Alpine Club Library Catalogue. Volume One. Heinemann Educational Books, Ltd., London, 1982. viii + 350, x + 230 pages. Paper. $95.00 (Available in the United States from: Jenny Watson, PO Box 915, Exeter, New Hampshire 03833.)

This volume is the result of a major undertaking on the part of the Alpine Club and is the first catalogue of the library’s holdings to be published since 1899. As the Alpine Club began to collect books soon after its founding in 1857, and has continued to do so over the years, its holdings are now considerable: 40,000 items at time of publication.

The catalogue covers both books and periodicals. There is an author listing of all titles followed by a classified listing. There is a separate classified listing for guidebooks as well as an index to the major mountain areas of the world. As access to the material can be gained both through author and by subject, the catalogue is, thus, doubly useful.

The entries range from Abadie, A., Itinéraire topographique et historique des Hautes-Pyrénées to Zwickh, Nepomuk, Geschichte der Alpenvereinssektion München. Many of the books are familiar, indeed, almost friends: Maurice Herzog’s Annapurna premier 8000 in both French and English; Leslie Stephen’s The Playground of Europe, in French, English and German; and some thirty titles by that indefatigable author, Frank S. Smythe, including a Japanese translation of his Edward Whymper. Other titles are more obscure: i.e., The snow-storm; or An account of the nature, properties, dangers, and uses of snow, in various parts of the world [Charles Tomlinson], Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1845.

As might be expected, there is a great deal of material relating to and editions from the British Isles and the continent. North America and the polar regions are, however, less well represented. The literature of the Himalaya is extensive, covering many aspects of the area: geography, description, travel, climbing history and reminiscences and expedition accounts. Appropriately, there are over one hundred entries under Everest, many of which reflect the British efforts that culminated in Hillary’s 1953 ascent of the mountain.

Whatever one’s interest, there is something here. For the casual browser, there are entries under an amazing range of headings: alpine gardens, flying, military mountaineering and natural history to name but a few. For the bibliographically inclined, there is a wealth of information as well. This catalogue is both a source of endless fascination and an invaluable research tool. The Alpine Club is to be commended for its efforts and for adding significantly to the literature of mountaineering.

Patricia A. Fletcher