So ive now ready jerry moffats revelations. Steve mcclure beyond limits and tommy caldwells the push.
all very different but all amazing reads. I think steves was the best as i could relate in places.
any advice on what to read next? Statement?
Home Front by Khamila Shamsie (Spelling?) just as a totally different read, whilst you decide on the climbing book to read.
Have you read all the classics climbing books?
Just for a laugh, if you have, read the Ascent of Rum Doodle, whose author I forget.
I enjoyed reading statement. I'd go for that next. Especially if you've already read moffatts book. I tried to read Johnny dawes book as well but it was much like listening to him talk - rambling and hard to follow at times. A ghostwriter would have been good for that one, although it would have been a hard job.
Lynn Hill's Climbing Free or Eric Jones's A Life on the Edge.
Deep Play by Paul Pritchard ? or look at anthologies like Games Climbers Play or Mirrors in the Cliffs
Rock Athlete
> I tried to read Johnny dawes book as well but it was much like listening to him talk - rambling and hard to follow at times. A ghostwriter would have been good for that one, although it would have been a hard job.
Just to put the case for the defence, I'm really glad no one tried to edit JD into the conventional narrative style that makes so many climbing autobiogs so samey. It's one of the few that has a distinctive style. It's also possibly the only one to to include a couple of climbing poems, a cause close to my heart. Still, each to their own.
My recommendation, for something contemporary but with some genuine style, is Julian Lines's Tears of the Dawn. If you want a taste of his style, checkout his recent Crag Notes article. If like me you're into soloing, it's a must-read.
Summit Fever gives a different perspective.
As does the Ascent of Rumdoodle
Gwen Moffat
Haven't read many, but life and Limb by Jamie Andrews and Gordon Stainforth's book Fiva stand out. The former putting my climbing accident in perspective some year ago and the latter being totally gripping I read the thing almost non stop.
Great thread. I've just finished 'Statement' after 'Revelations'. Must say I enjoyed Revelations more as it was Jerry telling the story right at you but Statement was written by someone else in the third person perspective and that took me out of the story a bit.
Was Steve Mac's book mainly about sport climbing?
I've borrowed Ron Fawcetts book next.
> Haven't read many, but life and Limb by Jamie Andrews and Gordon Stainforth's book Fiva stand out. The former putting my climbing accident in perspective some year ago and the latter being totally gripping I read the thing almost non stop.
Life and Limb was probably the second mountaineering book I read after Touching the Void, a present from an uncle, I was about 14 and had read it by the following afternoon. Incredible and horrendous.
Andy Pollitt's Punk in the Gym is worth reading. It has a much more transparently honest feel to it than some of its contemporary auto-biogs.
Two excellent books you may not have considered are;
A Canvas of Rock by Mark Radtke
and
Punk in the Gym by Andy Pollitt
I thought Martin Boysen's book great and very well written.
I have to say I thought that many of the more recent autobiographical offering have been a bit pedestrian to day the least. Honnald’s book for example was really quite bad. Paul Prichard’s Deep Play seems to be the benchmark for great climbing autobiographies - it is superb. Also agree with the Gwen Moffat autobiography suggestion.
Other good classics such as Feeding the Rat by Al Alvarez, Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray, etc. Vertical Pleasure the Mick Fowler autobiography is fun since he’s just such a loon and more recently, Gordon Stainforth’s Fiva was gripping and excellent.
I agree with all of that.
Al Alvarez, Feeding the Rat
Jim Perrin, The Villain
Jim Perrin, Menlove
Gwen Moffat, Space Beneath My Feet
Joe Brown, The Hard Years
Walter Bonatti, Mountains of my Life
Andy Cave, Learning to Breathe
David Craig, Native Stones
Simon Thompson, Unjustifiable Risk
All classics.
Tom Patey is on my to read list, and I imagine Ed Drummond is worth a read, too.
> Tom Patey is on my to read list, and I imagine Ed Drummond is worth a read, too.
For me, Ed Drummond's poetry and prose in "A Dream..." is one of the best collections of climbing writing produced and has real literary merit. It's up there with W H Murray (though with more transgressing and less transcending). But those who prefer the straight-ahead chronological narrative style of most recent climbing autobiogs may well be disappointed. Since you rate David Craig I hope you'll love it.
Tom Patey is often hilarious. I think his account of retreating off the Eiger with Whillans is probably my favourite comic climbing anecdote.
Thanks for the recommendation Looking forward to some winter reading.
I'd recommend The Last Blue Mountain
Andy Kirkpatrick - Psychovertical is excellent, On The Nose by Hans Florine I liked...
All the old classic Bonnington ones...
I have recently finished:
The Villain: The Life of Don Whillans
and thought that was great, pretty funny too. Seemed like a fantastic character. Great thread, added quite a few to my list now too.
> Paul Prichard’s Deep Play seems to be the benchmark for great climbing autobiographies - it is superb.
I wholeheartedly agree. His second book, The Totem Pole, about recovering from a dreadful climbing injury, is very different but equally impressive. I thought I'd re-read it for inspiration when I was in hospital after a fall, but the writing's so visceral in places it was all too real and I had to put it in the drawer after a couple of pages.
A few that haven't been mention yet....
Maurice Herzog - Annapurna
Herman Buhl - Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage
I don't think anyone mentioned "The Spider" either.
Joe Simpson's other books are pretty good too.
Yea Annapurna and White Spider are both bloody excellent. Annapurna no less of a book despite Herzog's less than reliable relationship with the truth...
Don't think anyone's mentioned Nick Bullock 'Tides' yet... really good read!
Hanging On - Martin Boysen
Rock Queen - Catherine Destivelle
In the Shadow of Ben Nevis - Ian Sykes
High Endeavours/The Life & Legend of Robin Smith - Jimmy Cruickshank
Menlove - Jim Perrin
Fast & Free - John Sheard & Mark Radtke
Every one a cracker...
> Fast & Free - John Sheard & Mark Radtke
Worth pointing out this is a collection of articles by & about Pete Livesey
Freedom climbers
Bernadette MacDonald
https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/books/narratives/freedom-climbers/
Great read
Correct. And a grand set of essays it is too...
Hands of a Climber - A Life of Colin Kirkus by Steve Dean is a wonderful, well researched book. Well worth a read.
That escaped my radar - just ordered it. Thank you!
I still have some (170)of my autobiography, Blood, Sweat and Tears left if you fancy one?
Lovely and well written book
I did check the thread but didn't see The Bond (Simon McCartney) mentioned - best climbing related thing I have read for a while,
Chris
If you are looking for Fiction
First on the Rope by Frisson-Roche is very good
Also I was looking at my climbing bookshelf and I found some lovely examples of "nominative determinism"
RockFax Costa Banca Guide - Chris "Craggs"
Alpinism - Peter "Cliff"
Technical Mountaineering - Pete "Hill"
Ice Climbing - "Craig" Leuben
Learning to Breathe - Andy "Cave"
Plus lots of books by John "Crack"eur...
Thank you
High Adventure by Edmund Hillary.
Liked this one, not as much as the 80's craggers ones but it was the story of his Everest ascent and everything that led up to it. The enthusiasm this man had for life really shine through. Great bloke.
Thanks for your kind comments
There's a really good anthology about solo climbing called "The High Lonesome" which is good, Pat Aments books are good also. There's also the books by Bonatti and Cassin.
Echos nick bullock, I am reading at the moment; really good.
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