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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



ters. A perfect delight to the eye are the twenty half-tone, full- 

 page plates, that truly adorn the volume. The following list of 

 chapter headings will convey some idea of the contents: "What 

 Are the 'Alps'," "The Snowy Region of the Alps," "The Pastures 

 of the Alps," "Alpine Flowers," "Some Beasts and Birds of the 

 Alps," "The Alpine Folk, Political Allegiance, Mother Tongues, 

 Religions," "The Great Historical Passes of the Alps," "The 

 Exploration of the High Alps up to 1865." The reviewer takes 

 pleasure in recommending this as the latest and best book on 

 the subject W. F. B. 



"A Complete ^ book that claims to be "complete" on any 

 subject is rightly regarded with suspicion. In 

 Mountaineer." . , . 1 ^t. • 



this case, however, it merely marks the in- 

 clusion of the volume in a "complete series." The author himself 

 disclaims the presumptuousness of the title* as an "impossible 

 pitch." Nevertheless, this volume is in the opinion of the review- 

 er the best, the most interesting, and the completest book on 

 the sport of mountaineering to be found in any language. This 

 is saying a great deal, but it is said with deliberation. No small 

 measure of the uniqueness and excellence of the work is due to 

 the photographs, of which there are seventy-five. They are cer- 

 tainly a most remarkable set of pictures illustrative of moun- 

 taineering. Nearly all of them were taken by the author, who 

 is apparently as expert with the camera as with the ice-axe. The 

 contents of the book are divided into three parts, dealing respec- 

 tively with the technicalities of the sport, with climbing in the 

 British Isles, and mountaineering on the continent of Europe. 

 The eight chapters of the first part discuss, among other things, 

 the equipment of a mountaineer, the art of rock-climbing, snow- 

 craft, and a very sane chapter on climbing with and without 

 guides. No one who has had any experience in mountaineering 

 can escape the feeling that a master of the craft is speaking in 

 these chapters. Climbing in the Sierra Nevada consists chiefly 

 in rock-climbing, and for some time to come will have to be 

 done without the assistance of guides. I wish to say emphatically 

 that the climbing contingent of the Sierra Club will find this 

 book full of good suggestions and fascinating reading. The two 

 chapters on rock-climbing for instance, will make a stimulating 

 appeal to Sierrans who are by preference devoted to this form 

 of the sport. The chapter on the dangers of mountaineering 

 discusses perils and contingencies seldom thought of by a beginner. 

 It is impossible to discuss at length the rich content of this book. 

 My unhesitating advice is "Buy it." W. F. B. 



* A Complete Mountaineer. By George D. Abraham. Doubleday, Page 

 & Co., New York, 1908. Pp. 493 and 75 half-tones. 



