Mirrors in the Cliffs: The Games Climbers Play, Volume II

Rating:
Summary: an excellent climbing anthology
Review: "Mirrors in the Cliffs" is the follow up to the anthology "Games Climbers Play." While "Games" emphasized British climbing, "Mirrors" includes more writings from American and French authors. The selection is heavily tilted towards the 50s through the 70s, and includes wonderful lighthearted accounts such as Terry King's "With God on our Side" (about climbing the Orion Direct with an inexperienced Priest) and and Pete Livesey's "Travels with a Donkey" along with more serious pieces about ethics, risks and controversies. Since I love the British writings of the 50s, 60s and 70s, I was thrilled to find Dougal Haston's "Nightshift in Zero" and Robin Smith's "Snakes and Ladders." If you love climbing, or even just reading about climbing, you've got to get this book! My only small complaint is there are perhaps a dozen pieces taken from books that are easily accessible (Tom Patey's "One Man's Mountains" and expedition books) that take up space better spent on more obscure passages. Still, it's worth every penny!