The Alpine Guide Western Alps Vol I 1898 John Ball Alpine Club Maps
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
Title: The Alpine Guide: The Western Alps. Volume I (of Two Volumes)
Author: John Ball F.R.S.
Editor: W. A. B. Coolidge
Publisher: Longmans, Green, and Co.
Place of Publication: 39 Paternoster Row, London
Printer: Spottiswoode & Co., New-Street Square, London
Publication Date: 1898
Edition: New Edition, reconstructed and revised on behalf of the Alpine Club by W. A. B. Coolidge.
This is Volume I of the two-volume Western Alps set, complete as issued. The work was published with continuous pagination across both volumes, with the comprehensive index printed at the end of Volume I. This volume contains the preliminary pages, text to page 106, the general index (pages 573-612), and all four folding maps called for in Volume I.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
John Ball's Alpine Guide is regarded as one of the foundational works of British mountaineering literature. First published in the 1860s, it became the standard English-language guide to the Alps during the golden age of Alpine exploration.
Following Ball's death in 1889, the Alpine Club commissioned the renowned mountaineer and scholar William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge to undertake a complete revision. Published in 1898, this New Edition reflects decades of advances in Alpine exploration and route finding, making it one of the most authoritative guidebooks of its era.
An interesting contemporary notice requests readers to submit corrections and observations to the Editor via the Secretary of the Alpine Club at 23 Savile Row, London, illustrating the Club's commitment to maintaining the guide as an accurate and continually updated reference for climbers.
 
About the Author
John Ball (1818-1889) was an Irish politician, botanist and pioneering mountaineer. He became the first President of the Alpine Club and is regarded as one of the founding figures of modern Alpine exploration. His Alpine Guide remained the definitive English guidebook to the Alps for many decades.
 
About the Editor
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge (1850-1926) was one of history's greatest Alpine historians and mountaineers. An Oxford scholar and former editor of the Alpine Journal, he completed hundreds of first ascents and produced many of the classic works on Alpine geography and climbing.
 
Binding & Exterior Condition
Bound in the publisher's original dark cloth with gilt lettering to the spine reading "Western Alps I."
The binding remains structurally sound and attractive. Age-related wear includes fading to the boards and spine, soft bumping to the corners, light rubbing (most noticeable around the extremities), a few light surface marks and a couple of light creases to the front board.
Overall, this remains a very respectable Victorian binding.
 
Interior Condition
The book bears the ink stamp of Kelly & Sons, London on the front pastedown, almost certainly that of the original bookbinder or bookseller, together with a small contemporary pen inscription.
The pages are lightly toned with age but remain remarkably clean overall. There are only occasional light creases, tiny folds, very small marks and a few minor edge tears, none affecting the text or maps.
Importantly, all folding maps required for Volume I are present, comprising:
General Map of the Western Alps (frontispiece) 
Maritime Alps 
Cottian Alps (Monte Viso and neighbouring districts) 
Cottian Alps (Waldensian Valleys and Ambin Group) 
The large frontispiece map remains intact with only a few small tears consistent with careful use.
The binding remains firm throughout.
 
Physical Details
Pages: xlix, 106 pages, followed by the complete general index (pages 573-612)
Please note: The List of Maps and Contents were printed to cover both Volume I and Volume II of this edition. Consequently, they refer to maps and text that are contained in Volume II, which is not included in this listing. This listing is for Volume I only, complete as issued, and includes all maps and pages that belong to Volume I.
Dimensions: Approximately 18.6 × 13.1 × 1.6 cm
Weight: Approximately 269 g
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
Although later Alpine guides survive in reasonable numbers, this extensively revised 1898 Alpine Club edition is considerably less common, particularly with all folding maps present.
Individual volumes appear only occasionally on the market, while complete two-volume sets are much scarcer. Collectors place particular importance on complete maps, as these are frequently missing or damaged.
The book appeals to collectors of:
Victorian mountaineering 
Alpine Club history 
nineteenth-century travel 
Alpine exploration 
cartography 
geography 
Its historical significance, association with the Alpine Club and complete map suite make it a desirable example of classic Alpine literature.