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W. H. Murray
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Mountaineering in Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland (2 vols in 1): Volume 1 Paperback – 10 Oct. 1997

by W. H. Murray (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
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'Our climb is not one I shall ever repeat in like conditions. It became too exacting. But our day's route led us through snow and ice scenery of deathless beauty. This lives strong in mind, while physical pains and trials, the so called realities of defeat and victory, have long been forgotten.' Mountaineering in Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland are two of the greatest classics in mountaineering literature, brought together here in one volume. If mountaineering books are to be measured by their inspirational value then W. H. Murray's two great Scottish classics top the list for climbers and walkers. Bill Murray's vivid descriptions of his Scottish climbing adventures, on ice and rock climbs, mountain walks and scrambles, have an immediacy that transports the reader to some of the most classic and sought after itineraries in Britain. This is a timeless antidote to modern-day tales of sterile athleticism; a manifesto for bold adventures into the unknown. His vivid descriptions have an immediacy that transports the reader to some of the most iconic routes in Britain. Here are the dramatic and addictive moments of the high mountains - the white magnetism of winter moonlight, the rough warmth of Cuillin gabbro, the mirror sharp clarity of burn pools, the still peace of wilderness evenings and the banter and comradeship of mountain days. He records the saga of the early days of Scottish winter and summer pioneering, on rock and ice - replete with intrepid and adventurous days on the hill that should encourage even the most addicted climbing-wall lizard. Murray recounts the very essence of what exploratory climbing and deep mountaineering camaraderie is all about.
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  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Baton Wicks Publications
  4. Publication date
    10 Oct. 1997
  5. Dimensions
    15 x 3.8 x 21 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1898573239
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1898573234
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

'The writing is sublime with descriptions of climbing that come close to the Buddhist idea of 'ahimsa'; the shedding of self. It offers a more complex but satisfying answer to the questions why climb, than Mallory's "because it's there".' --(David Rose, The Observer)

'Glory be! A climber's book, and yet a writer's too!' --(Geoffrey Winthrop Young)

About the Author

W.H. Murray is one of Britain’s most significant mountain writers. Born in Liverpool in 1913, he soon moved to Glasgow, where he was later introduced Scotland’s mountains. His pioneering early climbs in the 1930s came to a halt at the outbreak of World War Two, in which he saw combat in Africa before being captured as a Nazi prisoner of war. He spent three years as a captive, but was not idle, devoting much of his time to philosophical study and meditation. It is during this time he wrote his classic Mountaineering in Scotland not once, but twice on toilet paper. After his release he went on to complete three expeditions to the Himalaya in the 1950s. One of these, his 1951 Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, established a route up Everest via the Khumbu Icefall, paving the way for the first ascent in 1953. The remainder of Murray’s life was devoted to writing about and conserving the wild places he loved. A founding member of both the Scottish Countryside Activities Council and the John Muir Trust, he also acted as advisor on mountain properties for the National Trust for Scotland, and was President for both the Mountaineering Council for Scotland and the Scottish Mountaineering Club. He was a prolific writer, publishing twenty books and countless articles. These include the classics Mountaineering in Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland, as well as his autobiography, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, for which he posthumously won the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Festival 2002. These remarkable achievements ensured that he continues to inspire readers old and new to this day.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Baton Wicks Publications; New edition (10 Oct. 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1898573239
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1898573234
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15 x 3.8 x 21 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

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W. H. Murray

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
33 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars STORIES OF A TRUE MOUNTAIN LOVER IN A GOOD ERA
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2020
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    Having followed the journeys of the author,, a truly great mountaineer and excellent writer, to re-read these books gave me great pleasure and awoke memories of lovely places and wonderful days
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  • Alastair charles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Really good. Not like many modern mountaineer books I have read. The language used and descriptions of weather, scenery and emotions are brilliant. The book gives an average hill walker like myself ideas for new adventures such as night walking and going out in poor weather to watch it change into something different
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Mr Wolf
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2019
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    Amazing book and a classic. If you have climbed in Scotland this book will be especially interesting to read.
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  • pedro
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you are going to read a book about the ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2015
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    If you are going to read a book about the Scottish mountains , make it this one..it will live with you for your lifetime.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Mrs S Reed
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2016
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    Well written and interesting book.
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  • Mrs A Wilson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2014
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    good buy
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  • D. Elliott
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration and Influence
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2009
    His exploits in the 1930s confirm author W H Murray as a daring and innovative climber who regained the momentum of early Scottish mountaineering activity lost in the upheaval of the First World War. He has become known as Bill Murray, yet to my generation starting climbing in the 1950s he will always be W. H. Murray. This omnibus edition contains two classics from amongst the huge volume of mountaineering literature - `Mountaineering in Scotland', published in 1947 after Murray's return from the war, and `Undiscovered Scotland' published in 1951. W H Murray surpasses his contemporaries as a writer with a tremendous talent for thrilling his readers with action tales and delighting them with descriptions of mountain beauty and grandeur. His skill in capturing exactly and unerringly the full flavour of Scottish mountaineering, particularly in winter, sets these books apart in terms of impact - both are inspirational, and both influenced post-Second World War climbers.

    All readers should revel in W H Murray's authoritative accounts as he relives experiences and reveals them as intensely alive, but when it comes to passionate prose and philosophizing they tend to be divided. He has been accused of romanticism and religious zeal by some critics, but to me as an aficionado he writes with sincerity and feeling. I applaud and respect W H Murray for his attempts to move on from captivating views of mountain landscapes or gripping accounts of climbing, to lead into compelling views or mesmerizing exposition on the meaning of life. In `Mountaineering in Scotland' he confirms his belief that "our understanding of mountains is broadened and deepened toward the understanding of all things created". Readers wishing to pursue this aspect further are directed to W H Murray's autobiography - `The Evidence of Things Not Seen', but for those satisfied with worldly matters there are 23 chapters in `Mountaineering in Scotland' and 22 chapters in `Undiscovered Scotland' - each a magnificent mountain commentary in its own right - this superb-value omnibus edition should continue to inspire and influence generations to come.
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Robert Aitken
    5.0 out of 5 stars THE best book about Scottish climbing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2002
    Bill Murray's 'Mountaineering in Scotland' has a well-known mythology of its own, having been written on toilet paper in a PoW camp. Now 55 years old, this book stands in the same relationship to Scottish climbing and to Scottish climbing literature as Leslie Stephen's 'Playground of Europe' does to alpine climbing and literature: it provides both the style and tone for the activity, and the yardstick for all subsequent books about it. The climbs Murray describes, even his fierce pioneering winter climbs of the 1930s, may now simply be test pieces for climbers at an early stage of their apprenticeship, while the expression may seem formal and a bit dated. Life moves on.
    But the quality of the writing, both in describing climbing action and in evoking landscape across the diversity of Scotland's mountains - on rock or ice, by day and by moonlight, in spring sunshine or in winter blizzard - carry the reader off into a uniquely exalted world of intense mountain experience. All Scottish climbers should own this book, even if it is the only book they own; so should anyone with an interest in the highest quality writing about mountains and mountain landscape.
    21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • ZuluMan Designs
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect and as described
    Reviewed in the United States on 25 July 2024
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    In perfect condition and well packaged.
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  • Karen K. Rutledge
    5.0 out of 5 stars Happy buyer!
    Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2022
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    Great book and wonderful service from seller!
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  • Laurence Cable
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on 4 April 2018
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    Great book from a great man
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