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Dorothy Thompson – Climbing with Joseph Georges – First Edition 1962 – with SIGNED archive
£875.00
First edition, first printing. Published by Titus Wilson & Son Ltd. in Kendal, 1962. This is a very good copy. The dust wrapper illustrates the face of the Alps, strikingly so. There are small closed tears at the corners, with mild separation to the spine tips. There are slight tears at the top and bottom edges of both panels. It has not been price clipped, but shows no price. There is a small tape repair to the inside of the front panel. The boards, in the original publishers buckram, are free from notable wear though with some light discolouration. The text blocks are mostly bright and white throughout, but with the very odd spot of foxing. Contains the 12 original black and white photographic plates. Overall, this is a very good copy.
This was published posthumously. Pencilled into the front fly, is an inscription which reads as follows: “Dorothy Thompson was a friend of my mother, Freda Nash. They climbed together in the Lakes and, I believe, in Switzerland. I took photographs in my mother’s album, very faded, of the two (and others – “G.E.T”) in wonderful old clothing, with hopes and huge (?)! See pages 13 and 79.
Amy Rean made a donation towards the publication of this book, see the foreword).” It speaks for itself.
The accompanying material is fascinating. The first item is an envelope, addressed to Lt. Col. Talfree, in an anonymous hand. Contained are twelve black and white contact prints, illustrating one of Thompson’s many explorations. Pencilled on each is presumably the batch number (35993) in pencil, along with further annotations on two. The first is of Thompson bathing in the nude, reading on the rear “Dorothy Thompson bathing nude in a tarn after climbing in the Lakes with my mother Freda Nash, c. 1912?”. It is the band of the previous owner and son of Nash. The second annotation is in pen, on the rear of an image of Nash also bathing, reading “F. W. Nash!”. The third is of Freda Nash, pencilled “Freda Nash 1910, 11, or 12”. The envelope has a handwritten pencil note from a child, titled “Daddy”: “Please may I have some new shoes cos I’ve a sore toe. Please give the money to mummy. Love Nap”. This truly is a family archive.
The following letter is in Dorothy Thompson’s hand, on headed paper of ‘88 Oxford Gardens’, detailing a recent adventure with a “radiant sky” and friendly affections. The recipient is not distinguishable. It is in black ink on textured, watermarked paper. A beautiful piece.
An additional letter is on watermarked paper, headed to ‘Tirril Hall, Penrith, Cumberland’ and dated 28 Nov. 70. It is in black ink, in the hand of ‘Warren’. It begins “My dear Frances, Two letters from you to be answered. I was most interested to learn that you’d come cross a reference to Mummy, in a book by Dorothy Thompson. I heard all about that particular climb from Mummy and had all the photographs she took of it – industry [?] and of Dorothy, bathing naked in a tarn! Where they are now I have no idea. I’m glad to hear that Paul [?] has put his feet in the direction of the army. He should do all they will [?].” It continues with familial matters, on Austria and closing remarks with “much love”.
There is also a postcard, addressed to A. P. Rean in Putney, dated 28th June 1962, sent from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It reads: “I am afraid there will be some delay over the publication of Dorothy Thompson’s book [?] to dofficulty in attaining certain photographs in [?] [?], and it will not be appearing [?]. As visible in my description, the hand is difficult to transcribe. However, recognising the publication of Thompson’s work prior to publication, and giving an insight into the process, makes this postcard a great piece with supporting provenance.
Penultimately, there is a small slip, reading “With compliments from The Ladies’ Alpine Club’ and a newspaper clipping titled ‘Peak Partners: Dorothy E. Thompson: Climbing with Joseph Georges. 159pp. The Ladies’ Alpine Club. 25s.’
Overall, this is fascinating archive on a fascinating figure. Dorothy Thomspon was an English mountaineer known for her climbs in the Alps.
She was born in Kensington to Frederick Charles Thompson and Eleanor Frances (née Wilson). Her parents were frequent hill walkers and she began climbing in Perthshire as a child on family holidays. She joined the Fell and Rock Climbing Club in 1919, while working as a secretary for the School of Oriental Studies in Bloomsbury. She began climbing with the Fell and Rock Climbing Club in Corsica and the Pyrenees before her first trip to the Alps in 1920, when she met Joseph Georges, who would become her climbing partner for many years. In 1929 she became the first woman to ascend Mont Blanc via the Brouillard Ridge. In 1934 she climbed Mont Blanc via the Aiguille de Bionassay, and became the first person to descend the mountain via the Peuteret Ridge.
Thompson completed this boo, detailing her climbing memoirs after the Second World War, but only published it privately. She died in Heathfield, East Sussex, in 1961. After her death, her friends and the Ladies’ Alpine Club published her memoirs as this title.
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- Description
Description
First edition, first printing. Published by Titus Wilson & Son Ltd. in Kendal, 1962. This is a very good copy. The dust wrapper illustrates the face of the Alps, strikingly so. There are small closed tears at the corners, with mild separation to the spine tips. There are slight tears at the top and bottom edges of both panels. It has not been price clipped, but shows no price. There is a small tape repair to the inside of the front panel. The boards, in the original publishers buckram, are free from notable wear though with some light discolouration. The text blocks are mostly bright and white throughout, but with the very odd spot of foxing. Contains the 12 original black and white photographic plates. Overall, this is a very good copy.
This was published posthumously. Pencilled into the front fly, is an inscription which reads as follows: “Dorothy Thompson was a friend of my mother, Freda Nash. They climbed together in the Lakes and, I believe, in Switzerland. I took photographs in my mother’s album, very faded, of the two (and others – “G.E.T”) in wonderful old clothing, with hopes and huge (?)! See pages 13 and 79.
Amy Rean made a donation towards the publication of this book, see the foreword).” It speaks for itself.
The accompanying material is fascinating. The first item is an envelope, addressed to Lt. Col. Talfree, in an anonymous hand. Contained are twelve black and white contact prints, illustrating one of Thompson’s many explorations. Pencilled on each is presumably the batch number (35993) in pencil, along with further annotations on two. The first is of Thompson bathing in the nude, reading on the rear “Dorothy Thompson bathing nude in a tarn after climbing in the Lakes with my mother Freda Nash, c. 1912?”. It is the band of the previous owner and son of Nash. The second annotation is in pen, on the rear of an image of Nash also bathing, reading “F. W. Nash!”. The third is of Freda Nash, pencilled “Freda Nash 1910, 11, or 12”. The envelope has a handwritten pencil note from a child, titled “Daddy”: “Please may I have some new shoes cos I’ve a sore toe. Please give the money to mummy. Love Nap”. This truly is a family archive.
The following letter is in Dorothy Thompson’s hand, on headed paper of ‘88 Oxford Gardens’, detailing a recent adventure with a “radiant sky” and friendly affections. The recipient is not distinguishable. It is in black ink on textured, watermarked paper. A beautiful piece.
An additional letter is on watermarked paper, headed to ‘Tirril Hall, Penrith, Cumberland’ and dated 28 Nov. 70. It is in black ink, in the hand of ‘Warren’. It begins “My dear Frances, Two letters from you to be answered. I was most interested to learn that you’d come cross a reference to Mummy, in a book by Dorothy Thompson. I heard all about that particular climb from Mummy and had all the photographs she took of it – industry [?] and of Dorothy, bathing naked in a tarn! Where they are now I have no idea. I’m glad to hear that Paul [?] has put his feet in the direction of the army. He should do all they will [?].” It continues with familial matters, on Austria and closing remarks with “much love”.
There is also a postcard, addressed to A. P. Rean in Putney, dated 28th June 1962, sent from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It reads: “I am afraid there will be some delay over the publication of Dorothy Thompson’s book [?] to dofficulty in attaining certain photographs in [?] [?], and it will not be appearing [?]. As visible in my description, the hand is difficult to transcribe. However, recognising the publication of Thompson’s work prior to publication, and giving an insight into the process, makes this postcard a great piece with supporting provenance.
Penultimately, there is a small slip, reading “With compliments from The Ladies’ Alpine Club’ and a newspaper clipping titled ‘Peak Partners: Dorothy E. Thompson: Climbing with Joseph Georges. 159pp. The Ladies’ Alpine Club. 25s.’
Overall, this is fascinating archive on a fascinating figure. Dorothy Thomspon was an English mountaineer known for her climbs in the Alps.
She was born in Kensington to Frederick Charles Thompson and Eleanor Frances (née Wilson). Her parents were frequent hill walkers and she began climbing in Perthshire as a child on family holidays. She joined the Fell and Rock Climbing Club in 1919, while working as a secretary for the School of Oriental Studies in Bloomsbury. She began climbing with the Fell and Rock Climbing Club in Corsica and the Pyrenees before her first trip to the Alps in 1920, when she met Joseph Georges, who would become her climbing partner for many years. In 1929 she became the first woman to ascend Mont Blanc via the Brouillard Ridge. In 1934 she climbed Mont Blanc via the Aiguille de Bionassay, and became the first person to descend the mountain via the Peuteret Ridge.
Thompson completed this boo, detailing her climbing memoirs after the Second World War, but only published it privately. She died in Heathfield, East Sussex, in 1961. After her death, her friends and the Ladies’ Alpine Club published her memoirs as this title.
