Book reviews Roly Smith
Fifty Years of Adventure
Contributing editor Kev Reynolds
Cicerone, £25 (hb)
(available through the Cicerone website:
www.cicerone.co.uk)
F
or half a century, Cicerone
Press has, in its own words,
produced guides that were
“for walkers and climbers,
written and produced by walkers
and climbers.”
And for 50 years, their army of
writers, many of whom are Guild
members, have been busy “getting
lost so their readers won’t.” And
many have contributed to this
handsome and fitting tribute to one
of the country’s most respected and
trusted guidebook publishers.
Cicerone was founded on the
talents of two climbers from either
side of the Pennines – the late
Walt Unsworth, a science teacher
from Manchester and co-founder
of the Guild, and Brian Evans, a
Yorkshire-born artist and author.
Since that first climbing guide to the
northern Lakes by Arthur Hassall in
1969, the range has expanded under
Jonathan and Lesley Williams’
leadership, to over 400 titles. And
contributing editor Kev Reynolds,
one of the publisher’s most prolific
and respected authors, reveals in
his history of the company that
Cicerone is fuelled by cake – cake
for birthdays, anniversaries – or
just because it’s Friday.
Over 40 of Cicerone’s best-
known writers have contributed
to this beautifully-produced book,
recalling some of their best-
12 Outdoor focus | spring 2019
remembered adventures in the hills
from Britain to the Alps, and from
the Himalaya to the Atlas.
It is perhaps invidious to pick out
any of these fascinating accounts
above any of the others. But I
particularly enjoyed the last chapter
on ‘Mishaps and Misadventures,’
where Cicerone stalwarts like
Reynolds, Richards and Dillon recall
incidents when things didn’t go
entirely to plan.
I’m still chuckling at Kev’ s
“early bath” in trying to get a
photograph of Piz Buin from Val
Tuoi in the Silvretta Alps on the
Swiss-Austrian border. “I never did
get my classic shot of Piz Buin,” he
reflects. “I took a slice out of my
arm and had an early bath. Fully
clothed.”
Cicerone will donate £1 per book
sold on their website to the Benrigg
and Juniper Trust charities.
explain the claim on the cover.
One thing is certain however:
this larger format gives full scope to
the photographer’s stunning series
of images from Snowdonia, making
this one of the most atmospheric
collections I’ve seen.
And obviously he is not a
photographer who is put off by
the commonly less-than-perfect
weather conditions for which
the Snowdonia mountains are
renowned. All the seasons are
represented here, and in fact it is
the snowy shots from the claggy
depths of winter which make up the
majority of his most compelling
images.
I like the way that the author has
strayed well away from the well-
beaten paths to include such little-
visited gems as Moel y Dyniewyd
above Beddgelert; Crimpiau near
Capel Curig, and Moel Eilio above
Llanberis.
All in all, this is an attractive,
if unwieldy, tribute to some of
Snowdonia’s best, and some of its
lesser-known, hills. But don’t try
to take it with you on the hill. The
foreword is by OWPG president Sir
Chris Bonington.
Photographing the Snowdonia
Mountains
Nick Livesey
fotoVUE, £25 (pb)
T
his handsome paperback
is described on the cover
as a “photo-location and
hill walking guidebook.”
But I doubt many hillwalkers in the
Snowdonia hills will want to carry
this weighty, 89mm by 246mm,
landscape-format, 286-page guide
with them in their rucksack.
The reason fotoVUE has departed
from the handier portrait format
of the rest of the books in their
excellent “Photographing” series is
explained by the author. He says it
was written and designed primarily
not as a pocket-sized field guide but
as a planning tool. Which doesn’t
The Lake District: Themed
walks in the Lake District
National Park
Ed. Carl Rogers
Northern Eye Books, £6.99 (pb)