A Dream of White Horses: Recollections of a Life on the Rocks

Ed Drummond's climbing essays initially gained prominence in the prestigious American Journal Ascent. First published in a book in 1987 they formed a loose autobiography covering an eventful private life from school and college days in the sixties, a long sojourn in the United States and a return to Europe in the mid-eighties. Yet it is principally a climbing book so the main chapters concern big climbs: first ascents on St. John's Head and the Troll wall, a solo ascent of El Capitan's Nose and an audacious solo attempt on the North America Wall on which the author nearly froze to death. Political and social concerns also figure prominently as Drummond has used his climbing skills to draw attention to a variety of causes - an anti-apartheid protest on Trafalgar Column and building climbs in the US in support of civil-rights activists. More recently he organised the 'Climb for the World' extravaganza. This attention-gaining Ed Drummond roadshow is tempered by a more private, darker side of his character. Adolescent sexual pre-occupations curdled into a sequence of failed marriages and relationships, bringing him to the edge of despair. This too is reflected in his writing, as is his tenacious struggle away from the brink, and his scorn for attempts to romanticise such pressures which emerges in one particularly trenchant essay. Indeed, this collection, though rooted in climbing, uses danger, elation, toil and intense relationships to allow a thorough literary examination of the psyche that leaves the reader both enlightened and exhausted in its wake.

Edwin Drummond is a visionary climber and poet, creator some of the most famous routes in the British Isles. Born in Wolverhampton in 1945, the eldest son of a builder, Drummond was educated at Bangor and Bristol universities before becoming an English teacher in Sheffield. Trying his hand at various other trades he eventually became a full-time climber, writer and activist. He put up new climbing routes in the UK and on the Troll Wall, won awards for his poetry (two Keats prizes and a National Poetry prize) and used his climbing skills to raise awareness of a number of causes, such as the anti-apartheid movement. Other than his literary output, Drummond's lasting legacy is his physical poetry - the challenging and classic climbing routes he established across the UK and in the United States. In 2011 He appeared in the feature film The Long Hope, a documentary following elite climber Dave MacLeod's attempt to climb Drummond's route on St John's head on the island of Hoy. Including interviews with the author, who now sufferers from Parkinson's disease, and archive material, the film won the 'People's Choice' award at Kendal Mountain Film festival.