In the German, this is and has long been a famous book. First compiled in 1885, that edition held its place for decades as the basic authoritative textbook on the dangers which confront the mountaineer and the training, experience and equipment he must acquire to face them in safety.

A completely new version, enlarged to 500 pages, appeared early this century from the hand of Wilhelm Paulcke as the 5th edition. That in its turn achieved classic status as a study of every aspect of mountaineering and in the next 30 years ran into 4 more editions.

The book is now an extraordinary distillation of knowledge, covering all the basic mountain phenomena and their dangers.

There are chapters on subjective and objective dangers; rock and rock-falls; snow-structure, cornices and avalanches; skiing and winter mountaineering on ski; glaciers, crevasses, neve; mountain weather and winds, fog and blizzards; altitude sickness, sunburn and heatstroke; on being benighted and on intentional bivouacs; a new chapter on the latest equjpment, stressing the dangers inherent in careless selection of anything but the proven best on the market; a bibliography and a glossary of mountaineering terms.

It includes an exhaustive study of the 'breaking strains', with comparative tables, of the available ropes, pitons and karabiners; also advice about footgear, clothing, bivouac tents and all the most up-to-date equipment.

The author also succeeds in covering all the latest developments in face-climbing on 'extreme'routes.

Mr Hugh Merrick describes it as an excellent book, comprehensive but concise and handy.

Photographs and diagrams are relevant and excellently carried out and reproduced: It remains only to add that there are 120 photographs and numerous diagrams and drawings, many in two colours for greater clarity.

It is astonishing that the book has never before been available in English: there can be no doubt that it will now rapidly make its way throughout the English-speaking world.