Reviews
Travels Through The Alps By The Late James D. Forbes, F.R.S.
New Edition Revised And Annotated By W. A. B. Coolidge.
(London: A. & C. Black. 1900.)
MR. COOLIDGE has done a good thing in bringing out this new edition of Forbes’s “Travels,” and thereby affording the increasing number of readers of Alpine books a better opportunity of becoming acquainted with the valuable investigations and interesting writings of one who must be regarded as the great pioneer among British explorers of the Alps. This opportunity has been largely denied by the scarcity of Forbes’s volumes, but here we have the pick of his writings – the “Travels through the Alps of Savoy and other parts of the Pennine Chain” (an abbreviated edition of which was last published in 1855), “Journals of Excursions in the High Alps of Dauphiné, Berne, and Savoy,” which formed the concluding portion of his “Norway and its Glaciers,” published in 1853, the essay “Pedestrianism in Switzerland,” from the Quarterly Review, April, 1857, and that on the “Topography of the Chain of Mont Blanc,” from the North British Review, March, 1865, written a number of years after Forbes’s last visit to the Alps.
We can do little more than briefly call attention to this desirable volume. To review Forbes’s Alpine labours and writings with any degree of justice would occupy more space than we have at disposal. A worthy successor to De Saussure, with a keen and appreciative eye and mind, he explored many of the higher parts of the Alps, and much of our knowledge of glacial phenomena is due to his investigations. He it was who first called attention to the regularity and shape of the dirt bands of the Mer de Glace.
The “Travels ” was the First English book of importance on the High Alps in general. Differing from other English accounts of Alpine travel published prior to it, and now of little value other than historic, it and the “Norway” are lasting monuments of careful labour. Possessors of early editions of these two works will be grateful for the reprint of the essays included in the new edition. That on “Pedestrianism in Switzerland,” though written 44 years ago, or nine months before the formation of the Alpine Club, contains much valuable advice, and with little exception might well form a chapter in any modern handbook on mountaineering.
The book is copiously annotated by the editor, and a short and interesting introduction is given on the place of Forbes in the history of the exploration of the High Alps. Almost all the illustrations and diagrams which accompanied the early editions are retained, but we miss the large, old fashioned (though not all correct) lithographs with which the books are associated in our minds. The large map of the Mer de Glace is fittingly included, and the sketch maps also. Other and newer maps have been added which are sufficient in detail to indicate the line of Forbes’s travels. The letterpress occupies the same space as in the original editions, but with smaller margins on the pages the book is reduced to a handier size. A very full index is given – always an evidence of a careful editor who has an eye to the usefulness of his work and the readers’ convenience.
Scrambles Amongst The Alps In The Years 1860-69. By Edward Whymper.
Fifth Edition.
(London: John Murray. 1900.)
Two books which we believe to have played an important .part in creating the taste for mountaineering are Albert Smith’s “Story of Mont Blanc” and Mr. Whymper’s “Scrambles.” Yet they are widely different. The one full of dramatic incident and – as now appears – in highly-coloured descriptive language, was written at a time when what little general interest in mountaineering did exist in England was, with a few exceptions, still centred in the then-considered highest peak in Europe. In the other, by comparison, we may see the great advance that had been made in the sport in the eighteen succeeding years, and at the end of which only a few of the higher Alpine peaks remained unclimbed. During that time the Alpine Club had been formed, and the exploration of the whole of the Alps energetically pursued. In this work, which included the traverse of high passes and snow fields, as well as ascent of peaks, Mr. Whymper played an important part. Popular belief limits his laurels to the first ascent of the Matterhorn. It is the mountain which the tourist can gaze upon while he lies in bed at Zermatt. Thus far does he know it, and the tragic event which attended the first ascent lends the – to him – necessary item of interest. But mountaineers remember his other Alpine work, some of which is told in this book of all-round mountaineering, under the modest title of “Scrambles,” and in language which has made it a classic among Alpine literature.
In the preface to this new edition he says:- “I have dealt sparingly in descriptions, and have employed illustrations freely, in the hope that the pencil may perhaps succeed where the pen must inevitably have failed,” because “the most minute descriptions (of the grandeur of the Alps) do nothing more than convey impressions that are entirely erroneous.” In these days of sooty, half-tone process reproductions it is a pleasure to look on illustrations in which the hand of the artist is directly discernible, especially, too, when the interpretation of so difficult a subject as Alpine scenery has been accomplished with such success. We consider that some of these illustrations – notably the “Bergschrund on the Dent Blanche” – have not been surpassed for delicacy of execution among woodcuts of snow and ice scenes, and in this fifth edition of the “Scrambles” most of the illustrations have lost little by reproduction. Altogether the fifth edition is almost equal in quality to the Edition de Luxe of 1893.
The “Scrambles” is too well known to Alpine men to need any recommendation, but others who would understand something of the joys, as well as the risks, which mountaineers experience can find no better book. To the older mountaineer it recalls well-known scenes in the High Alps of Switzerland and Dauphiné. For younger men we know of no more interesting tale of Alpine travel and adventure to be found, and many a good lesson in the theory of the craft may be learnt from it.
In The Ice World Of Himalaya. By Fanny Bullock Workman And W. Hunter Workman.
(London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1900.)
THOSE who would have a notion of what mountaineering in the Himalayas means should read this book. They will thus learn not only something about the grandeur of the mountains there, but also much about the difficulties travellers have to encounter even before they can reach the bases of the mountains or set foot on their glaciers.
Much time and money are required to place the European resident within sight of the Himalayas. Up to that point he may travel comfortably enough, but beyond it his real troubles begin, and those of a kind calculated to test his patience and powers to the utmost. In addition to natural difficulties, calling for long marches and much camping out – compared with which Switzerland, with its hotels, comfortable club huts, and gentlemanly guides must be a paradise to the mountaineer – endless worries caused by peculiarities of the natives assert themselves, and of these Mr. and Mrs. Workman had their full share.
In the spring of 1898, after making an ascent of Mahadeo (over 13,000 feet high, and requiring three days), in the neighbourhood of Srinagar, they started on a long expedition through the valleys of Suru, Ladakh, and Nubra during which they crossed several high passes – one, the Kardong, being 17,574 feet – and then returned to Srinagar. Later in the same year they went to Darjeeling and fitted out an expedition with the object of following up the long Southern Spur of Kanchinjinga, and crossing over the Giucha La (Pass) into the region beyond, climbing any accessible peak on the way. The manner in which this expedition was wrecked by the inborn “cussedness” of the Sikhim coolies must have been exasperating in the highest degree to the promoters.
In the summer of 1899 they again left Srinagar – with Mattias Zurbriggen, of Macugnaga, as guide – for Baltistan. This expedition was more successful. They crossed the thirty miles of the hill-encircled Deosai plains, and then over the Skoro La (Pass), 17,000 feet, to Askole. Here, where connection with the outer world ceases, they gathered more coolies and began the real work of mountaineering. They traversed the length of the Biafo Glacier – first descended by Sir Martin Conway and party in 1892 – to the head of the pass, where it joins the Hispar Glacier, and, after returning to Askole, explored the range around the Skoro La, where they made the first ascents of Mount Bullock Workman (19,450 feet) and the Siegfriedhorn (18,600 feet), and afterwards ascended Koser Gunge (21,000 feet) in the same range. In this last ascent Mrs. Workman beat the climbing record for her sex.
The account of this third expedition occupies more than half the book under notice, and it forms most enjoyable reading for the mountaineer. The authors have added something to our knowledge of this part of the Himalayas, and the independent opinions which they here give on the effect of high altitudes on the human system will be read with the consideration which experience deserves.
Much may be learnt from the book that will be of service to the would-be Himalayan explorer and mountaineer, and he would do well to read it before starting. It is well illustrated and furnished with beautiful maps.
First Aid To The Injured. By Oscar Bernhard, M.D.
Translated from the German by Michael G. Foster, M.D.
(London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1900)
THE author of this little book makes it his object to place before his readers the best means of treating accidents and casualties before skilled surgical aid can be obtained; this, too, with special reference to accidents occurring in the mountains. He does so mainly by means of diagrams, showing how bandages, &c., should be applied. He also gives a short description of the treatment for such casualties as drowning, frostbite, sunstroke, &c.
The weak part of the book is in the first few pages, which are devoted to anatomy and physiology. Here the descriptions of some of the diagrams are not opposite their plates, nor do they designate what plates are referred to. The plates themselves have the names of some of the organs still in German, and the indicating numbers are so small and indistinct as to be illegible, for the most part even with a magnifying glass. The latter defect, which applies to the diagrams all through the book, is apparently in consequence of the direct reduction from the large sheets used by Dr. Bernhard to illustrate his lectures to guides and others at Pontresina. Again, the author’s attempt to give an idea of anatomy and physiology in so few words is more likely to ‘mislead than help, in fact it would be better without this section.
Except for these small faults, and a few inaccuracies in giving reference numbers to the plates, one cannot praise the book too highly. The diagrams mostly are excellent and need little or no description. The extraordinary ingenuity shown in manufacturing splints, stretchers, &c., out of the crudest materials makes one feel that, given a few triangular bandages and the knowledge of how to use them, as here put before us, most of us should be able, temporarily, to safely treat almost any bodily accident, not immediately fatal, that might happen.
F. H. M.
Die Photographie Im Hochgebirg. By Emil Terschak.
(Berlin: Gustav Schmidt. 1900.)
“PHOTOGRAPHY in High Mountains,” containing 32 well executed half-tone illustrations, is a cheap book at 3 marks. The German scholar will find it full of practical information, whilst those unable to translate the text will find the pictures alone highly instructive. Allowing for the loss of gradation usually inseparable from process reproductions, it is evident the originals of these must be very good indeed.
One part of the author’s practice we cannot endorse, viz., the use of a Zeiss anastigmat lens of a size that with full aperture covers a larger plate than is being used, and then with such a lens the use of the smallest stop. Apart from the cutting sharpness and loss of atmosphere resulting there from, a good rectilinear, or better still a single landscape lens at one-third or one-fourth the price, would under similar conditions answer just as well. Take for instance the striking picture on p. 39. Time, the middle of August, 1 p.m.,
kleinste Blende 2 secs. The technique is perfect, the shadow details being wonderfully transparent, which the author attributes more to the use of the colour sensitive plates by Perutz, of Munich, than to anything else. But how often would four people remain so perfectly posed in a foreground for the necessary time of exposure? The kleinste Blende of a “Zeiss” is probably F/56. Now with F/28 (corresponding to about F/32 English measurement) only a quarter of a second exposure would have been required, the strain on the posed figures much reduced, and a truer rendering of distance given to the grand mass of the Marmolata beyond. A larger Blende would answer better still. On p. 71 is a winter scene with two figures in the foreground. Here again the smallest stop has been employed and 5 secs. exposure given; Stop F/26 would have required only one-eighth the exposure and produced a less spotty effect. On p. 49 two climbers are shown in a giddy position on the rocky slopes of the Langkofel. Fortunately for their comfort the author has ventured to use in this instance the mittlere Blende and given only 1/4 sec. exposure. For general work he recommends Perutz’s Eosin plates without colour screen.
His own outfit consists of a square camera 13 x 18 c.m. (7″ x 5″), four double slides, enclosed in separate cardboard boxes, each inside a black felt case; a Zeiss lens, series vii.a, 10″ focus, and a wide angle anastigmat, both in leather cases; a dust brush between two boards and wrapped in paper; a small ruby lantern in a box; and a few yards of string. All these are put in the rucksack, the tripod being carried separately. In addition a little good wine or rum, bread, meat, coffee, &c., are not to be forgotten. Of course you must not fail to provide yourself with a supply of plates, which, he says, you will probably (!) leave at a club hut or the nearest village. He wisely advises the photographer to employ a guide for difficult excursions, but unaccountably omits to point out the necessity for a preliminary course of Sandow culture.
The time of day recommended as best for Alpine photography is, in summer, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We believe Dr. Tempest Anderson’s most charming alp-scapes were _ taken before breakfast. The author asks why the Germans so admire the photographs taken by English amateurs, and says it is because they breathe such a spirit of originality and pictorial excellence. However, his own examples prove him to be a master of his subject.
The book is a good advertisement for Perutz’s plates and Zeiss’ lenses, and Mader’s cameras.
A. A. P.
Among The Himalayas. By Major L. A. Waddell, LL.D.
(London: A. Constable & Co. 1900.)
That a second edition of Major Waddell’s narrative of his travels in Sikhim has so soon been called for is one evidence of the rapidly-growing interest taken in the exploration of the Himalayas and in the lives and customs of its peoples. The work is of permanent value. Well illustrated, printed on unloaded paper, and published at an extremely low price, the book ought to have a greatly increased number of readers.
La Spéléologie Ou Science Des Cavernes. Par E-A. Martel.
(Paris: Carré & Naud. 1900.)
This is an excellent little work on the history of caves and pot-holes, subterranean rivers, glaciéres, and other underground natural phenomena. M. Martel’s indefatigable labours in the exploration of the caves of Europe entitle him more than anyone else to deal worthily with the subject, and this book is another evidence of the energetic way in which he continues to call attention to its importance.
Recent Books.
Travels Through The Alps
By the late James D. Forbes, F.R.S., Sec. R.S,Ed., &c., &c. New Edition, Revised and Annotated by W. A. B. Coolidge, formerly Editor of the “Alpine Journal.” With portrait, 9 topographical sketches, 38 illustrations, and 6 maps. Size 9 x 6?, pp. xxxviii. and 572. (London: A. & C. Black. 1900. Price 20s. net.)
Reviewed on p. 239
Scrambles Amongst The Alps In The Years 1860-69, including the history of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. By Edward Whymper. Fifth Edition. With 22 full-page illustrations, 107 illustrations in the text, and 5 maps. Size 81/2 x 6, pp. xviii. and 468. (London: John Murray. 1900. Price 15s. net.)
Reviewed on p. 240
Scrambles In The Eastern Graians, 1878-1897
By George Yeld, Editor of the “Alpine Journal.” With 20 illustrations and a map, Size 8 x 51/2, pp. xx. and 279. (London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1900. Price 7s. 6d.)
Walks And Excursions In The Valley Of Grindelwald Described by W. A. B. Coolidge. With the Siegfried Map and I3 illustrations. Size 71/8 x 47/8, pp. 64. Paper covers. (Grindelwald: J. H. Luft. 1900. Price 2fr.)
Guide To The Valleys Of The Biellese Region to the South of Monte Rosa
By P. Padovain and E. Gallo. With illustrations and a map. Size 61/2 x 41/2, pp. xvi. and 88. Paper covers. (Turin: F. Casanova; London: David Nutt. 1900. Price 1s.)
Die Photographie Im Hochgebirg
: Praktische Winke in Wort und Bild, Von Emil Terschak. Mit 32 Textbilden, Vignetten und Tafeln. Size 73/4 x 5? pp. 84. (Berlin : Verlag von Gustav Schmidt. 1900. Price 3 marks.)
Reviewed on p. 244
The Ascent Of Mount St. Ellas
By Dr. Filippo De Filippi, Member of the Expedition organised by H.R.H. the Duke of Abruzzi. Translated from the Italian by Linda Villari. With 34 plates, 4 panoramic views, 112 illustrations in the text, and 2 maps. Imperial 8vo., pp. xv. and 241. (London : A. Constable & Co. 1900. Price 31s. 6d. net.)
In The Ice World Of Himalaya
Among the Peaks and Passes of Ladakh, Nubra, Suru, and Baltistan. By Fanny Bullock Workman and Wm. Hunter Workman, M.A., M.D. With 3 portraits, 64 full-page illustrations, 3 maps, and a glossary. Size 83/4 x 53/4, pp. xvi. and 204. (London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1900. Price 16s.)
Reviewed on p. 241
Among The Himalayas
By Major L. A. Waddell, LL.D. Second Edition. With numerous illustrations by A. D. McCormick, the author and others, 4 maps, and an appendix. Size 81/4 x 51/2, pp. xvi. and 452. (London: A. Constable & Co. 1900. Price 6s.)
Reviewed on p. 245
La Spiéléologie ou Science des Cavernes (Collection “Scientia”‘ Series Biologique)
Par E-A. Martel. With plans. Size 73/4 x 5, pp. 126. (Paris: Carré & Naud. 1900. Price 2 fr.)
Reviewed on p. 246
First Aid To The Injured
With special reference to accidents occurring in the Mountains. By Dr. Oscar Bernhard. Translated from the German by Dr. M. G. Foster. With 55 plates. Size 67/8 x 41/2, pp. viii. and 136. (London: T. Fisher Unwin. 1900. Price 2s. 6d.)
Reviewed on p. 243
Rock-Climbing In The English Lake District
By the late Owen Glynne Jones. Second edition. With a memoir of the author by W. M. Crook, portrait, 31 full-page plates, 9 outline sketches, and an appendix by George and Ashley Abraham. Size 9 x 6, pp. lxiv. and 322. (Keswick: G. P. Abraham & Sons. 1900. Price 20s. net.)
The Scenery And Geology Of The Peak Of Derbyshire
By Elizabeth Dale. With illustrations, geological sections, and maps. Size 95/8 x 57/8, pp. viii. and 176. (Buxton: C. F. Wardley. 1900. Price 6s.)
Upper Wharfedale
Being a.complete account of the History, Antiquities, and Scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Otley to Langstrothdale. By Harry Speight. With 124 illustrations and a map. Size 83/4 x 53/4, pp. 518. (London: Elliot Stock. 1900. Price 10s.)