Book Reviews

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BookReviews High in the T&7 Cold Air, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Desmond Doig. Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday and Company, 1962. 254 pages, 89 illustrations mostly in color, 2 route diagrams. Price $5.95. This is the story of the Himalayan Scientific and Mountaineering Expedition which was sponsored in 1960-61 by the World Book Encyclopedia and led by Sir Edmund Hillary. As readers of this Jozmzal are well aware (AAJ 1962, 13:1, pp. 69-98) th e expedition had a number of diverse objectives which included a search for the abominable snowman, or Yeti, an extensive program of research on the physiology of acclimatization to high altitudes, and an attempt on Mount Makalu which was to be made without supplementary oxygen. The description of such a complicated program poses a number of narrative problems. Certain aspects of the expedition must be emphasized and many others omitted, In the present volume, primary emphasis is placed on the search for and evaluation of Yeti evidence, a secondary spotlight is given to the attempt on Makalu, and the scientific program receives scarcely any description, Nigh in the T/liu Cold Air, is divided into two parts. The first half, entitled “In Search of Snowman” by Desmond Doig is an entertaining account of how although the expedition observed and photographed Yeti tracks, acquired Ye/i skins, and borrowed Ye/i scalps it nevertheless concluded that Yeti tales are primarily just bear stories embellished by the resourceful Sherpa imagination. Now Doig possesses rare qualifications for Yeti analysis, namely as an expert linguist and student of Himalayan peoples he could converse freely with the Sherpas, win their confidence and friendship, and interpret their tales for the Western mind. These abilities plus training as a press correspondent add considerably to the narrative as well. For example, instead of reading something like the usual “A few of the townspeople had been drinking and there was a row involving our Sherpas,” we can find instead, “Then suddenly a child materialized beside the bleeding man, and pointing at Urkien (the head Sherpa) screamed ‘This is the man who killed my father”‘, etc. Doig is at his best discussing Y&J and Sherpas. There are also some descriptions of the march in--“tenderfoot in the wilderness” variety. The second half of the book is by Sir Edmund Hillary and it gives US a description of the rest of the expedition culminating in the attempt on L: 5411

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Makalu. Unfortunately, Sir Edmund Hillary suffered a stroke while supervising the build-up on Makalu and was forced to retire to lower altitudes. Thus the account of desperate days and heroism high on Makalu is secondhand and lacks some of the impact of a more personal involvement. Needless to say, Sir Edmund gives us only a brief description of his own tribulations as well. The reviewer regrets that not even a brief summary of the expedition’s more conventional scientific findings is included in this book. Admittedly, the volume is slim, but reports of “primarily scientific” expeditions which include not even a popular summary of the principal scientific conclusions nourish a skepticism concerning the substance of scientific research on mountaineering cum science expeditions, The reviewer would expect that this expedition would have much of general interest to report concerning acclimatization ceilings, mechanisms of deterioration, and the like. The book includes 88 photographs, mostly in color. The quality of the photographic reproduction is perhaps somewhat better than one would expect froa an American book of moderate price with so many pictures. In summary, High in the Thin Cold Air is an interesting account of much of the Hillary Expedition. It is presumably a must for students of the Yeti. GEORGE I. BELL The Climb tip to Hell, by Jack Olsen. New York: Harper and Row 1962. 212 pages, ills., Price $4.95. This is a well written account of the 1957 tragedy on the Eiger. In early August two parties set out independently to climb the north wall. Overtaken by the Germans Nothdurft and Mayer, the Italians Corti and Longhi later joined forces with them. In the harrowing days that followed Longhi was killed in a storm after nine days on the wall, Corti was taken off by a rescue directed and composed of the finest climbers in Europe, and the Germans completely disappeared. The author gives a good description of the Eiger north wall, a brief history of the ascents and attempts upon it that have cost at least 18 lives. and an analysis of the motivating factors involved. The detailed description of the actual climb in 1957 is preceded by a recounting of the mountaineering experience of each of the four men involved, together with the story of the circumstances that brought them together on the Eiger. Having been introduced to the persons in the drama, the reader is almost roped to them in the suspense of the climb and the agony and heartbreak that follow. The account of Corti’s rescue and the risks so willingly undertaken by those who came to the aid of their fellow mountaineers is equally well done. Following the tragedy

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and its heroic alleviation in part by the rescue group, one is given a look at the impact of this upon valley minds, The climax is reached when Corti, like Edward Whymper on the Matterhorn, is accused of foul play in the death of his comrades. The final chapters deal with the recovery of Stefano Longhi’s body, which had hung on the wall for two years in full view of the Kleine Scheidegg telescopes, and the finding of the bodies of the Germans in 1961. Such a well written book will be read by many. It is hoped that the author’s well balanced account will be kept in mind and that mountaineering in general will not be judged by a tragedy as this. “In mountaineering there is only one principle,” wrote Geoffrey Winthrop Young, “that we should secure on any given day the highest form of mountain adventure consistent with our sense of proportion.” The disproportion on the Eigerwand in 1757 is only too obvious, not only in the loss of three human lives but in the risk to which a courageous rescue group was put. Those who climb beyond the margin of safety imposed upon them by their own skill, the mountain, the weather and attendant circumstances endanger not only their own lives but those of others. “A rescuer in the mountains worthy of the name knows the risks he runs and does not demur,” Rent! Dittert pointed out some years ago. Finally it is well to remember that while observers and commentators from afar were passing judgment upon the four men who struggled on the wall and impugning motives to them, Giinther Nothdurft and Franz Mayer lay dead in an avalanche near the Eiger summit, killed in an attempt to obtain help for the Italians they had met by chance. They Sna! climbed the wall on the night of August 7 and despite their weakened condition attempted to descend during a storm. “Greater love than this no man hath, than he lay down his life for his friends.” ANDERSON BAKEWELL, S.]. Airborxe lo the Mornz/nirzs, by James Mills with foreword by Sir John Hunt. London: Thomas Yoseloff Ltd.; New York: A. S. Barnes & Co., Inc., 1961. 212 pages, 22 illustrations, 2 sketch maps, 7 appendices. Airborne fo the Mormt&zs is the record of an All-British expedition to the Traleika Glacier in Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska. For six weeks, during early summer, 1756, the group made the first detailed exploration of the glacier, plus two first ascents and two more unsuccessful tries of virgin peaks adjacent to the glacier. The late Jimmie Mills, the organizer and leader, tells of his methods in obtaining finances for an Alaskan expedition: his success in convincing the British War Office that it should support the party of four-all British

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Army officers-with equipment and leaves of absence to make the trip for the good of the service. Although he was unsuccessful in his dealings with the Royal Canadian Air Force for transportation across Canada, the United States Air Force was more favorably inclined. As a joint armed forces effort, it ultimately provided the party with Alaskan transportation, including helicopter airlift from Fairbanks to the confluence of the Traleika and Muldrow glaciers and return. It also provided the stand-by party (required by the National Park Service) and flew cover every three days during the six-week expedition. His description of experiences on an Alaskan glacier with its long days, extreme temperature changes, and above all sudden and extended storms is typical of those encountered by nearly every party that has trod McKinley’s slopes since Belmore Browne’s historic pioneering of the area. Unlike most chronicles of the hills, however, Aivbovm to the Momtains dwells largely on the human, everyday side of an expedition, with its attendant discomforts of wet sleeping bags, inadequacies of expedition cooking, struggles against deep snow and impenetrable crevasses, and finally the satisfaction achieved with the attainment of each small part of the ultimate expedition goal. In addition he describes personality clashes that can easily arise and can become obstacles to an expedition’s success. Anyone who is about to participate in a small expedition should make this book a “must” ; it will alert him to the potential pitfalls that can hold an expedition back from its goal, but will also kindle the fires of conquest so necessary for a successful expedition. PAUL B. CREWS

A Mes Montcrper, by Walter Bonatti. Translated into French from Italian by F. Germain, Collection Sempervivum No. 38. Paris: B. Arthaud, 1962. 291 pages, 41 illustrations, 5 maps and sketches. This superb mountaineering chronicle has more hair-raising accounts in its pages than any book of its kind this reader has seen. It is definitely not recommended to anyone suffering from high blood pressure. Any young man determined on a mountaineering career should read it carefully to realize where his enthusiasm may lead him and also to consider if he has what it takes. Walter Bonatti, whose short visit to our Club in 1961 many of us remember with pleasure, was born in Bergamo near Milan and served his mountain apprenticeship in the Grigna, the Dolomites and the Val d’Aosta. He has been a guide at Courmayeur since 1957. His book is a protest against a mechanized world. Bonatti says he feels “like a boy who longs to admit to his friends, occupied with their mechanical and

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scientific toys, that he still wants to run barefoot and turn somersaults in a field.” He is most convincing in this, even if at times one feels one can hardly bear to think of yet another bivouac on an exposed ridge in a snowstorm. It is hard to single out any one of the chapters of this book for special comment: they are all so exciling. The writer takes us up the north faces of the Grandes Jorasses, Badile and others in the Bregaglia, and the Lavarcdos in the Dolomites, the latter in winter. In his home district of Mont Blanc he has explored all the major routes, some of them alone, and bivouacked on most of them. He has travelled widely: with the successful Italian expeditions to K2 and Gasherbrum IV and also in the Peruvian Andes and the practically virgin territory of the mountains and glaciers of Patagonia. In spite of his almost superhuman feats, his descriptions are often humorous and always intensely human; he loves every aspect of his mountains from the sublime to the ridiculous, and he is violently opposed to suc11 “fancy” aids to climbing as expanding pitons. The story closes with the tragic account of the storm on the Fr&ney Pillar on Mont Blanc, where four of Bonatti’s friends and companions in 1961 lost their lives. This is definitely a worth while and absorbing book by a very real personality. URSULA

CORNING

Entre Terre et Ciel, by Gaston Rebuffat and Pierre Tairraz. Paris: B. Arthaud, 1962. 183 pages, 104 black and white photographs, 6 color plates. Price 28 N.F. Gaston Rebuffat has written the story of the filming of the motion picture Estfe Terre et Ciel which received the Grand Prize of the Italian Alpine Club at the 10th International Festival of Mountain and Exploration Motion Pictures in Trento, Italy, The film, and the pictures in the book, are the result of collaboration between Rebuffat and the photographer Pierre Tairraz who, in characteristically alpine manner, is the fourth generation representative of the Tairraz family in the photographic business at Chamonix. Going beyond this, the young Pierre has become an accomplished pilot and rock-climber; pausing on a pitch, as Gaston tells US, to produce his camera, The introduction, written in vigorous and warm prose style used in Starlight a& Storm, describes Rhbuffat’s love of climbing and the genesis of his collaboration with the Tairraz p&e et fi1.r. The production of the film, which is narrated on the next 87 pages, together with chapters describing the climbs, lasted through two summer periods, each of four months. The picture taking involved four traverses of the Matterhorn,

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three of Mount Blanc, three ascents of the south face of the Aiguille du Midi and three of the Bonatti Pillar of the Dru. The result, shown in this book, is a series of magnificent climbing photographs of breath-taking clarity . . . how does Gaston manage to keep that beautiful sweater so clean and neat at all times, on cornice and on wall? The book concludes with a series of descriptions of climbing routes on the Matterhorn, on the Aiguille Verte (with the account by Whymper), on the Aiguille du Midi (with the account by Baquet), on a traverse of Mount Blanc and on the southwest pillar of the Dru. Only one omission was detected; the credit for plate 32 is not listed. Entve Terre et Ciel is recommended for its beautiful photographs and for its clear, vivid and dramatic prose. THOMAS

H. JUKES

Fvanfois Matthes and the Ma&r of Time. Yosemite ajzd the High Sierra. Edited by Fritiof Fryxell. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1962. 189 pages; ills. Price $7.50. Franlois Matthes knew mountains with an understanding that few of us can ever attain. To him a mountain presented at a glance a clear record of ages of up-building, dislocation, alteration, and sculpturing by ice and water. Not content with understanding these things himself, or even with making contributions to the records of science, he had a burning desire to explain to laymen, particularly to young people, the exciting story that he saw written in the mountain landscrape. Thus he was ever ready to lead groups into the field in Yosemite and in Sequoia and to respond to the calls of editors, particularly of the Sie/,ra Cl& Bm’letin. Both in his informal talks and in his writings he had the rare gift of enlivening and ectertaining without ever departing from a strict adherence to the disciplines of science. “The Geologic History of Mount Whitney” is an outstanding example. With this as a background, one may share with Francois his statement: “Indeed, the more fully I comprehend its story, by dint of repeated visits to and flights around and over Mount Whitney, the more venerable, the more precious seems that bit of flat land on its lofty summit. Upon it I have never set foot without a certain sense of reverence.” It is particularly appropriate that these essays should be introduced by a fellow geologist, Fritiof Fryxell, a member of the American Alpine Club, as was Francois Matthes, in a comprehending and well rounded biography. The book is beautifully produced, with excellent illustrations. Altogether it is a work of the highest order and should have a favored place in all mountain libraries. FRANCIS P. FARQUHAR

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Mama1 of SR1’ Mountaineering, 3rd Edition, edited by David Brower. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1962. 224 pages, 40 photographs, 73 sketches. Price $3.75. The third edition of this fine manual has recently appeared under the Sierra Club imprint. Originally written at the start of World War II for both military and civilian use to instruct in winter travel in the mountains, it was revised just after the war to include many techniques verified or developed by the military’s experiences. In the sixteen years since the appearance of the second edition, there have been many changes in the methods of travel, of winter camping, and of food preparation (to name just a few) either as consequences of new, more ingenious equipment or the changing habits and standards of mountain skiers. The present edition reflects many of these changes, The contributors have rejected attempts to cover the latest styles and models in equipment for “the basic principles last longer . . .,” and for the contributors, as for most of us, “fashion and its relation to ski technique . . . are beyond us.” Nevertheless, the important innovations, with a few exceptions, are included. No mention is made of the new alkaline-type dry cells that retain their ability to operate flashlights usefully in the temperature range far below O°F and which have SO many times greater capacity than the usual carbon-zinc cells. Neither are the new bottled gas stoves discussed which have now become so widely accepted among European tnountaineers and campers nor (as noted in the review in Appularhia) do they discuss string underwear or plastic bottomed skis. The omissions are not serious, however, in view of the quantity of information included. The book retains the nice balance of the earlier editions in the selection and discussion of topics that are directly and indirectly relevant to ski mountaineering. For example, it includes information on many phases of climbing: with snow-shoes, skis, skis with skins, nailed boots, cleated shoes, ice-axe and crampons, and with ropes, pitons, and slings. This last subject is by no tneans out of place for it illustrates the kind of problems and their solutions that might be encountered, although perhaps rarely, in ski mountaineering and the information is useful for background for the traveller. The section on artificial, or tension, climbing is somewhat out of date and, curiously, there is no mention of the techniques of technical rock climbing in winter. The table of contents suggests the wide range of topics covered: Body Warmth, Equipment, Climbers and Waxes, Waler, Food and Cooking, Campsite Selection, Shelter,, Campjug, Suolu I;ounatiol? and Avalanches, Compass nr~d Map, I;ir.rt Aid, Transportation of the Itzjwed, Ski Mowtaineering Test, Momtnineeving Roll,le.r, Rock Clif?zbil2g, Ice Climbing.

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A serious error occurs in Chapter 12 in the section dealing with the treatment of frostbite. The modern method of fast rewarming of injured members is discussed and the instruction given to rewarm in water at a temperature of 55OC or 1300F. Two pages later it is remarked, inconsistently, that I’. the frostbitten part should be protected from cold, but otherwise le// nlone to thnw slowly by itself: (sic).” Both statements are incorrect and contradict a number of authorities.:g Although there are minor differences in the water temperature recommended by the various experts (viz., “110’F to 115’F”, “108’F to 112’F”, or “never have the water warmer than I 120F”) it is quite clear that the use of water at 130OF would cause serious further injury to a frostbitten member. The new edition, in welcome contrast to earlier ones, is illustrated profusely with photographs of a high quality well known to readers of Sierra Club publications. It- is a useful manual and has no serious competitor among English language books. It is a shame it lacks an index. HENRY

W. KENDALL

Front Range Panorama, edited by Louisa W. Arps and published by the Colorado Mountain Club. Price $3.75. The Patzowmn consists of a cardboard folder 12” x 9” which opens like a doublewrfcord album to reveal two pockets. In the left pocket is one long folded map (16”’ x 33”) of the visible mountains west of Denver; the map is marked off into seven sections, and includes an index of placenames. The map is laid out as though the mountains are being viewed from the roof of the Denver Museum of Natural History in City Park. In the right-hand pocket are seven individual maps (each 8” x 33”), one for each of the sections indicated on the master map. Each is drawn in detail and contains descriptive and historical information about the specific group being described; all seven taken together will help identify mountains from Pikes Peak and the Rampart Range in the south to Longs Peak and the Mummy Range in the north. The Pclnowna is well and thoroughly done, and will be of especial interest to those people frequently visiting or living in the Denver area, BOYD EVERETT

Field Book-The IV&d River Ra,lge from Gzdide to the IVyomitzg Mowtajns and Wilderness Area.r wilh Sllpplement, by Orrin H. Bonney and * See Frorrbire by Bradford Washburn, AAJ 1962, 13: 1, Page 1 ; A Study of ~r0Jtbi~e Tt~dmenu by W. Miles, M.D., Sumnrj,, November, 1962, page 10; Proslbile-A Review (page 233) anJ the note (page 392) by H. C. McDade, M.D., both in Apalarhid, December, 1962.

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Lorraine Bonney. Denver, Colorado: Sagebooks, 1760 and 1762. 148 pages, 37 ills., 8 maps, index, 1762 supplement. Price $3.50. The field book is a portion of Guide IO the W’yonhg Morr771ni17.snd Wilderness Areas which was reviewed in detail in the Amer,icm Aipirre Journal 1960. The 12 pages of supplement contain much new material as well as corrections to the original text, and should not be overlooked in using this field book. It is indeed unfortunate that the pictures and maps have lost so much in inadequate reproduction since this guide is a must for anyone who plans to travel in this area. Being paperbound, it is lighter to carry, but at the same time it will not be as durable in the rucksack. WALDO

H. HOLCOMBE

High Trn11~: A Guide to the Cascnde Crest Trail, by Robert H. Wills. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1962. 157 pages. Maps. Price $3.00. High TI&J serves its narrow purpose: trail description of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington, mileages, trail conditions, access roads, and short general remarks about each section. Like most outline guides, it gives you just enough descriptive material to whet your appetite. However, limiting this book to the Crest Trail is limiting indeed. Traveling the Crest Trail through the Cascades is like the driver who travels the superhighway through your state and then claims to have seen your state. In this case, the traveler has just begun to glimpse the startling Cascades and its trails. For example, in the North Cascades Primitive Area the Cascades must bc close to 100 miles across. The Crest Trail passes through one of the least spectacular parts. Traveling through Mount Rainier National Park you merely skirt the edges and come nowhere near the famous Wonderland Trail. Also, you are miles away from the pristine beauty of Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake, l have always felt that Cascade Crest Trail was a misnomer. Many sections are far from the crest and indeed are in the very valleys beneath the crest, for in places this country is far too rugged to build or maintain such trails, A prime example of this is the crest of the Cascades between Cascade Pass and Suiattle Pass. With its jumble of cliff-sided mountains and active glacier terrain, many claim this section to be the most wild and rugged part of the continental United States. This is not to detract from the book, however, for it adequately and accurately serves its limited purl~ose of describing 457 miles of trail in the State of Washington. PHILIP H. ZALBSKY, Seattle Momtaineers

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Standard Encyclopedia of the 1VotW.r Mountains. Edited by Julian Huxley; G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1962. 383 pages, 16 color plates, 12 maps, glossary, gazetteer. Price $10.95. Omne e@J’ menswam .r~mjt a fifze I believe the scholastic axiom goes: “Every being takes its measure from its purpose.” The purpose of this book is clearly stated in the introduction (no page number) : “It aims at being a standard reference book with a high degree of accuvury in its factual information, which includes the geographical status of each peak, glacier or pass mentioned, its geology, special fauna and flora, its historical importance, and of course who first discovered, explored or climbed it-anything, in fact, of interest about the mountain in question. To balance these hard Jack use has been made in many articles of quotations . . . ” “This book . . will serve as an introduction to those who are not familiar with the mountains, and as a vuluahle r.eferenre to those who are . . ,” (Italics supplied)

This purpose is not achieved. To dignify the volume with the title of Standard Encyclopedia is stretching things a bit, unless one takes a good hard look at the deep Greek roots of encyclopedia (XV in +KVKX,K circle +x(YL~EL~: instruction). Because of the claim made, a few examples of discrepancies should be given : Oscar Houston, and not Eric Shipton, led the ZY>O group which first confirmed that Everest could be approached from the south. (p, 31) Dr. Walter A. Wood, Jr., President of the American Geographical Society of New York, New York Director of the Arctic Institute of North America and former president of the American Alpine Club gets rather brief treatment, (p, 31) Many outstanding American mountaineers are not even mentioned. The person giving the shoulder belay is, as sketched with the rope wrapped around his right arm, in a rather dangerous position. SO, n for.tbi, is his unseen companion. (p. 36, Glossary illus.) Crampons are now made of lighter material than steel. (p, 37) A rope sling should have been placed around the short nub used to anchor the rope for the rappel sketched in the glossary. (p. 40) The maps are hardly adequate for a Standard Encyclopedia. (pp. 41-53) “The Aleutian Range has been explored largely by American scientists and mountaineers, among whom H. Bradford Washburn, Walter A. Wood, Robert Bates and Dr. Terris Moore have been the most prominent,” (pp. 65-66.) Though they h ave explored other northern ranges, these men have spent little or no time in the Aleutians. “In the sanctuary are stored the holy relics, including fragmettts of the HOLY Ckr~ch, of which every monastery possesses some, and many remains

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of saints and apostles, all set in precious reliquaries .rtrrdded with jewels. To them the monk.r pray, and their healing pouers are Ilever doubted.” (pp. 83-85: Athos, Mount) Italics added. If the monks are praying lo the relics and remains they are living in idolatry and the abbot should be so informed, Fragments of the Holy Church would make most interesting relics. The last words italicized make up an inaccurate and misleading statement, as well as a dangerous universal one. “Bhutan, a protectorate under Indian authority .” (p. 93) The work of the Arctic Institute in the Brooks Range is completely omitted. (p. 98) The account of the first ascents in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is rather thoroughly confused, as a cursory glance at the available first-hand accounts will easily show. (pp. 123-124: Crist6bal Col6n, Pica) “Height 29,002 feet (also estimated at 29,145 feet)” (p, 147: Everest, Mount). The difference of figures is, of course, due to the use of a different value for the coefficient of refraction in the adjustment of calculations. Ordinary reference to the original Survey of India work shows this. Dr. Gulatee’s revised figure of 29,028 feet, discussed at length in the Geographical Jonrual about 1955, was used as long ago as 1957 on the fine map of Everest edited by the Derrtscher Alperzvereh, O.rterreicher Alpenverein nnd Detrtschc I;os,rc/3lmgsgen2einJchaft. “First climbed, Dartmouth College Expedition, 1934. (p. 123: Crillon, Mount.) Harvard has lost two fine sons in Bradford Washburn and H. Adams Carter, who made the ascent. Adams Carter and Bradford Washburn proved conclusively that Cook’s claim regarding Mount McKinley was false. This was done in a masterful article appearing in the Amerkn Althe Jotutlal 1958. (p, 206: McKinley, Mount.) “The vast 25,000-foot ridge that joints it (Lhotse) to Everest was explored by H. W. Tilman’s party, who considered climbing Everest by the south wall of the Lhotse-Nuptse (second satellite-peak) ridge . .” Hardly. (pp. 200-201: Lhotse) There is no mention of the work of Dr. Walter Wood, Bradford Washburn or Robert Bates in the St. Elias Range, (pp. 270-271) “Today a scenic highway connects the highest point of California with the lowest in America-Death Valley . , .” (p, 314: Whitney, Mount) There is, of course, no such highway, “Sentinel Mountains Group in Ellsworth Highland, Antarctica; highest peak is Mount Ulmer (12,500 ft.)” (p. 350, Glossary) The height for Mount Vinson, in this range, is actually nearly one mile higher than the figure given: 5,140 meters or 16,864 feet. This measurement has been

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available for at least two years. Mount Ulmer is now given at 9100 feet. Mount Ayantepui, in Venezuela, over whose escarpment drops the highest waterfall on earth, is not even mentioned. These few examples may serve to give a general idea of the accuracy rating of the book. As a standard encyclopedia it is much like the furnace and chimney built by Samdadchiemba, the companion of AbE Hut and P&e Gabet in Tibet. “The structure was extremely picturesque” wrote the AbbP, “but it labored under the enormous disadvantage of being wholly useless.” Competent advice was available, the data is available; neither seems to have been used with much care. One wonders if the contributors listed did have a chance to go through the proofs personally. The Lonsdale Library, Volume XVIII: Momtaineering was a much better job a quarter of a century ago. ANDERSON BAKEWELL, S.J.