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dxmetal
Jan 3, 2005, 3:58 AM
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John Menlove Edwards Born 18th. June, 1910 at Crossens, near Southport, Lancashire, died 2nd. February, 1958.
Often regarded as the father of the modern sport of rock-climbing.
Educated at Fettes College, and at Liverpool University where he studied medicine. He played hockey for the university and was a keen cricketer. He was a founder member in 1930 of the Liverpool University Rock-Climbing Club, the first of its kind in Britain.
In 1933 he graduated and a year later obtained a diploma in psychological medicine. He set up a psychiatric practice and was appointed psychiatrist to the Liverpool Child Guidance Clinic.
In 1935, Menlove fell in love with Wilfred Noyce, a seventeen year old Charterhouse schoolboy. They spent much time together, and in 1936 they worked together on a guidebook for the Climbers' Club.
Noyce went to King's College Cambridge and started a relationship with Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877-1959), a Fellow of the college and economist. Pigou introduced Noyce to mountaineering and took him to the Alps. When the War started Noyce and Pigou joined the Friends' Ambulance Corps.
During the War Menlove registered as a conscientious objector. In 1942 he moved to 8 Meadow Road, London, SW8, and worked at the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and at the Tavistock Clinic. In 1944 bouts of depression and paranoia caused him to move out of London to Kent. Finally he was living alone in a house on the North Downs and ended his life by swallowing potassium cyanide.
Noyce married in 1950 and had two sons. He was a member of the 1953 Everest expedition, becoming the first man to reach the South Col.
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epic_ed
Jan 3, 2005, 4:20 AM
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epic_ed moved this thread from General to Climbing History & Trivia.
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bvb
Jan 3, 2005, 4:41 AM
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as well, john menlove edwards is one of the great writers of climbing literature, and i believe he was the first poet to create serious poetry exploring the meaning of the pursuit of rock climbing.
is there a question in your post, or did you just finish reading the reprint of "sampson" and you want to flaunt to good literary taste?
for a short while in the early 80's, i was in possession of a copy of the first edition, privately published, original hardcover copy.
"you rock, you heaviness a man can clasp..."
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dxmetal
Jan 3, 2005, 5:48 AM
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Just wondering, why the heck is it so difficult to obtain the "Menlove" text in this part of the world.
Plus why the heck isnt there a book about that satanic church founder (What was his name again ? I cant remember) who happened also to be a great climber. I believe one of the climbing mag had a featured aritcle about him this year.
odd ones, we climbers !
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curt
Jan 3, 2005, 6:05 AM
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In reply to: Just wondering, why the heck is it so difficult to obtain the "Menlove" text in this part of the world. Plus why the heck isnt there a book about that satanic church founder (What was his name again ? I cant remember) who happened also to be a great climber. I believe one of the climbing mag had a featured aritcle about him this year. odd ones, we climbers !
You are referring to Alaister Crowley. There exists much in print about him both regarding his climbing and his occult beliefs.
Curt
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melekzek
Jan 3, 2005, 6:08 AM
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In reply to: that satanic church founder ... who happened also to be a great climber.
http://www.controverscial.com/Crowley.gif
Aleister Crowley? Which magazine did the article?
I remember reading about him on one of the early K2 expeditions. Apparently he brought a knife and threated other climbers when they decided to return
edit: curt beat me on posting his name
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dxmetal
Jan 3, 2005, 4:20 PM
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It was one of those big comemrcial mag, Rock and Ice, climbing or Alpinist. I dont remember. It was published in 2004 though, not too long ago.
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slamurai
Jan 3, 2005, 5:16 PM
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Aleister is also "Mr. Crowley" for all you Ozzy fans out there.
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vivalargo
Jan 3, 2005, 5:29 PM
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For whatever reason--maybe because there was poetry involved--I never explored Edward´s material, but now the idea sounds intriguing. Anyone know a definitive text to cut my teeth on? And not stuff written about Edwards, rather the source material itself. Hey, come to think of it, didn´t Ed Drummond do something on Edwards??
Thanks,
JL
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sargentrock
Jan 3, 2005, 5:55 PM
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JL, You might be interested in Menlove: The Life of John Menlove Edwards byJim Perrin. Besides the usual hobnail boot pictures it has an appendix of his writings. (ISBN 0-575-03571-4).
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melekzek
Jan 3, 2005, 5:58 PM
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In reply to: John Menlove Edwards...Often regarded as the father of the modern sport of rock-climbing.
me thinks "sport of rock climbing" is not the same context as the title "sport climbing history"... at least not nowadays
Here is a book about him, not by him
http://www.ernest-press.co.uk/...s/perrin_menlove.jpg
Menlove - The Life of John Menlove Edwards by Jim Perrin(Winner Boardman Tasker Award 1985)
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coopershawk
Jan 3, 2005, 6:33 PM
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it mentions in the article, which i believe was in climbing, that crowley contracted a nasty scrotal fungus while attempting to climb k2. probably why he was threatening people with a knife.
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brianinslc
Jan 3, 2005, 8:15 PM
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In reply to: didn´t Ed Drummond do something on Edwards??
I think you're thinking of A Dream of White Horses. Been on my "to pick up" list for sometime...
But, about Drummond (autobio)?
Perrin's book won the '85 Boardman/Tasker award.
Edwards penned a classic climbing guide to Snowdon in the 40's?
Brian in SLC
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brianinslc
Jan 3, 2005, 8:17 PM
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In reply to: it mentions in the article, which i believe was in climbing, that crowley contracted a nasty scrotal fungus while attempting to climb k2. probably why he was threatening people with a knife.
Was a large pistol, methinks.
Do what thou wilt shall be the Whole of the Law...apparently...
Brian in SLC
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cintune
Jan 3, 2005, 9:41 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: it mentions in the article, which i believe was in climbing, that crowley contracted a nasty scrotal fungus while attempting to climb k2. probably why he was threatening people with a knife. Was a large pistol, methinks. Do what thou wilt shall be the Whole of the Law...apparently...
Never heard of Crowley threatening anyone on K2. The story I heard was that he warned another group of climbers not to camp below an unstable snow slope, and when they didn't listen he calmly ate breakfast as an avalanche came down and crushed them all. Didn't bother to attempt a rescue afterward, apparently figuring that they had been warned and weren't worth the risk. He also pioneered some very sketchy gritstone climbing when he was younger, something no one had ever tried before. He died alone and broke, hooked on smack and amphetamines.
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brianinslc
Jan 3, 2005, 10:37 PM
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In reply to: Never heard of Crowley threatening anyone on K2.
"To make his point during the frustration of failure, Crowley took out a revolver and threatened several members of the team."
Pretty common knowledge and an action that probably curtailed further expeditionary ventures...
I passed on picking up a first edition of Moonchild, sans dust jacket, a couple of years ago. Almost unreadable (prose, not condition!).
Brian in SLC
From K2.com:
A wicked man for a wicked mountain - part I of II
13:39 p.m. EST Mar 9, 2004
He was the ‘wickedest man on Earth’ and also one mean climber. His name was Aleister Crowley and in 1902 he was part of a doomed expedition to climb K2. Crowley had many important solo climbs in the Western Alps, including a couple of firsts. His behavior though, may have both jeopardized and saved the lives of the men in this ill-fated expedition.
As part one of a two-part story we will take a look at this strange figure in climbing lore and recount some of the events that occurred during the first attempt on K2. Check back later this week for part two where we will see just how demented our mountaineering precursor really was.
The first bad omen for this first attempt on K2 was the arrest of Eckenstein, the expedition leader. Rumor has it that Eckenstein’s old nemesis, William Conway, then the president of the Alpine Club, had arranged for the incarceration in Kashmir. Three weeks later Eckenstein was released and joined his team at base camp only to walk into a raging debate on which route to take. The irreverent and bizarre Crowley wanted to attack the South-East Ridge but the team decided on the North-East Crest. As it turned out Crowley was right; the team had to turn back at 6,000 meters. To make his point during the frustration of failure, Crowley took out a revolver and threatened several members of the team. The expedition regrouped and planned for a second attempt.
A second attempt, this time via the saddle between K2 and Skyang Kangri (7,544m, The Staircase), redeemed Crowley and his superb mountaineering skills. When a fellow climber was struck by pulmonary edema, Crowley was the only one to recognize the severity and insisted on taking the sick man off the mountain. This decision saved the climber’s life but prevented the team from reaching the peak.
A wicked man for a wicked mountain: Part II of II
11:54 a.m. EST Mar 11, 2004
In part two of our story about Aleister Crowley we see how he became known as the ‘wickedest man on Earth’ and also (but not so well known) one mean climber. In 1902 he was part of a doomed expedition to climb K2. Crowley had many important solo climbs in the Western Alps, including a couple of firsts. His behavior though, may have both jeopardized and saved the lives of the men in this ill-fated expedition.
Aleister Crowley was searching for something up there in the Karakorum Range. For several years he had been moving swiftly up the ranks of the occult orders much to the dismay of the senior members. After offending just about every person involved in black magic at the turn of the 20th century and incurring several ‘attacks’, Crowley left his home in London and began his quest. As an accomplished climber it seems only natural that he found his way on to the K2 expedition. For Crowley though, the climb was a deeply personal endeavor, it was up there that he would find his guiding spirit.
Soon after the expedition Crowley began a long descent into heroin addiction. His behavior became more bizarre and iconoclastic and his activities more infamous each day. At one point he became convinced his wife was a bat, Crowley forced her to sleep tied upside down in a closet at nights. By the time of his death, Aleister Crowley, was a permanent fixture in the world’s history of the occult, and a lesser known climber on the first attempt on K2
Given Crowley’s reputation, it is inevitable that he would appeal to certain rock musicians. Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin guitarist and occultist, bought Crowley's mansion in Scotland, and owns a large collection of Crowley memorabilia. Crowley's face is one of many on the album cover of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And of course, Ozzy Ozbourne even wrote a song about him…
Mr. Crowley, what went on in your head?
Oh, Mr. Crowley, did you talk to the dead?
Your life style to me seemed so tragic
With the thrill of it all
You fooled all the people with magic
Yeah, you waited on Satan’s door
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jgill
Jan 4, 2005, 12:35 AM
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For bouldering enthusiasts: Crowley was one of the first documented practitioners of the sport, introduced to it by his buddy Oscar Eckenstein in the 1890s. John Menlove Edwards once wrote a humorous bouldering guide to a practice rock in Great Britain. Anyone interested can find out more by going to the Origins of Bouldering section of my website. 8^)
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bvb
Jan 4, 2005, 1:48 AM
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largo --
edwards wrote some pretty damn good poetry -- stuff that, these days, would be of new yorker magazine or poetry magazine quality.
the book sampson, privately published by noyce and geoffery sutton in 1960, is a collection of all of edward's writings. it's the source material, the real deal. i'm pretty sure it was reprinted in paperback a few years ago.
if you want to read an interpretation of edward' stuff, the best thing i've ever read was dave robert's treatment of edwards in his article 1974 Ascent Magazine article "patey agonistes", a critique of climbing autobiographies -- btw, many of us are still looking for yours. how much longer do we have to wait?
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timstich
Jan 4, 2005, 5:03 AM
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I see that Mr. Crowley actually cared a wee bit about his fellow man enough to save one from pulmonary adema. Hmmm. I may have been too quick to cast him into the Pit. I do enjoy that sandbagging story about him and the pastor.
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cintune
Jan 4, 2005, 2:33 PM
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In reply to: For bouldering enthusiasts: Crowley was one of the first documented practitioners of the sport, introduced to it by his buddy Oscar Eckenstein in the 1890s. John Menlove Edwards once wrote a humorous bouldering guide to a practice rock in Great Britain. Anyone interested can find out more by going to the Origins of Bouldering section of my website. 8^)
Thanks for that webpage, John. Fascinating to see that nearly every facet of a sport that's considered to be so contemporary actually has such a long pedigree. One quesion, though: since there were no boomboxes, did anyone ever think to hire, say, a string quartet to play for them while they worked on their problems? :D
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brianinslc
Jan 4, 2005, 3:41 PM
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In reply to: Never heard of Crowley threatening anyone on K2. The story I heard was that he warned another group of climbers not to camp below an unstable snow slope, and when they didn't listen he calmly ate breakfast as an avalanche came down and crushed them all. Didn't bother to attempt a rescue afterward, apparently figuring that they had been warned and weren't worth the risk. He also pioneered some very sketchy gritstone climbing when he was younger, something no one had ever tried before. He died alone and broke, hooked on smack and amphetamines.
"Diary of a Drug Fiend".
I think the story you referenced above was from Crowley's attempt on Kanchenjunga in 1905. He was leader of the expedition and at high camp, due in part to his poor treatment of the porters, the bulk of the expedition bailed on him. While Crowley and another feller remained in high camp, the rest of the folk descended and they fell, which triggered a large avalanche which buried a few of them. Several died. Crowley walked on through and didn't help with body retrieval which took three days.
I think expeditions to Kanchenjunga in the fifties still refered to part of the mountain as "Crowley's route"....
Wild stuff.
Brian in SLC
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cintune
Jan 4, 2005, 5:16 PM
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In reply to: I think the story you referenced above was from Crowley's attempt on Kanchenjunga in 1905. He was leader of the expedition and at high camp, due in part to his poor treatment of the porters, the bulk of the expedition bailed on him. While Crowley and another feller remained in high camp, the rest of the folk descended and they fell, which triggered a large avalanche which buried a few of them. Several died. Crowley walked on through and didn't help with body retrieval which took three days. I think expeditions to Kanchenjunga in the fifties still refered to part of the mountain as "Crowley's route".... Wild stuff. Brian in SLC
That must be it. I don't even remember when I heard the story, a long time ago when I was in my late teens and heavy into Zeppelin, most likely. I almost think I might have seen a dramatisation of it on some kind of documentary, but maybe I just imagined it that vividly at the time. Crowley was one of those people it would have been a lot of fun to meet... in a public, well-lit area, anyway.
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