London, 1995, 1st paperback edition. 335 pp, color and b/w photos. New Paperback.
Great cliff faces have beckon to climbers and awe the ordinary inhabitants below. Craig visited twenty-eight great cliffs and spires, climbed many, and tells of the experience.
"Poet Craig has written previously on rock climbing. Here, he describes his travels around the world visiting rock faces, significant outcrops, spires, and cliffs. He is fascinated by how their natural features are perceived by humans as sacred or profane and how humans live with them, in their shadow, or on them. He describes his climbs as well. Craig has organized his work in sections: North America (the desert states), Australia, the Strait of Gibraltar, Africa below the Equator, Eastern Mediterranean, Machu Picchu, and the British Isles. He offers some nice description of the features of each landmark (e.g., Window Rock, New Mexico; Wave Rock, Hyden, Australia; Sybil's Rock, Delphi, Greece), as well as interesting stories about people he met on his travels. His work is valuable for readers of geology, rock climbing, sociology, and indigenous peoples."
