Ben Nevis Britain's Highest Mountain

Ken Crocket & Simon Richardson

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.

For anyone with any interest in The Ben, either as a general interest in the stories of climbers, or from first hand connection with the mountain, as far as I'm concerned it's the most essential book to own since Extreme Rock. It's also a lovely book as an entity in itself, presented to the highest standard as you might expect from the SMC writing about our most important Scottish mountain.

Review by Dave MacLeod

© Stone Country Press Ltd. 2010

Scottish Outdoor Books & Media

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