The Evidence of Things Not Seen
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd (Verlag)
978-1-912560-82-0 (ISBN)
The Evidence of Things Not
Seen is the autobiography of remarkable mountaineer, writer and
environmentalist W.H. Murray. After being introduced to climbing in his
early twenties, Murray’s relationship with the outdoors was shaped as much by
his time on the mountains as away from them. His early Scottish climbs were
brought to a halt by the Second World War, which saw him spend three years as a
Nazi prisoner of war. These years were devoted to not only to philosophical
study, but also to writing his classic Mountaineering in Scotland
not once, but twice, on toilet paper.
The time to write about
mountains only fuelled Murray’s enthusiasm to climb them. The regeneration in
mountaineering that followed the war saw Murray complete three Himalayan
expeditions, alongside other iconic figures such as Doug Scott, Tom MacKinnon
and Tom Weir, and Eric Shipton. He not only explored Himalayan peaks never
before attempted by westerners, but also established the crucial Khumbu Icefall
route up Everest, which paved the way for the mountain’s first ascent in 1953.
Later life saw Murray return to
Scotland and begin the fight to conserve the wild places that motivated him.
From pioneering the John Muir Trust to fighting threats to forestry, Murray’s
writing is laced with a philosophical edge and a contagious appreciation for Scotland’s
wild places, capturing the essence of why Murray’s work has been inspiring
readers for decades.
Written just before his death in
1996, and with a foreword by renowned Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes, The
Evidence of Things Not Seen is a must-read for anyone for which the
mountains are still a source of wonder.
W.H. Murray was born in Liverpool in 1913. Two years later his father was killed at Gallipoli, so his family moved back to Glasgow where Murray spent his childhood, school and college years before beginning a career in banking. He made his first climbs in 1934 and later joined a talented group of climbers in the Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland. Murray describes how they strove to regain the dynamism of the early Scottish climbing that had been lost in the trauma of the Great War. After surviving long periods as a prisoner of war, attributed by some to his study of philosophy, Murray returned to mountaineering and later took part in key Himalayan expeditions of the 1950s. In 1951 Murray was on the critical reconnaissance that established a potential route up Everest via the Khumbu Icefall. Marrying happily, Murray built a career as a writer and conservationist, writing Highland Landscape, a counsel of protection, for the National Trust of Scotland. Murray died in 1996, and The Evidence of Things not Seen was published posthumously.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Hamish MacInnes
Introductory Note
Early Years
1 Twists of the Thread
2 Siren Song
Pre-War Climbing in Scotland
3 Rocks and Climbers
4 Renaissance: 1930s
5 The Winter Ascent of Garrick’s Shelf
Fortunes of War
6 The Home Front
7 North Africa
8 To Iraq and Cyprus
9 The Battle of the Cauldron
Incarceration
10 Stone Walls: Chieti
11 To Bavaria and Bohemia
12 Brunswick
The Post-War World
13 Home
14 The Right Holds
15 Freedom – Decisions to Make
16 First Steps
17 The Alps: Highs and Lows
First Expeditions to the Himalaya
18 Introduction to the Garhwal
19 To the Rishi Gorge
20 Attempts on Bethartoli Himal and Hunaman
21 Mountaineering and Medicine in Dunagiri
22 The Ascent of Uja Tirche and an attempt on Lampak South
23 Through the Girthi Gorge to Milam
24 The Ralam Pass and Panch Chuli
25 Untrodden Ranges: Around Menlungste and Gaurisankar
Exploring the Api Massif
26 Approach to Api: The Kali Gorge
27 Api and Nampa
28 Yokapahar Himal – Warnings
29 Tibet – Into Chinese Held Territory
30 The Seti Gorge
31 A Meeting with the Rajah of Bajhang
Everest and the Muztagh Tower
32 Everest and the Muztagh Tower: the seemingly impossible overcome
Concerns Closer to Home
33 Return to Scotland
34 The Cragsmen of Lewis
35 The Life of Ben Humble – Tribute to a Fighter
36 A Writer’s World
37 Conservation
38 Tomorrow
Epilogue
Appendices
I Murray’s Books, Plays and Articles
II Sundry Correspondence
III Writing about Climbing and Mountain Landscape
IV The Rob Roy Affair
V Publishing and the Practicalities of the Writing Business
Photographs, Maps and Illustrations
| Erscheinungsdatum | 02.01.2020 |
|---|---|
| Vorwort | Hamish MacInnes |
| Zusatzinfo | colour and black & white illustrations |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 156 x 234 mm |
| Gewicht | 500 g |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte |
| Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-912560-82-8 / 1912560828 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-912560-82-0 / 9781912560820 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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