Reviews

Mountain Craft, edited by G. Winthrop Young (Methuen & Co.), 1920, 600 pp., 25s. net. – This book is packed with knowledge and experience such as one expects from the man who traversed the whole skyline of the Grandes Jorasses, and made other famous climbs. The first two-thirds set out the editor’s reflections on mountain craft, and then follow chapters on special subjects and regions, some of them excellent, particularly Dr. Longstaff’s on the Himalayas, a masterpiece of condensation.

One lays the book down with a feeling that there is nothing more to be said about mountaineering, and turns over the pages to find here some wise summing up, there a discussion of an aspect of the craft one has never thought of before. An instance of the latter is in the chapter on Reconnoitring; the sky just above a ridge can tell us something of the unseen face.

Quite often the reader feels he would like to know more of the incident, the glacier, or the peak the writer had in his mind, and personally we regret that Mr. Young did not make a book of his climbs with the dissection of the climber thrown in.

We see a lot of fun in future out of the author’s ideal leader – but there is a wondrous lot of truth in that first chapter. Who can read, too, of the art of managing guides, and again face the responsibility of employing them? These are impressions.

Mountaineering Art, by Harold Raeburn (T. Fisher Unwin), 1920, 274 pp., 16s. net. – With two exceptions the best known and most successful of British guideless partnerships in the Alps is that of Raeburn and Ling. Both, and Mr. Raeburn particularly, have been active in the exploration of Scottish crags, as the contents of the book show. Twenty years’ experience as a climbing leader is behind the endeavour to trace broad principles and to assist in forming the ideal, the safe mountaineer.

The standpoint of the writer is that of the British trained climber whose ambition is to lead his own party abroad, and such will read the book with the greatest possible interest.

It occurs to us that under the head of Centres it would have been most useful to a British party going out for the first time to learn in what groups away from the Pennine and Oberland giants they could measure themselves against the mountains and avoid the charge and annoyance of following others, by having peaks to themselves. There are many such centres.

The Playground Of The Far East, by the Rev. Walter Weston (John Murray). – The author was one of the founders of the Japanese Alpine Club and is pardonably proud of climbing for the first time the granite tooth of Ho-wo-zan. His climbs and bivouacs have all the charm of early Alpine records. Ideas which run like a thread through the book are the contrast between old and new Japan, and the courtesy and hospitality of the delightful primitive people of the hills.

Home University Library – The Alps, by Arnold Lunn (Williams and Norgate), 1914, 1s. – A popular account of the growth of knowledge of the Alps. It is a pity that space has been given to printing once more Dumas’ fantastic account of the first ascent of Mont Blanc.

Alpine Ski Guides, Vol. Ii. – Bernese Oberland (Kandersteg to Grimsel), by Arnold Lunn (King & Hutchings), 1920. – We should imagine this book will prove a most valuable help to the winter excursionist. Vol. I. covers the western wing of the Oberland.

On the higher peaks, ski seem to be used only to the point at which serious work begins, as a rule we should say the same as in summer.

An elaborate table of metres and feet is given. We have been so impressed with the authors pathetic remarks that we have been moved to include in this Journal a simple rule, which should be better known, in the hope of saving future guide-book writers Mr. Lunn’s experience of wasted hours. The rule is correct to an inch for any mountain in the world.

Alpine Ski-Ing, by Arnold Lunn (Methuen & Co.), 1921, 116 pp., 5s. net. – Snowcraft all the year round, not technique, is the theme of this book. Though the ordinary British climber can never hope to see the Alps in February, March, or April, unless his business calls him there, as the author’s does, the discussion of snow conditions, and the distinction between and the naming of the types of snow surface will be found enthralling. A message of importance is that spring ski-ing in the High Alps is better than winter ski-ing, and is best of all in May.

The charge is made that the summer mountaineer is so conservative as not to ski in winter. We should change the words to ” has not enough holidays.” But the discovery of May as the High Alpine ski-ing season may have some effect on our mountaineering customs.

British Ski Year Books, 1920 and 1921. Federal Council of British Ski Clubs. – Many beautiful illustrations and interesting articles. We recognise Wingfield in the start for the British Ski Championship, 1921.

Public Schools Alpine Sports Club Year Book, 1922.

Borrow’S Guides. (1) The Lake District, (2) North Wales, by P.J. Piggott, with chapters on Mountain Walks and Rock Climbs, by Mrs. Dora Benson. Cheltenham (E.J. Borrow & Co.), 120 pp., 2s. – These are useful little guides and Mrs. Benson’s work is particularly good. In the first it occupies nearly half the book.

Hill Views From Aberdeen, by G Gordon Jenkins, Aberdeen (D. Wyllie & Son), 1917, 40 pp. – This booklet contains three mountain indicator diagrams and is of considerable local interest. The article on Curvature and Refraction is of general application to problems of visibility,

Short Bibliography On Scottish History And Literature, by A.R. Anderson. Glasgow (Saint Andrew Society), 1922, – A list of three hundred books for the average reader.

Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal (twice yearly). – The three last numbers have been produced by Mr. E.P. Buchanan as Editor. These journals are full of interest to everyone who has commenced to bag the peaks of Scotland, countless no longer.

Scottish Mountaineering Club Guide. Section A – General ; Section E – Ben Nevis. – The Ben Nevis guide is a most valuable summing up of all that has appeared in the S.M.C.J. about the great mountain and its tremendous crags.

The articles in Section A will interest specialists, while Munro’s Tables of tops over 3,000 ft. threaten to cut the Gordian knot of pronunciation by replacing the worst names by numbers.

Rucksack Club Journal. – No. 16 will be the last of many delightful numbers got together by that cheerful soul, Mr. H.E. Scott, to describe the doings of this most sporting club. We are sorry to note that thefts and damage have forced the Rucksackers to give up the Cwm Eigiau hut.

Journal Of The Fell And Rock Climbing Club. – The subject of the Lake District is not exhausted, as a perusal of recent numbers shows. The Editor is now Mr. R.S. Chorley. The minuteness with which the Wastdale crags are being gone over in the search for stiff variations, often as ” stunts ” explored by a rope from above, appears to be affecting the point of view of this club. The attack on the Central Buttress by so experienced and brilliant a leader as Frankland is characterised as risky mountaineering.

Exchange copies are gratefully acknowledged of the Climbers’ Club Journal, Rivista Mensile and most important of all, the Alpine Journal.