Rock Climbing Guide to the English Lake District, Great Langdale edited by H M Kelly, illustration by W Heaton Cooper. Second series. Published by the Fell & Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District 1950.
Don Roscoe's personal copy. This is a tatty copy of a 1950's climbing guide book to Great Langdale in the Lake District. This is really not surprising since it probably sat in Don Roscoe's pocket for much of his time on climbs with his Rock & Ice Club members from Manchester in the 1950's. The front pastedown has his typed name and Manchester address label stuck in with sellotape. The free-endpaper has his name written in pencil. Opposite the title page again his name appears in pencil together with a Manchester address (crossed out) and a further address written in ink.
Roscoe was one of the early Rock and Ice club members founded in September 1951 and features in many biographies & autobiographies of the post-war northern climbing scene. He climbed with any number of accomplished climbers and had a remarkable and long lasting outdoor career. In the early years he climbed with clubmates Joe Brown, Don Whillans, Nat Allen, Ray Greenall, Doug Belshaw, Ron Moseley, Slim Sorrel, Don Cowan, Don Chapman etc. In the 60's he authored the classic Llanberis North guidebook and he worked as a teacher/lecturer of rock climbing & mountaineering at Plas y Brenin and others.
This book is a testament to a remarkable period of post war British climbing driven by the Rock and Ice Clubs challenging new routes. Ascents appear to be noted by an up arrow in ink or ticked with underlining. One new route appears to have been added to the existing list called 'Laugh Not'
A very worn and well used copy though the binding is very sound for all that. The cloth puckered on the board in one place with a dent in the bottom board. The spine titling now almost gone. Grubby finger marks all over. More of a piece of climbing history than a reference book. An artefact from the great post-war climbing period when many fine demanding and audacious new climbing routes were put up by this determined and skilled group of working class lads from the Manchester area.
Lake District, Peak District, North Wales, Snowdonia, climbing, mountaineering.
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