A Search for the Apex of America, High Mountain Climbing in Peru and Bolivia, Including the Conquest of Huascaran with Some Observations on the Country and People Below

New York: Dodd, Mead, 1911. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. pp xviii, 370, with a folding map and many illustrations from photographs. Original pale green cloth with decoration in gilt and white. Corners bumped, previous owner's signature on front free endpaper, small stain at lower spine, otherwise sound and clean. Annie Smith Peck (1850-1935) was a founding member of the American Alpine Club and a pioneer on many fronts. An ardent advocate for the equal education of women, she earned a masters degree from the University of Michigan in 1881 and then went on to be the first woman to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. She taught archaeology at Perdue University and Smith College before giving up teaching to pursue her passion for travel and mountaineering. After a successful ascent of the Matterhorn in 1895 (during which she scandalized the world by wearing pants), she set her sights on South America. This book recounts periods of residence in La Paz and Lima as well as several notable climbing expeditions, including the first ascent of Huascaran, the highest mountain in Peru (though due to a miscalculation she achieved the north summit, rather than the higher summit). Neate P36; Robinson pp 24-25.