Shortlist 2007

The judges for 2007 are now able to announce their shortlist. They have been chaired by Lord Chris Smith, former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, keen Munroist and climber and President of the Ramblers' Association. The other panel members are Alison Fell, Scottish poet and novelist, whose novel Mer de Glace co-won the award in 1991; and Tim Noble, life-long climber, writer and teacher of English, author of Great VS Climbs in the Lake District, who has just completed ten years as editor of The Climbers' Journal.

Their shortlist is as follows:

The Mountains Look on Marrakech, by Hamish Brown, published by Whittles

An engaging book, recounting a challenging journey along the Atlas Mountains, with moments of humour, moments of poetry, and an airy style of writing. A good read, but excellent as a guidebook too.

Happy Climbing Tells No Tales, by Judith Brown, published by Open Mountain

A collection of well-told short stories, capturing the fun, the excitement, and occasionally the teror of climbing. Some of the tales are subversive and funny, and written with real verve.

Brotherhood of the Rope, by Bernadette McDonald, published by Bâton Wicks

An excellent biography of Charles Houston, who not only climbed , but did so with enormous honour and courage, and also did pioneering research work on human responses to high altitudes.

The Wild Places, by Robert Macfarlane, published by Granta

A book of luminous writing, beautifully describing a wide range of wild places and experiences, capturing the essence of wilderness, and reminding us that wildness exists close to us as well as on the remote peaks and ridges.

Forever on the Mountain, by James M Tabor, published by W W Norton

An engrossing and painstaking interrogation of the 1967 Mount McKinley disaster, written with integrity, with forensic detail, and with a dedication to unearthing the truth of what happened. A compelling read.

Higher Than the Eagle Soars, by Stephen Venables, published by Hutchinson

The autobiography of an extraordinary climbing, exploring, and personal life; the accounts of a whole series of astonishing climbs are thrilling, exciting, and immensely readable.