Search results for ""Author Frank Nugent""
Gill In Search of Peaks, Passes & Glaciers
No goggles or glacier glasses, no hi-tech axes or day-glo Gore-Tex adorned Alpinists of the mid-nineteenth century. From the 1850s to the early twentieth century, the achievements of Irish mountaineers are largely obscured in British historical accounts. This sets the record straight. Frank Nugent, mountaineer-explorer, reveals a significant Irish contribution beginning with the Golden Age of Alpine Mountaineering when the first ascents of mountains like the Eiger and Weisshorn and the first traverse of the Matterhorn from Italy were by Irish climbers. Significant climbers of the time were: John Tyndall, a scientist from Carlow; John Ball MP from Dublin was the first president of the Alpine Club and led the popularisation of the sport with a series of guidebooks; Anthony Adams-Reilly from Westmeath produced the first reliable map of the Mont Blanc massif; Elizabeth Whitshed from Greystones, a pioneering woman mountaineer, was one of the first to engage in winter Alpine climbing; Valentine Ryan from Offaly is often considered the finest Alpine climber of the early twentieth century.The Alpine's Club's first publication in 1859 was Peaks, Passes and Glaciers, edited by John Ball. A climbing record of the Alpine Club, it was the blueprint for the Alpine Journal published annually ever since. The varied social, political and scientific backgrounds of Irish Alpine pioneers provide absorbing insights into nineteenth-century Irish society.
£17.99
The History Press Ltd Buried in the Arctic Ice: One Irishman's Role in 19th Century Polar Exploration
This is the story of brave Arctic explorers who died in their attempts to seek the North-West Passage and North Pole during the years 1845-1877. Among them was Jim Hand from Bray, Co Wicklow. Although low in rank, Jim was unique for two reasons. Firstly, in the year 1876, he and a small band of shipmates stood closer to the North Pole than any previous explorers had ever done. Secondly, his name is stamped in history for evermore, as Hand Bay, located in on the most north-westerly point of Greenland, was named in his memory. In Buried in the Arctic Ice, Cyril Dunne combines Jim Hand's personal journey with an intricately researched account of life in the Arctic, that is in turns terrifying and inspiring.
£16.99
