Celebrate World Book Day on 23 April with one of our inspirational tomes. Get psyched to climb around the world, be inspired by the story of the first female British guide, marvel at amazing photos of the great outdoors; there's something for everyone to enjoy in our collection of books. Buy one now from the BMC Shop.
Revelations: Jerry Moffatt
The full nitty gritty of Jerry Moffatt’s meteoric rise to stardom is laid out by the BMC’s very own Grimer for all to read. Bursting onto the scene as a brash 17-year-old, Moffatt was focussed on only one thing: being the best in the world.
Top sport-climber, brilliant competitor and a pioneer in the new game of bouldering, Moffatt’s story follows his travels around the world to fulfil his dreams and prove his climbing competence to the communities abroad.
Jerry’s story is a compelling and often hilarious account of the climbing community with all its glories, dangers and foibles, as well as the journey of a true sporting legend, including his comeback from injury to stay at the top for over two decades.
Edited by renowned journalist Ed Douglas, it was the Grand Prize Winner at the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival and a finalist in the 2009 Boardman Tasker Mountain Literature Awards, proving that Jerry Moffatt – Revelations, is indeed every inch a revelation.
The Young Savages
You’ll find no ticklists, try-hard faces, or psych-related hyperbole in this book. Instead, Claudia Ziegler, the photographer, portrays some of the world’s best climbers with a unique series of large-format behind-the-scenes images.
Over a two-year period, adventure photographer Claudia Ziegler delved into the backstories and daily lives of these top young adult and teenage athletes. She accompanied these youngsters to document not just how they climb, but who they are and how they live off the rock, creating insightfully intimate portraits of these impassioned climbers.
The Young Savages presents a highly revealing up close and personal look at the young rock stars of climbing like you've never seen them before! Packed with marvellous large-format photographs, this book tells the backstory of some of the world's top young adult and teenage climbers, known for pushing the limits and occasionally causing a stir with their incredible ascents.
This magnificently illustrated hard cover book contains portraits of Adam Ondra, Matilda Soderlund, Johanna Ernst, Alexander Megos, Brooke & Shawn Raboutou, Cameron & Jonathan Horst, Ashima Shiraishi, Shauna Coxsey, Melissa Le Neve and Domen Skofi, in English and German languages.
The Scottish Bothy Bible
This first ever complete guide to the Scottish bothies reveals the country's unique and often hidden network of bothy cabins and mountain huts. Scattered across Scotland's most beautiful landscapes, these evocative abandoned crofts and farmsteads are free to stay in and offer a chance to experience the ultimate in wild adventure living.
Filled with stunning photography, fascinating history, and potential routes to take, the first complete guide to Scottish bothies is a must-have for anyone thinking of embarking on a journey in the beautiful wilderness of Scotland. It’s not just hearsay either: to write the ultimate guidebook on bothies, Geoff Allan hiked and biked to every well-known Scottish bothy. With credentials as an artist, photographer and surveyor, as well as being a maintenance officer for Dibidil – a Mountain Bothy Association’s (MBA) bothy on the Isle of Rùm – he’s your perfect guide to exploring Scotland’s wild places.
And what’s more, 10% of the proceeds from this book go to the MBA for the upkeep of their bothies.
A Life on the Edge: Eric Jones
The ultimate daredevil thrill-seeker, Eric Jones always has a tale of dodging death tucked away to regale customers of his café with. How many people have been avalanched twice and had a narrow escape whilst skydiving? The number of people surviving all three could likely be counted on one hand.
“Anything in life involves risk and I think the greater the risk the greater the buzz you get out of it. This is what I found with climbing alone,” explained Eric to Wales Online.
Packed full of exhilarating tales, the autobiography of Eric Jones, recounts how the farmer's son from Clwyd left to climb some of the world's highest peaks, often along, while displaying nerves of steel and facing many challenges.
Eric was the first British man to solo the Eiger North Face – one of the greatest challenges in the climbing world. On the Matterhorn, he was swept within 10 feet of a sheer precipice. As he soared over Mount Everest in a hot air balloon, he had to climb outside the basket to relight the burners. He has climbed dangerous mountains on five continents, parachuted onto the North Pole and BASE jumped from skyscrapers, bridges, masts and mountains. He skydived into the Cave of the Swallows in Mexico, dropping into the 1,400-foot hole in the earth.
Astounded people often ask Eric: “Why do you do it?” But it is something that cannot be answered simply. Eric's life on the edge is quite a story. And this is it.
The Light Elsewhere
Most coffee table books fail to capture interest for more than a few page turns, but The Light Elsewhere by Dave Pickford has a surprising depth to its images and accompanying stories. With three parts to this tome – an exploration of the nature of wilderness landscapes, adventures on rock, ice, snow, and two wheels, and an examination of that which resists and survives the passage of time – you’ll instantly by inspired to travel and see the wonders of the world first-hand.
Featuring images and stories from over thirty countries across the world, this limited edition book is a fantastic addition to all households of lovers of the great outdoors. Explore some of the most exciting places on earth for climbing, mountaineering, and adventure, from the comfort of your couch, then be inspired to embark on your own travels.
Space Below My feet
The writings of the UK’s first female mountain guide, Gwen Moffat, mirror the nature of her lifestyle – frugal and carefree. In 1945, when Gwen was in her 20s, she deserted the Army to live rough in Wales and Cornwall, climbing and living on practically nothing.
With little to chain her down, Gwen gradually built up a repertoire of climbing experience in the mountains, often climbing barefoot and lightly dancing up the rock. Her humble words describe an even humbler existence of not eating for days and sleeping where she could, sometimes in barns and often under trees or next to rivers, with little more than a sleeping bag.
Living in this unencumbered manner, Gwen amassed enough knowledge and skills needed to become a pro in the hills, and became the first female British guide in 1953, quite an achievement for the time and marking her as one of the great pioneers.
The unpretentious stories of the remarkable life of Gwen Moffat are truly inspirational, uplifting, and will make your toes itchy for the taste of rock.
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