Blank on the Map (First Edition)

Shipton's scarcest and most important work, with intact dust jacket.

First edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton, (1938). 8vo. Original black publisher's cloth in original unclipped dust jacket. Pages: [ii], frontispiece, xv, [iv], 299. Folding map at rear. 52 B/W photos.

Original unclipped dust jacket. Bound in original black publisher's cloth. Titling in red to cover and spine. Very good in good dust jacket. Dust jacket unclipped, chipped at spine edges and upper front cover. Markings to front and rear faces of jacket. Mild rubbing to edges and corners of cover boards. Contents in excellent condition. Some minor marking here and there. Plates preserved, bright and detailed. Folding map has some markings and a very minor tear at gutter joint, otherwise in fantastic condition. Overall, a very nice copy of a rare work considered to be foundational to modern mountaineering literature.

In this volume Shipton details his exploration of the Karakoram's Shaksgam and the Northern area of K2 in 1937. This five-month expedition mapped a large area of previously unmapped country containing many of the world's most spectacular mountains.

The book describes an expedition which explored and mapped a section of the Karakoram Range, north of Kashmir, called the Shaksgam area, or the 'Blank on the map'. The expedition was led by Shipton and included the famous mountaineer H.W. Tilman who became a regular climbing companion of Shipton and also two scientists M.A. Spender and J.B. Auden. The journey lasted five months and they managed to map 1,800 square miles.

Provenance: From the library of Warwick H. Williams.

This book is currently on display in our Penrith store.

If you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au