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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 7, 2015 - 08:15am PT
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Been thinking about climbing guidebooks and their evolution lately. Was wondering about a few firsts:
-Which is considered the first guidebook ever?
-Who was the first female to be pictured on a cover of a guidebook?
-Which guidebook was the first to use actual photographs?
-Which guidebook was the first to use GPS coordinates?
..There must be many more "firsts" in guidebooks....
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Could start a similar thread here...we can even use the Limey spelling:
Oldest - Longs Peak (1955), Nesbit, Guide to the Colorado Mountains (1955), Ormes
Favourite - Granite Mountain (1973), Lovejoy
Most obscure - Guide to the Armpit (1993), Damien Suess
Most used - Joshua Tree Rock Climbing Guide (1992), Vogel
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Would also add, which was the first guidebook to use topo nomenclature vs. verbal descripstions of routes?
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2015 - 11:50am PT
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Great link. Those Brits...
A scan of the replies yielded this as the oldest they reference:
Oldest = Well Haskett Smith's "Climbing in the British Isles" as the first published climbing guide in 1894 & 1895
That is amazing. I would not have guessed that they (guidebooks) go back that far.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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If you are talking about the Alps and other mountain areas the dates go even farther back than 1895. I have a Ball's guide to the Western Alps from right around the same time and it is fairly extensive.
The original guide to Tahquitz Rock dates back to 1937 and is the oldest American guidebook that I am aware of. Check it out here:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/737755/Tahquitz-The-Early-Years-Rick-Ridgeway-Summit-1976
I suspect that the Canadian Rockies have some formal guidebooks going back to around the turn of the last century.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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I think Randy Vogel wrote a book about guidebooks.
For real? Randy must be a glutton for punishment..:-)
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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I suspect that the Canadian Rockies have some formal guidebooks going back to around the turn of the last century.
In 1912, there was The Selkirk Mountains: a Guide for Mountain Pilgrims and Climbers by A.O. Wheeler & Elizabeth Parker, published in London. Not really a guidebook in the modern sense, move of a travel description.
Was this the first guide co-authored by a woman?
The first North American mountaineering guidebook that I am aware of was A Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada by Howard Palmer and J. Monroe Thorington (AAC, 1921). I know there were hiking guides to the White Mountains published earlier, but this is a real mountaineering guide.
Thorington also did A Climber's Guide to the Interior Ranges of British Columbia in 1937, also published by the AAC.
Corrections welcomed!
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WindRiverWildman
Trad climber
N. Colorado
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I love guidebooks.
I have quite a collection going back to when I started climbing in 1970, and can't get myself to throw the older ones out. Perhaps future donations to a museum?
I wonder when the format changed from written descriptions to topos or photos? (The Ojai link provides insight into this).
It was often quite challenging to interpret what the author was describing - Spent a few chilly forced bivouacs by misunderstanding a written description. Nice that Supertopo often shows "off route" or "wrong way" features.
What about the most aesthetic?
My favorites are the Vedauwoo guide "Crack Country" by Layne Kopischka which was hand drawn in pencil with great detail, clarity, and conciseness. Also like the Rossiter guidebooks.
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kev
climber
A pile of dirt.
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Most errors (deliberate or otherwise)
"Southern Yosemite" by Spencer, aka "Spencer's Book of Lies".
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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I did this one back in 2011.
Auctioned off a couple copies for the Gordo Fest.
722 pages, around 700 guides.
I need to do an update...
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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One of my oldest (and mentioned up thread):
Possibly my oldest:
Art Gran's guide is fairly popular amongst the collectors of such:
Great ol' Teton guide:
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JimT
climber
Munich
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The 1906 (or 1908?) guide to the Elbesandstein is though to be the first rock climbing guide as opposed to mountaineering. The 150th anniversary of the first route there was last year.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I would love to see a copy of that guidebook. Did Oliver Perry-Smith author that guide?
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2015 - 12:01pm PT
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^ Nice books Brian!
These are good, fascinating posts! What else you have out there? - I know this site has guidebook collectors, because I have bought some from a few.
Not a guidebook collector per se..well kind of..I do collect them but not my only focus. Hopefully I can post up a couple of gems soon!
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2015 - 12:03pm PT
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The 1906 (or 1908?) guide to the Elbesandstein is though to be the first rock climbing guide as opposed to mountaineering.
Interesting. So mountaineering guidebooks were first? - this would actually make a lot of sense.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Ooo - I better take care of the older gems in my collection. I know I have stuff that predates my birth.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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The carabiner was invented just a bit ahead of the dates on that Elbsandstein guide if that gives you a good frame of reference.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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First guidebook author to donate all his royalties to the access fund? Karl Kelley..
I don't really know if he was the first, but it is worth noting, and it would be interesting if anyone else has done something like this!
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Edward Whymper's 1896 guidebook to Chamonix and the range of Mt Blanc is fascinating and contains histories of the climbs, and excellent topos.
There is very little new under the sun!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Cmac's Yosemite wall guide and more recently Geir Hundal's guide to the Cochise Stronghold is being compiled and produced on a 100% direct experience basis.
Great way to combine work and play to produce a first rate guidebook series.
The Stronghold is such a heads up area that solid and accurate information is more than a luxury as many folks have discovered the hard way following older information.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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And I still have it in my collection!
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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A few more...
Early Yosemite guide:
First Teton guide?
Title page:
A few for the folks to the north:
Fun!
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2015 - 04:33pm PT
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First electronic (digital) guide book? I think it would referred to as an E-book?
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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A first?
Couple more oldies...
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Holly Crap, Brian! Great collection.
When Batrock finds this thread you guys and duel it out.
I think we need a Supertopo Guide to Guidebooks.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Trudy Healy's Adirondacks...first climbing guidebook in the US authored by a woman? I can't come up with an earlier one (or many...!).
Couple of guidebooks (not journals) that featured route topos which predate the Nichols Yosemite guide:
Edit to add...there's a 'taco member who's associated with the topo's from both books...any guesses?
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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^^^Bingo!
Topos in guidebooks, therefore, must be his fault? Ha ha.
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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Brian - the climber with everything!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 10, 2015 - 02:03pm PT
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I just picked up a pair of later Thorington guides to the Rockies and interior ranges this morning for a great price on ebay. Later editions are perfect for the research work that I have them around for.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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May 11, 2015 - 10:20pm PT
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Not sure if any of these are firsts but the Rock Jock’s Guide to Queen Creek Canyon AZ guidebook is loaded with unique stuff.
Published 1996 Marty Karabin. 388 pages.
The biggest problem with guidebooks is trying to figure out where you are within the climbing area. I came up with a solution of putting the area map page number on the top of each page in the gutter of the book. So open the book to any page and the page you are on refers you to the area map of the area you are in. John Sherman the following year did the same area map reference key in his newer Hueco Tanks guidebook, but he placed them in random places on the pages leaving the reader searching for the area map reference key.
The nine photos opening each chapter is taken with black and white infra red film. I couldn’t decide how to open up each chapter and one day at the old Climbmax Climbing Center Ed Pabst, photography junkie, said he had the solution for me and took the photos, developed them the old school way, and it was a great learning experience for me.
Throughout the guidebook is signatures from famous rock climbers. I created a contest that if anybody could name every signature you would get a free guidebook. Steve Schneider to this day is the only person to name every signature in the guidebook.
As a kid I always loved the flip book animation cartoons, so I had to create one for the guidebook. Luckily for me I had the Euro Dog character to work with. The animation is 20 frames and starts with dog kissing his bicep muscle, then walks closer while rolling his eyes, and spit rolls down his tongue. This animation took me a solid month to get it moving correctly.
Throughout the book is 40 or so illustrated area maps showing where the trails are, and how to get to the routes, etc. As I was drawing the 50,000 c-shaped curls to create drawn bushes, I noticed that it looked like there were words in the bushes. So I then intentionally drew in words in the bushes on every drawn map throughout the book.
Not sure who gets credit for the first guidebook with manufacture ads, or first with a tick list.
At the time I was into creating climbing cartoons so I gave myself a challenge. I was to create four full page cartoons dealing with the four elements. So one cartoon was Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Earth is the cartoon shown below. I know I am not the first the have cartoons in a guidebook
It was 104 degrees when we took the photo for the guidebook back cover. I was looking to hire anybody with a long mohawk for the photo, but my friend Bill Burns wanted the photo fame, So for one year he grew out his hair and the night before the photo, his wife cut and formed it into this perfect mohawk. We hiked him out to the edge of the Apache Leap while carrying a umbrella to keep the sun off his head. The photo was taken upside down while laying on the tip of a 12 foot extension ladder rigged perpendicular to the top of the rock wall, rigged a few days prior to the photo.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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May 12, 2015 - 11:18am PT
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Marty, that guide is amazing, a real work of art and passion.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 3, 2015 - 04:50pm PT
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Is this the first guidebook to feature a female on the cover?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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What a provincial lot!
I'd post the frontispiece but nobody wants to see my buttshot.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Is this the first guidebook to feature a female on the cover?
Front or back? Ha ha...(see if anyone can guess the guidebook):
Maybe...?
Too funny...
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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First headless climber on a guidebook cover?
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Dave Davis
Social climber
Seattle, WA
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Anybody out there have an older copy of Fred Beckey's guide to the Cascade and Olympic mountains? Unlike the three volume later editions this was a one volume pocket type of guide. I'm uncertain when it was originally published, perhaps in the 50's sometime. Anyone know?It's the first guidebook I recall ever using, but it belonged to a friend. Anyway it was a pretty cool little book, complete with Dee Molenar illustrations.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Fred's first guide was 1949. Green cloth. It was reissued in 1953: same book with a supplement bound in at the back taking it up to 1953. The 1961 edition was, I believe, totally reset and in part rewritten.
All three were a small format, hardcover, unlike Fred's later guides.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Jeez.
I have one of those Art Gran guides I bought new. (And the '82 trees Guide)
Selling it will probably pay for 4 days in the nursing home when it's time :)
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Dave Davis
Social climber
Seattle, WA
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Thanks Tricouni. The one I recall had a brown cover and must have been a later edition. It was mid 60's when my friend acquired it.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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Dave, the 1961 guide had the brown cloth cover, so that's probably the one you saw.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2015 - 01:09pm PT
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First for Mission Gorge, San Diego area?
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2015 - 08:57am PT
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First guide for Needles:
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Sep 17, 2015 - 10:04am PT
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Jody, The Pinnacles guide ( by David Hammack) was published in 1955 and has some nice glossy action photos and two page spread map. A real high quality production.
These are not common; some luck and perhaps a generous application of money might be required to obtain a copy.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Sep 17, 2015 - 10:12am PT
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Second Edition to the Stanford Alpine Club guide to campus buildering published in 1971.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Sep 17, 2015 - 10:15am PT
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1967 Squamish guide, ex libris Eric Bjornstad.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Sep 17, 2015 - 10:18am PT
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Reprint from February 1940 Sierra Club Bulletin, by Richard Leonard and David Brower.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Sep 17, 2015 - 10:22am PT
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The original compilation and guide to the High Sierra.
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