The Andes are Prickly, by Malcolm Slesser. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1966. 254 pages, 31 photographs, 4 maps. Price: 42 s.

This book is not solely on mountaineering; rather it describes an expedition, traveling, climbing, mapping and tape recording in Peru. Its descriptions of climbing are, however, of great interest since they include the little known Urubamba range near Cuzco. The nine members of the expedition, seven men and two women, all Scots, made six first ascents and two fine attempts on Chainapuerto and Padre Eterno; the south face of Yerupaja, in the Cordillera Huayhuash, was also attempted.

The Scots traveled light and established contacts with Peruvians of all races and conditions. Few expeditions to Peru have enjoyed the advantage of having at least one member well versed in Spanish and another a guitar player.

The real attraction of this book lies in the personal observations of the land and peoples of Peru by the members of the expedition. Many of these observations are conveyed in a new narrative style, in which detailed bits of conversation are faithfully reproduced. One wonders if some trivial pieces of chatting were worth including, but a good part of the exploration and climbing by the expedition may be perceived through the conversations.

The pictures provoke mixed feelings; some are good and well reproduced — some are not. The frontispiece should have been a color plate, even if this had meant a price increase of the book; the fine peak of Sirijuani is much praised in the text, but the picture of it is disappointing. In general the photos of the Urubamba area are good and very descriptive, while those of the Yerupajá group are of lower standard. The maps are adequate.

After reading this book, I could not close it without feeling that here there is something new; the conversational style may at times be displeasing and the photos are not wholly satisfactory; but we see the peoples and the highlands of Peru vividly portrayed and we cannot help but realize that many others who have been there did not see or feel so much. Mr. Slesser, a mountaineer and author of repute, has proved to us that the Andes mean more than climbing and for that we are indebted to him.

Evelio A. Echevarría