "Feeding the Siberian Hamster" in Barcelona.