This is a large, heavy book (4 lbs!) which aims to illustrate the early history and culture of mountaineering in Europe.
1865 was the year Edward Whymper and his team of local guides triumphed on the Matterhorn - only to be beset by tragedy on the way down, when their rope snapped, and four of the seven climbers fell to their deaths.
This milestone ascent is considered by many to mark the beginning of modern alpine climbing and mountaineering - climbers making ascents for their intrinsic aesthetic beauty, and not for scientific or exploratory purposes.
391 pages, illustrated throughout with historical documents, pictures, and sketches. Handsome cloth-bound covers with no dust jacket. My copies are new, in shrink wrap.
