The Alps
Or, Sketches of Life and Nature in the Mountains

First published in English in 1861, this work is a guidebook to the Alps and the Alpine way of life.

Hermann Alexander Berlepsch (Author), Leslie Stephen (Translated by)

9781108061216, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 June 2013

458 pages, 17 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.6 cm, 0.58 kg

Following the precedent and standards set by the Baedeker guides, travel literature enjoyed great popularity during the later nineteenth century. This guidebook to the Alps, written by Hermann Alexander Berlepsch (1814?–83) and translated from German by the renowned author and mountaineer Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), was first published in English in 1861. This was during the golden age of alpinism, when many major peaks were ascended for the first time. While later mountaineers concentrated on climbing as a sport, earlier expeditions were of a more scientific nature; this guidebook, which provides detailed information pertaining to the geology, flora and fauna of the Alps, is a reflection of this ambition. Also containing descriptions of village life and Alpine customs, it enjoyed a significant readership in its day and was also translated into French. It remains an instructive work in the history of alpinism and travel writing.

Translator's note
1. The fabric of the Alps
2. Granite
3. Erratic blocks
4. 'Karrenfields'
5. Nagelfluh
6. The landslip at Goldau
7. The Ban-forests
8. The Wettertanne
9. Prostrate firs
10. Alpine roses
11. The southern valleys
12. The chest-nut woods
13. A tale of the clouds
14. Cloud pictures
15. 'Wetterschiessen'
16. Thunderstorms
17. Waterfalls
18. Mountain snowstorms
19. Red snow
20. The 'Rüfe'
21. The avalanche
22. The glacier
23. Alpenglühen
24. Alpine summits
25. Mountain passes and Alpine roads
26. The hospices
27. Chalet life in the Alps
28. The Alp horn
29. The goat-boy
30. The Wildheuer
31. 'Alpstubete', or Alpine feasts
32. Timber fellers and floaters
33. 'Auf der Jagd'
34. Village life in the mountains.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]