Notes
The quest for the sublime in the Alps
In this blog post I’d like to talk a bit about how I’m trying to connect the late 18th / early 19th century concept of the ‘sublime’ (and by extension, Romanticism) with my work. First, some definitions. According to Wikipedia, “the sublime (from the Latin sublīmis) is the quality
Review: A Lakeland Climbing Pioneer: John Wilson Robinson of Whinfell Hall
From UKC: http://goo.gl/dzF6x This review was originally published on UKClimbing.com in July 2008. Link A Lakeland Climbing Pioneer: John Wilson Robinson of Whinfell Hall by Michael Waller My rating: 4 of 5 stars Who was John Wilson Robinson? Most climbers with an interest in history will
Editing, writing, and writing about editing and writing
OK perhaps not truly “END” just yet, but it is the end of the beginning. I’ve had a very busy and productive week working on both of my current projects. To break up my series of character profiles a little (which I’m pleased to see many readers are
Work begins on ‘Alpine Dawn’
Somerset House, Strand, in the 1840s. The action begins in the street near this spot on Christmas Eve, 1847. After months of very hard work, on Saturday I realised I had run out of things that needed doing before I could start writing my new novel. The realisation was a
Review: Curiosities of London Life
From Goodreads: http://goo.gl/wwIMS Curiosities of London Life by Charles Manby Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Regular readers will be aware that I value non-fiction for its research merits, but not every factual book is made equal. The ones I hold in particularly high esteem are
A writer’s holiday in Snowdonia
Tryfan: the nursery-ground for generations of British mountaineers A week ago, I jumped on a train and headed west, with a simple intention: to spend a few days in the Ogwen Valley of Snowdonia, to spend my nights under canvas, and to recharge my batteries by revisiting some of my
Aerial views of London from 1891
The Strand in 1891 a key setting for my work Image credit: http://goo.gl/7J1CP Although I have never lived in London and only visited on rare occasions, the sprawling Victorian metropolis plays a vital role in my work. Many of the leading British climbers of the era lived
Review: FIVA: An Adventure That Went Wrong
FIVA: An Adventure That Went Wrong, by Gordon Stainforth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Warning: spoilers! When Gordon Stainforth asked me to read and review his new book, I jumped at the opportunity. His true story of an adventure going sour, and in the mountains of Norway no less,
Social media update
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Review: Hazard’s Way
From Amazon: http://goo.gl/qIubg Hazard’s Way by Roger Hubank My rating: 3 of 5 stars I feel like a bit of a traitor as I write this review, because I’m going to do the unthinkable and not give this book five stars. I first read it