R A R E B O O K S A T C H R I S T M A S
47. BALL, John [ed.] PEAKS, PASS- ES AND GLACIERS A Series of Ex- cursions by Members of the Alpine Club Longman, Brown, Green, Long- mans, and Roberts, 1859.
49. HUNT, John AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 4/1/57. An autograph letter, signed to translator Malcolm Barnes in blue ink (approximately 200 words), on “BRITISH MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION, 1953” notepaper, crossed through with Hunt’s current address, “Highway Cottage, Aston, Henley on Thames”. Hunt discusses experiences of mountaineering “in Sikkim and Kashmir before the war. I realise that the ones I enjoyed most were not labelled as Expeditions at all; they were the treks under - taken at leisure through those wonderful mountain lands, meet- ing local folk, absorbing the atmosphere, being vividly aware of it all.” He praises Norman Hardie’s new book, describing it as “intensely interesting” and saying, “it is such a relief... to have the stage for these adventures described discerningly and filled with people”. A near fine letter, with a small pencil annotation to the top left corner. [46003] £950 A wonderful letter of reminiscence from John Hunt, the leader of the first successful British Mount Everest Expedition in 1953, discuss- ing his early mountaineering experiences: the vivid atmosphere and interpersonal experiences which made his mountaineering expedi- tions enjoyable and which breathe life into contemporary literature on Mountaineering. Written to the translator for the English version of “Forerunners to Everest: the story of the two Swiss expeditions of 1952” (1954), for which Hunt wrote the preface.
First edition. Bound in contempo- rary half morocco over wave grained cloth, raised bands to spine, gilt rules to cover and spine, with a brown page marker ribbon, all edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Eight chromo- lithographs, twenty-three woodcuts and nine maps. A near fine copy with minor wear to one corner at the base of the spine. Two owner- ship bookplates, internally fresh. [46325] £350 This collection includes, among several others, accounts of excursions on Mont Blanc, a chapter on the old glaciers of Switzerland and Wales and an ascent of Etna.
SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR 48. HILLARY, Edmund HIGH ADVENTURE Hodder & Stought- on, 1955. First edition. 8vo. Original cloth in pictorial dustwrapper. Signed by Hillary on the front endpaper. Seventeen plates showing 59 pho- tographic illustrations and several line drawings and diagrams in the text. A very good copy indeed in a very good dustwrapper, with some light wear. [46525] £650
Hillary’s first book
and his account of his introduction to climb- ing and the 1953 climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
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