A sneak peek at the year ahead

It’s set to be another busy one here at the Press, with events aplenty and both guidebook and nonfiction titles scheduled for release throughout the year. Notably, in late spring, we’re looking forward to bringing you the long-awaited Cairngorms and North-East Scotland Hillwalkers’ Guide, authored by Iain Young, Anne Butler and Heather Morning. This is a new edition of a book last authored by Adam Watson way back in 1992, and the intervening years have seen many changes in this vast landscape, in terms of the way it supports employment and recreation, and its climate, habitats and accessibility. As Cairngorm connoisseurs, the authors of the current edition want to offer a guide that not only details the hillwalking options in the area, but also describes its unique human and natural history through words and high-quality photos. The result will be a book replete with knowledge to enhance your walking experiences and help you really get to know this magical part of the world.

Our big nonfiction publication this year will be a biography of one of the founding fathers of Scottish Mountaineering, Harold Raeburn. Written by Peter Biggar, the book is the work of a collaborative deep dive into the annals of history, and promises to be an engaging and intimate portrait of a true pioneer. Like Patey and MacInnes, Raeburn had polymathic tendencies, not least of which was his ability to convey a keen sense of time and place with wit and eloquence. Told mainly in his own words and those of his contemporaries in a surprisingly contemporary style, Raeburn’s understated accounts of groundbreaking ascents belie the guile and tenacity required to accomplish them.

Towards the end of the year, we hope to bring you an updated edition of Ski Mountaineering in Scotland, compiled and edited by Colwyn Jones just in time for the 2023-24 winter season. Those of you who have already sampled this unique fusion of skiing and winter mountaineering know the rewards it can bring: fresh turns on virgin powder with dazzling panoramas and not a soul in sight … or dodging boulders on bullet-hard ice in flat light―sometimes on the same day! Either way, it’s a sport like no other, and this comprehensive book will guide you on some great days out.