A Dream of White Horses

Book excerpt: 'The best climbing book I've ever read.' Lito Tejada Flores High Ed Drummond is one of the great characters of the British climbing scene. An inspired climber and writer, he made first ascents across the UK and wrote some of the most unusual articles in the mountaineering world. In doing so, he won two Keats prizes, a National Poetry prize and created some of the country's most prized routes. A climbing book like no other, A Dream of White Horses mixes climbing tales with an intense personal story. The first ascent of the Long Hope Route on St John's Head and a solo ascent of El Capitan's Nose sit alongside Drummond's eventful childhood and a string of failed relationships that took him to the edge of despair. Political and social concerns appear as Drummond scales Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in an anti-apartheid protest and the Statue of Liberty in support of civil-rights activists. Told through essays, poems and stories, it is at times exciting, frequently surreal and often deeply personal. First published in 1987, A Dream of White Horses received a mixed reception, reflecting the author's notoriety as a climber. Disregarded by the more conservative publishing and mountaineering establishments, it received rave reviews in the climbing press. Love it or hate it, the book is an undeniably fascinating read. 'The most challenging, disturbing and provocative piece of climbing literature I've ever read ... the consistent brilliance is astounding.' Stuart Pregnall, Climbing magazine