“It had long been a theory of his that a climber should
know how to fall without hurting himself. In pursuit of
this pessimistic ideal he had been dropping from a
height every day for months.”
The book has gone to the printers. Nothing else to be done now. You will see the finished article at the launch party on the 26th. Tickets available at Heffers. So many people seem interested in this; it was originally just a small hobby project and it seems to be gaining a lot of momentum. It's a little daunting. Especially when you realise the mistake will be huge - like I've mis-spelt Cambridge on the cover or something...
The Night Climbers of Cambridge are back - hopefully with a vengeance. Here's to Whipplesnaith! Here's the blurb from the cover flap:
The Night Climbers of Cambridge was first published in October 1937 with a second edition rapidly following in November of the same year. Reprinted in 1952, the book has since been unavailable and has built up a cult following with copies of either edition becoming increasingly rare. Authored under the pseudonym Whipplesnaith it recounts the courageous, or foolhardy, nocturnal exploits of a group of students climbing the ancient university and town buildings of Cambridge. These daring stegophilic feats, including such heights as the Fitzwilliam Museum and the venerable King's College Chapel, were recorded with prehistoric photographic paraphernalia carried aloft over battlements, up chimneys and down drain-pipes. The climbers all this while trying, with mixed results, to avoid detection by the 'minions of authority': university proctors, Bulldogs and, of course, the local 'Roberts'... The result is a fascinating, humorous and, at times, adrenalin-inducing adventure providing a rare glimpse into a side of Cambridge that has always been enshrouded by darkness. The tradition, known now as urban climbing, buildering, structuring or stegophily and followed all over the world, started long before publication of the first edition and is sure to continue for generations after the arrival of this one.
This edition celebrates the 70th anniversary of the original and features the complete text and over seventy digitally re-mastered images, half of which have been reproduced from the original negatives.
Take care guys, and see you soon.
N.
