1987 [1871]. Time-Life edition. 432 pp, all page edges are gilt, includes copies of all of whymper's original illustrations plus the five fold-out maps which are almost never reprinted. This is a facsimile of the original 1871 British first edition.
This book reeks quality, something you do not often see in reprints and facsimiles. This book was printed and bound in Full Leather in Begium! A very lightweight but high quality paper was used, and it was then bound in Red Leather, with raised bands and gold lettering on the spine and the front cover. all page edges are gil. Condition inside and out is Like New.
I wish I knew about this edition when it was published, just as we were getting settled in Colorado, having moved the books, shelves and two cats (named Fanny and the Duke) from New York City to Evergreen, Colorado.
This is an improved reprint of the first mountaineering bestseller. It tells the story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn, and the ensuing tragedy on the descent. One of the first books devoted to the sheer thrill of mountaineering, Scrambles Amongst the Alps details Edward Whymper's breathtaking first ascent of the Matterhorn and the tragic accident that befell his team on the way down. Originally published in 1871.
When he first saw the Alps in 1860, Edward Whymper was a 20-year-old English wood engraver whose dream was to become an arctic explorer. Ambitious and hungry for adventure, he fell in love with the challenge the Alps presented and set out to conquer them peak by peak. Whymper made quick work of the challenge, racking up dozens of climbs, with many first ascents, and acquired a reputation as one of the best climbers in the nascent field of mountaineering.
Published in 1871 and often reprinted as a hardcover or a paperback, Scrambles Amongst the Alps is Whymper’s own story of his nine years spent climbing in the Alps. This is one of the first books devoted to the sheer thrill of mountaineering, it is a breathtaking account of the triumph of man over mountain in a time before thermal clothing, nylon ropes, global positioning systems, and air rescues. It also offers Whymper’s controversial story of the tragedy on the Matterhorn. One of the best adventure books of all time, Scrambles Amongst the Alps is an essential classic of climbing literature by one of mountaineering’s most legendary figures.
