From Ken Crocket, author of Ben Nevis - Britain's Highest Mountain, comes the full story of the dawning of mountaineering in Scotland. It will shock many to discover that within a few years, Victorian climbers brought climbing in Scotland to technical levels not surpassed until the 1940s. The book breaks new ground as the comprehensive record of these early pioneers, when almost every climb was new and falls could be fatal. Covering the time leading up to World War I and with nearly 70 illustrations from the era, many published for the first time, characters big and small are described alongside their deeds on the Scottish mountains.Ken began exploring the Scottish mountains over 50 years ago and wrote his first climbing guidebook in 1975. He is the author of several climbing guides including Glen Coe, and has contributed to others. He has numerous first ascents, summer and winter, and his natural curiosity led him to the history of the sport. This latest book was in part written to fill the need for a comprehensive and accurate account of mountaineering in Scotland, and is the first volume in a planned three-volume set.

This book is the second volume of a planned three - volume treatment of the history of mountaineering in Scotland, and covers the period from 1914 to 1971. It was a period when there were many changes in the equipment and practice of climbing in summer and winter, and there was a significant rise in the general difficulty of routes being climbed. Many new clubs were formed, and the number of participants increased dramatically.

This 2nd edition of "Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain" brings the history of Ben Nevis right up to date from the 1st edition, by adding the period from 1986 to 2008. This is a highly illustrated and painstakingly researched history of a mountain whose global status far outstrips its modest altitude; a story of climbers, poets, geologists, map makers and pioneering meteorologists. For more than 100 years, mountaineers have honed their skills and equipment on its flanks and ridges and applied them to dazzling effect in the Alps and Greater Ranges. Today, climbing on Ben Nevis is more popular than ever and the mountain's international reputation continues to grow, as its cliffs offer up some of the most challenging traditional summer and winter climbs in the world. This title offers fully updated history of Britain's most famous mountain from 1585 - 2008. It is highly illustrated with more than 400 (mostly colour) photographs, diagrams and maps. It features significant new research and historical photographs, and includes chapters on: Ben Nevis Observatory, Ben Nevis Distillery, Ben Nevis Aluminium Smelter, Ben Nevis Hill Race, Environment and Conservation, Gaelic Place Names, Geology and Mapping.