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BOOK REVIEWS
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The Evidence of Things Not Seen. A Mountaineer's Tale.
By WH Murray. Edited by Anne Murray.Published by Baton Wicks.
353 pp, 19pp colour photos, 40pp b/w, 5pp maps ISBN 1- 89857-324-7.
 Bill Murray was probably the greatest mountaineer that Scotland or indeed the UK has ever produced. A leading pioneer of rock and ice in Scotland in the 1930s, his books 'Mountaineering in Scotland' and 'Undiscovered Scotland' are acknowledged masterpieces which have inspired many, including, as this book reveals, Joe Brown and Tom Patey. Post-war, he played a seminal role first in describing the importance of the landscape in Scotland and then in various attempts to protect it, from the founding of various conservation groups to serving on the Countryside Commission for Scotland. On top of this he undertook a number of lightweight expeditions to the Himalaya, in the style of Shipton and Tilman, which if he had attained a few more summits might be better known, and played an important role within the world of Scottish Mountaineering, including being involved in the formation of MCofS (he served as its second President) and in writing Guidebooks.
Bill Murray died before completing his autobiography, which he describes as “selected incidents….to give one man's impression of his world”. While his widow Anne Murray has obviously put tremendous effort into editing the book, which is beautifully produced, it still comes across as unfinished. It is not always easy to follow the connection between the chapters, particularly in the second half of the book after the section on Murray's experiences as a Prisoner of War, and it feels to me there are significant gaps. These have been partly remedied by inclusion of chapters from Murray's other books, particularly the Scottish Himalayan Expedition, but there is almost no description of the Everest reconnaissance expedition and the later chapters on the Cragsmen of Lewis and Ben Humble, while very interesting as essays, are not placed within any context.
I think that part of the reason for this was that Bill Murray was not interested in either promoting himself or analysing the role he played so in the chapter on conservation, he describes the subject as “vast, and my part small”. To me this just adds to his greatness but means that any full appreciation of Murray will also require a biography. The nearest the book comes to analysis of his own role is in his descriptions of technical standards in the 30s where he explains that he and his friends had to re-discover old techniques, there being no-one to learn from, and because of the amount of unclimbed rock there was no need to push up technical standards.
This book does however give important insights into Bill Murray as a person, particularly the importance of mystical thought and meditation in his writing. The title, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, is taken from a chapter in 'Mountaineering in Scotland', which describes extraordinary light conditions on a night ascent of the Buchaille and then interprets this from a mystical perspective. The book also contains some very fine writing, not just about mountaineering but also about people, his description of why the Nepalese porter Madpar could give him a bunch of flowers whereas this would be impossible from a Western man, for example, saying in a few words a lot about our respective civilisations.
If you have not read any WH Murray before, I would recommend that you start with one of his earlier books, but if you are already a fan, this book will add to your appreciation.
Nick Kempe
The Art of Outdoor Navigation
Martyn Hurn.
CD ROM. Price £19.95. Greenshires Publishing.
I am always amazed at the number of otherwise intelligent and competent people who find navigation bewildering. Whether these 'haunless wans' who cannot manipulate a compass will be able to find their way round this virtual navigation experience is questionable. As a staunch technophobe I naturally started from the viewpoint that book learning is best, but once I got into this programme and diverted by the entertaining and impressive graphic presentation, I was converted. The material covers use of map and compass, of course, but moves on to identifying and interpreting landscape features for safe movement in mountains. Harvey and Ordnance Survey maps are used throughout, and the use and limitations of GPS are discussed.
The material can be used for beginners or for brushing up skills. The 'Challenge' section exploring the Coigach area is a real delight, especially when the mist comes down. My fine motor skills were not quite up to the task of taking a virtual bearing-perhaps a wee malt next time would steady things up, not a remedy to be applied in the real outdoors, of course.
This programme would make an excellent present for anyone starting out in the walking scene and be a useful addition to any club library.
John Donohoe
Tigers of the Snow by Jonathan Neale
Published by Little Brown, London, 2002.
Hardback. 338pages. 17 b/w photos, 10 colour plates. ISBN 0-316-85490-5.
 Most folk who venture into big mountains develop a profound respect for the tough peoples who live in them, Berbers, Aymaras, Gorale et al. Among the many tribes of the Himalaya the Sherpas of the Khumbu Valley have established a special place in the history of climbing. From the earliest expeditions they have played a vital role, starting as porters and graduating to guides and full team members. Yet, in many ways their story is still untold. Many Western accounts relegate them to the shadows, and early accounts are couched in paternalistic and patronising, not to say racialist language.
Neale has set out to retell the history of Himalayan exploration putting the Sherpas at centre stage and using their memories and history, mostly oral. He has managed to record the testimonies of veterans of the Thirties campaigns, especially the Austro-German Nanga Parbat epics. He details the events that led to Sherpas being abandoned high on the mountain when the Europeans allegedly untied and skied away to safety. The concentration on this story is to the detriment of other key turning points in the story. I would have liked more development of the influence of French and Swiss Expeditions on changing the sahib/coolie relationship. Tilman's callous disregard for the lives of his porters might not surprise many, but the charge of “murderer” made by the Sherpas could have been further amplified. Perhaps the Nanga Parbat story would have been better as a separate project.
The book is weakened by some irritating use of direct speech that seems to be a product of Neale's imagination and straight from the Ronald Reagan approach to history. It does, nevertheless, contain much useful information and valuable recording of the testimony of Sherpas and their families. It is not however the definitive history of the people and their contribution to Himalayan mountaineering. That remains to be written.
John Donohoe
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