{"product_id":"the-evidence-of-things-not-seen-a-mountaineers-tale-9781912560820","title":"The Evidence of Things Not Seen: A Mountaineer's Tale","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Evidence of Things Not Seen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e is the autobiography of remarkable mountaineer, writer and environmentalist \u003cb\u003eW.H. Murray.\u003c\/b\u003e After being introduced to climbing in his early twenties, Murray’s relationship with the outdoors was shaped as much by his time on the mountains as away from them. His early Scottish climbs were brought to a halt by the Second World War, which saw him spend three years as a Nazi prisoner of war. These years were devoted to not only to philosophical study, but also to writing his classic \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMountaineering in Scotland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e not once, but twice, on toilet paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe time to write about mountains only fuelled Murray’s enthusiasm to climb them. The regeneration in mountaineering that followed the war saw Murray complete three Himalayan expeditions, alongside other iconic figures such as Doug Scott, Tom MacKinnon and Tom Weir, and Eric Shipton. He not only explored Himalayan peaks never before attempted by westerners, but also established the crucial Khumbu Icefall route up Everest, which paved the way for the mountain’s first ascent in 1953.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLater life saw Murray return to Scotland and begin the fight to conserve the wild places that motivated him. From pioneering the John Muir Trust to fighting threats to forestry, Murray’s writing is laced with a philosophical edge and a contagious appreciation for Scotland’s wild places, capturing the essence of why Murray’s work has been inspiring readers for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWritten just before his death in 1996, and with a foreword by renowned Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Evidence of Things Not Seen \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eis a must-read for anyone for which the mountains are still a source of wonder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA big, quiet book that resonated beyond the clamour of ego and conquest.\u003c\/i\u003e – \u003cb\u003eDermot Somers, Judge, Banff Mountain Festival of Literature and Culture.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis autobiography captures the huge scope of Murray's extraordinary life - I'd wager that many climbers under thirty have read little of Murray, seeing him as a remote figure from the past. This book has changed all that and made him relevant and current.\u003c\/i\u003e – \u003cb\u003eEd Douglas, Climber Magazine.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWould it live up to expectations? The answer is a resounding yes. Murray's words of optimism, insight and humility flow from each page, No inflated ego, no cynicism, no backbiting - and no false modesty either.\u003c\/i\u003e – \u003cb\u003eJim Curran, High.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThrough the concise and page-turning war days we learn that the author spent two years scribing \u003ci\u003eMountaineering in Scotland\u003c\/i\u003e on toilet paper. The Gestapo found the then manuscript, interrogated Murray and then destroyed it, believing it was coded intelligence information. Over the next two years Murray describes how he forced himself to rewrite the book. \u003c\/i\u003e– \u003cb\u003eJonathan Waterman, American Alpine Journal.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBill Murray married a poet and the poetic sensibility which so often gives his work its depth is on display here. Its prose enhanced by pages of sumptuous photographs, valuable artefacts of climbing history in themselves, \u003ci\u003eThe Evidence of Things Not Seen\u003c\/i\u003e is the memorial Murray deserves. Like a Highland sunset, his talent flared in glory one final time.\u003c\/i\u003e – \u003cb\u003eDavid Rose, The Guardian.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCONTENTS \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eForeword by Hamish MacInnes \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroductory Note \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEarly Years \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1 Twists of the Thread \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2 Siren Song \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePre-War Climbing in Scotland \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3 Rocks and Climbers \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4 Renaissance: 1930s  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5 The Winter Ascent of Garrick’s Shelf \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFortunes of War \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 6 The Home Front \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7 North Africa \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8 To Iraq and Cyprus \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e9 The Battle of the Cauldron \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIncarceration \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10 Stone Walls: Chieti \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e11 To Bavaria and Bohemia \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e12 Brunswick \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Post-War World \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e13 Home \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e14 The Right Holds \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e15 Freedom – Decisions to Make \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e16 First Steps \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e17 The Alps: Highs and Lows \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst Expeditions to the Himalaya \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e18 Introduction to the Garhwal \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e19 To the Rishi Gorge \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e20 Attempts on Bethartoli Himal and Hunaman \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e21 Mountaineering and Medicine in Dunagiri \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e22 The Ascent of Uja Tirche and an attempt on Lampak South \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e23 Through the Girthi Gorge to Milam \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e24 The Ralam Pass and Panch Chuli \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e25 Untrodden Ranges: Around Menlungste and Gaurisankar   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExploring the Api Massif \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e26 Approach to Api: The Kali Gorge \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e27 Api and Nampa \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e28 Yokapahar Himal – Warnings \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e29 Tibet – Into Chinese Held Territory \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e30 The Seti Gorge \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e31 A Meeting with the Rajah of Bajhang \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverest and the Muztagh Tower \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e32 Everest and the Muztagh Tower: the seemingly impossible overcome \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConcerns Closer to Home \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e33 Return to Scotland \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e34 The Cragsmen of Lewis \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e35 The Life of Ben Humble – Tribute to a Fighter \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e36 A Writer’s World \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e37 Conservation \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e38 Tomorrow \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAppendices \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI Murray’s Books, Plays and Articles \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eII Sundry Correspondence \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIII Writing about Climbing and Mountain Landscape \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIV The Rob Roy Affair \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eV Publishing and the Practicalities of the Writing Business   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhotographs, Maps and Illustrations","brand":"Vertebrate Publishing Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52085686927703,"sku":"9781912560820","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781912560820.jpg?v=1762210505","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-evidence-of-things-not-seen-a-mountaineers-tale-9781912560820","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}