New year, new books. Here's a roundabout of what you can expect to see from Vertebrate in the next three or so months. 

Freedom Climbers

“One of the most important mountaineering books to be written for many years.”

A really quite incredible book. Bernadette McDonald’s history of polish mountaineering in the Himalaya through the 1970s–1990s cleaned up at the autumn awards ceremonies, scooping both the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Festival and the prestigious Boardman Tasker Prize. Very few books have been awarded both these prizes.

Freedom Climbers tells the story of the extraordinary Polish adventurers who emerged from under the blanket of oppression following the Second World War to become the world’s leading Himalayan climbers. Although they lived in a war-ravaged landscape, with seemingly no hope of creating a meaningful life, these curious, motivated and skilled mountaineers built their own free-market economy under the very noses of their Communist bosses and climbed their way to liberation.

At a time when Polish citizens were locked behind the Iron Curtain, these intrepid explorers found a way to travel the world in search of extreme adventure – to Alaska, South America and Europe, but mostly to the highest and most inspiring mountains of the world. To this end, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nepal became their second homes as they evolved into the toughest Himalayan climbers the world has ever known.

We’ll publish the UK edition in trade paperback and eBook in mid February.

 

The Wild Within
The Wild Within is the third book from Simon Yates, one of Britain’s most accomplished and daring mountaineers. Simon writes:

‘All mountaineers develop differently. Some go higher, some try ever-steeper faces and others specialise in a particular range or region. I am increasingly drawn to remoteness – to places where few others have trod.’

With his insatiable appetite for adventure and exploratory mountaineering, Simon leads unique expeditions to unclimbed peaks in the Cordillera Darwin in Tierra del Fuego, the Wrangell St-Elias ranges on the Alaskan-Yukon border, and Eastern Greenland. Laced with dry humour, he relates his own experience of the rapid commercialisation of mountain wilderness, while grappling with his new-found commitments as a family man. At the same time he must endure his role in the film adaptation of Joe Simpson’s Touching The Void, having to relive the events of that trip to Peru for a Hollywood director.

For anyone with even a passing interest in true wilderness adventure, The Wild Within is not to be missed. Available early March in hardback and eBook.

 

West Yorkshire Mountain Biking
Incredibly, this is our first all-new mountain biking guidebook for two years, although we have published several fully revised second editions including Lake District Mountain Biking. We’re very excited about this one!

West Yorkshire MTB is written by south Pennines expert Benjamin Haworth and features the best (legal!) rides in Calderdale, Bradford, Kirklees and Leeds. As you’ve come to expect from VP mountain biking guidebooks, there’s Ordnance Survey maps, easy to follow step-by-step directions, altitude profiles, local knowledge and plenty of inspiring photos.

West Yorkshire Mountain Biking will be available in late February or early March.

One or the other.

 

Day Walks in Snowdonia
April will see the release of the latest guidebook in our Day Walks series – Tom Hutton’s guide to Snowdonia. As ever Tom has excelled himself, putting together 20 great walks in the National Park, and a bonus section featuring the area’s two classic scrambles: The Snowdon Horseshoe and The Bochlwyd Horseshoe.

There’s Ordnance Survey maps, easy to follow directions, local knowledge and absolutely stunning photography by Tom. Inspirational stuff.

Day Walks in Snowdonia will be available in April.

 

Of course that’s not it for 2012; we’re working on two very exciting UK cycling and walking guides, and Nick Bullock’s eagerly anticipated Echoes – out in the autumn. 

JC