The Playground of Europe. Stephen, Leslie. Alps,Mountaineering

First edition. 8vo. pp. xii,321, [2, ads.]; frontis., vignette to title-page, 2 wood-eng. plates; later half calf by Potter & Sons, York, gilt, bookplate of Alain de Suzannet. Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), a writer and critic, was one of the foremost climbers of the golden age of Alpinism. Though not a founding member of the Alpine Club, he soon joined, having already climbed in the Alps. The Playground of Europe offers a magnificent record of this period of Alpine mountaineering, and indeed "his book ranks among the best in climbing literature" (Neate).