Mountaineering

Bologna: Nicola Zanichelli, 1962. Third Edition. Hardcover. Published in the same year as the first edition. 299pp. Bright orange cloth stamped in black on the cover and white and black on the spine. Signed and inscribed by Walter Bonatti on the dedication page. With numerous color and b&w photographs by the author (two of which are foldout) and four maps. A terse and impressive first hand account of several of his most notable climbs ranging from the Himalayas to the Andes to the Alps and including the tragic adventure on the Freney Central Pillar. Some insect damage affecting the free endpapers and, barely, the edges of a few of the leaves, previous owner's dedication on the verso of the title page, very mild age-toning to text block. A very good copy in good+ dustjacket with light edge wear and a large tear with tape mends to the upper edge of the front panel. In the Italian language. Uncommon signed.; Octavo; Signed by Author.

Bewick, Thomas: (1753-1828) History of British Birds. The Figures Engraved on Wood by T. Bewick. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 containing the description and history of land birds etc. Newcastle: Sol. Hodgson; Edward Walker 1797; 1804, 1804. 2 vols. 8vo. xxx, [ii], 335, [1]; xx, 400 pp. With 233 cuts of birds in the text. Contemporary half-polished calf over boards, spine gilt; an excellent copy with respect to the interior of the book. Unfortunately the board is detached and nearly off. This copy is signed by Henry Oates and presented to him by his Aunt Ann Rayner in Dec. 1797. Ascended from Joseph Henry Oates to Lawrence (Titus) Oates who accompanied Scott on his expedition to the South Pole.
First edition, second issue as shown by the presence of the words "Wycliffe, 1791" from the figure of the sea eagle on p. 11 of Volume I. Mottled calf over paper boards with some damage to the leather on volume one and volume two. Occasional spotting but otherwise a nice clean and internally bright copy. This is a very… Read More

London: George Philip & Son, 1891. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. First UK Edition translated from the German edition. Original green cloth binding with decorated front cover & spine, gilt lettering front & spine, original green coated end pages. The book has tissue-repaired inside hinges, strong binding and stable, former owner bookplate on the front pastedown, a bookstore stamp on upper edge of the verso of the FFEP along with seller's mark in pencil in the same area, no other marks or writing on any pages, a little fore-edge foxing but no foxing on page faces, light cover wear with some surface rubbing at the corners, generally clean. Complete with all maps and illustrations. The plates with the original photos are clean with no darkening/browning of the margins that is sometimes found with this book. The book measures 26cm tall x 18cm and has 404pp, 3 colored folding maps, colored frontispiece, 8 mounted b/w photos, 12 illustrated plates, 19 text illustrations, 11… Read More

Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1902. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine/No Jacket. FIRST PRINTING of First Edition. Original green cloth with gilt lettering spine, top edge gilt. Splendid condition with clean covers & spine, no splitting or cracking of cloth, bright gilt lettering, tight binding, no previous owner marks or writing on any pages, hinges fine and intact (not cracked), minor fore-edge & EP foxing, no foxing on inside pages, pages bright and clean. Book measures 227mm tall x 144mm, and has 315 pages, 18 b/w photos & sketches, 3 coloured folding maps, bibliography, index. One of the most important books in the climbing literature. This covers in detail the first real attempt to climb an 8000er, Nanga Parbat, where Mummery & his partners perished. Also considerable Canadian Rockies content (discovery & exploration of Columbia Icefield), climbing in Norway, Skye, classic firsts in the Chamonix Aiguilles with Mummery, etc.

London: Edward Arnold, 1905. First Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. First Printing of First Edition in original binding of blue cloth, gilt lettering cover & spine, gilt decoration front cover, edges untrimmed, original untinted EPs. Clean covers, bright gilt on front cover & spine, some rubbing at tips of corners but nothing too pronounced, solid binding in original endpapers, some foxing to end-pages otherwise no foxing, clean pages, previous owner name dated 1917 on front pastedown otherwise no previous owner marks or writing on any pages, better than average condition for this book. The book measures 231mm tall x 148mm, and has 324 pages, 57 b/w photos, 2 folding maps, appendix, index. PHOTOS ARE OF THE ACTUAL BOOK BEING OFFERED.

London: Kegan Paul, Trench, And Co., 1886. First Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. FIRST EDITION. The book measures 23cm tall x 14cm, and has pages xv + [1] blank + 572 + 36 (publisher's catalog), photogravure frontis portrait of the author & 14 other full page plates, 64 in-text illustrations, 6 maps (3 in color, 2 are fldg), 14 engraved plates, index. Account of early expedition attempt to climb Kilimanjaro in 1884. Johnston claims to have reached approximately 4973m. rebound in red cloth in style similar to original binding with original illustrated front cover retained as front cover of new binding, black & white illustration of Kilimanjaro on front cover, black lettering front cover, black coated EPs. previous owner name faintly penned on blank side of frontis, scotch tape (tape itself is long gone) yellowish stain at gutter of frontispiece & title page (frontis was obviously once held in place by scotch tape), minor foxing on plates only, binding tight, covers &… Read More

Milano: Garzotti, 1954. First Edition . Hardcover. Near Fine/Good. FIRST PRINTING of the First Edition. With SIGNED postcard showing the 1954 team at the K2 Base Camp. The card is hand-signed (not printed or reproduced, ie, the signatures are original) by Walter Bonatti, Achille Compagnoni, Lino Lacedelli, Pino Gallotti, Gino Solda, Guido Pagani, Cirillo Floreanini, Ubaldo Rey, Erich Abram, Ugo Angelino, and Sergio Viotto. It is dated 20 October 1954, with the stamps being cancelled on the same date. Signed by 11 of the 14 Italian members of the climbing team. Lacking the signatures of Ardito Desio (he did not sign much), Mario Fantin, and Mario Puchoz (who died on the mountain). This is the first printing of the first Italian edition of Ascent Of K2 (or Victory Over K2). Same size as the english language editions but much better illustrated having more than twice the number of photo plates, color photos not in english editions, a folding map & 3 folding photos not in the english editions..… Read More

Westminster London: Archibald Constable and Co, 1900. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. vittorio sella. FIRST PRINTING of First UK Edition. Rebound in green cloth to resemble the original binding with original front cover title patch cleanly mounted in original position on front cover and original spine patches similarly mounted. Overall nice condition. Tight binding with no loose pages (the text block has been sewn into page gatherings = the stitching shows at the start/end of each gathering --> see photo). Gift inscription on front pastedown. No other former owner writing or marks in book. Based on the inscription, this book was given to Smoke Blanchard prior to his 1964 expedition to Mt St Elias, possibly by Vin Hoeman, beloved climber & mountaineering historian who perished in an avalanche on the 1969 Dhaulagiri expedition along with 6 others, though the "Love Always" seems a bit melodramatic. Smoke Blanchard's St Elias expedition was a 4-man… Read More

Bologna: Libreria Alpina Degli Esposti, 1970. Reprint . Hardcover. Fine/No Jacket Issued. Deluxe facsimile edition limited to 200 copies. Complete 4-volume set. Lavish reproduction of the 4-volume original first edition(s) of 1779-1786-1796 (first state of each volume). Fine, unused condition with no previous owner marks or writing on any pages, no foxing, clean, tight binding. Same size as untrimmed originals, 275mm tall x 220mm. 540, 641, 532, and 594 pages respectively with binder's instruction pages included. Complete with the 22 b/w engraved plates (most are foldouts). All pages and plates printed on quality paper. The volumes are bound in imitation leather that simulates the style and look of late 1700s binding with elaborate gilt decorated spines with gilt lettering. PHOTOS ARE OF THE ACTUAL SET BEING OFFERED.

London: John Murray, 1854. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 1st Printing FIRST PRINTING of First Edition 1854. Complete two volumes. Rebound in dark red buckram with original decorated covers mounted on front covers (both faded at the outside edge), black leather title patches with gilt lettering on spines. Complete with all plates and maps. No previous owner marks or writing on any pages. Original errata slips present in both volumes. Original tissue sheets present opposite color plates. Minor foxing on a few pages but nearly all pages free of foxing. Shallow bump to fore-edge of text block of volume II. Two of the color plates, plate 3 and plate 9, have brown stain in lower outside margin corner (not into the plate image). PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Original pink coated free endpages that advertise books are bound in at the front and end of each volume. Very solid bindings. PHOTOS ARE OF THE ACTUAL SET BEING OFFERED.

Torino: Nella stamperia reale, 1758. First edition. Very Good. Quarto (26 cm); [4] leaves, 166 pages, and two engraved folding plates. Engraved vignette on title pages (illustrating the event narrated in the text), engraved portrait of Carlo Emmanuele, two engraved initials with figures of cherubs. In contemporary vellum over boards, red leather label on spine. Pages lightly toned, with some rather negligible stains. Good margins. Bima, Catalogo ragionato, in "La Stampa Reale di Torino" (2003), p. 91; Wellcome V, 148; Blake NLM 426.. This work, which describes the experiences of two sisters, their brother's wife, and her five-year-old child trapped in a ruined stable by an avalanche for 37 days, is now considered a pioneering study in post-traumatic stress disorder. It is the first scientific study of the effects of survival through a period of privation. Somis (1718-93), professor of medicine at the University of Torino, describes the tragic avalanche that destroyed the village of… Read More

London: Constable & Company, 1909. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 1st Printing FIRST PRINTING of First UK Edition. One of the least common of the Workman books and one of their best expeditions. High quality rebinding in red morocco leather spine and corners with gilt borders, pebbled cloth boards, five raised bands on spine, gilt lettering spine with gilt rules, top edge gilt, text block appears to be untrimmed. The book is in fine condition, from the extensive collection of a famous explorer with his bookplate on the front pastedown, no other previous owner marks or writing on any pages, NOT ex-library, minor foxing on a few pages but generally very bright pages (brighter than usual for this book), tight binding. COMPLETE with all plates, map, and pages. The book measures 244mm tall x 172mm, and has 204 pages, colorized frontispiece + 3 color plates, 90 b/w (tinted blue or brown) plates (4 are double-page), folding color map, index. THE PHOTOS ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM BEING OFFERED.

Berkeley, California:: Set in Motion Press,, 2020.. Edition of 39. 7 x 14"; Accordion-bound folios with pamphlet-stitched interior booklets. Letterpress printed with photopolymer plates and carved linoleum. Digitally printed inserts. Paper, made of cottom and flax ,is Moulin due Gué. Other papers are Zerkall Book, German Etching, and Curious Metallic. Typefaces used are Cheltenham, Kabel, Gill Sans, Futura and Bodoni. Drawings by the artist. Animal wildlife is vintage line art. The "Atlas Biographic" folio features images from the Library of Congress: "1877 Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado" surveyed by F. V. Hayden and photograph of a 19th century silver mine on Aspen Moutain. Bound in Iris bookcloth at corners with letterpress printed papers over boards. Numbered. Set in Motion Press: "Set in the precarious time of the 1920s, living on the brink of human-triggered catastrophe, two young people explore their relationship with naure amid hidden and… Read More

London: Burberrys Limited, 1930. Important work on men's fashion. Presentation inscription by Burberry director, A. Ralph Burberry. "For Safety on Land, in the Air, or Afloat, There's nothing to equal THE BURBERRY COAT" Scarce book promoting the firm's association with pioneers, explorers and the sportsmen who wore Burberry apparel in all manner of climates and landscapes to accomplish great feats. Covers Artic and Antarctic expeditions, fishing, flying, motoring, mountaineering, travel, naval and military - with a focus on the classic gabardine Burberry trench coat. A well-put together volume amassing an abundance of first person testimonies. Also includes an appendix on Macintosh's method of rendering fabrics waterproof (Glasgow, 1823). Octavo, bound in original cloth made from Burberry gabadine with paper label, 248 pages, a fine copy.

First edition, deluxe signed issue. Tall thick octavo. cloth slipcase. Copy number 62 of 200 copies of the first edition, Signed by 16 distinguished Everest climbers including Webster, Sir Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Mesner, David Brashears, and many others.
Note: This book will be shipped from Alaska. Please allow extra time for bookrate shipping. Thank you.