TO THE TOP OF MONT BLANC
SMITH, Albert Richard.
The Story of Mont Blanc …
London, David Bogue, 1853.
8vo, pp. xii, 219, [1 (blank)], 8 (advertisements); with hand-coloured frontispiece showing De Saussure ascending Mont Blanc in 1787, numerous woodcuts within text, initials; a very little light foxing; a very good, clean, uncut copy in original orange cloth, covers stamped in blind, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, pale yellow endpapers, label of Leighton Son & Hodge of London to rear pastedown; a little wear to extremities, covers and spine slightly dusty.
First edition of Smith’s famous book on Mont Blanc, a lovely copy formerly in the possession of his sister, Laura Eady.
Surgeon, balloonist, novelist, traveller, and popular public lecturer, Smith (1816–1860) first visited Chamonix in 1838 while in France pursuing his medical studies, and The Story opens with an account of his experiences by way of introduction. Chapters on the history of Chamonix, and on early attempts to climb Mont Blanc, by Horace Bénédict de Saussure and Dr Joseph Hamel for example, are followed by Smith’s entertaining account of his own ascent in the summer of 1851. Smith’s party, which numbered 16 guides and 18 porters, was furnished with provisions including 60 bottles of ‘vin ordinaire’, three of cognac, and two of champagne, six packets of chocolate, four legs of mutton, and 46 fowls.
Upon his return Smith turned his experiences into a hugely successful stage show in Piccadilly which ran for 2000 performances between 1852 and 1858. ‘Smith’s show … inspired many people to visit Chamonix and to climb Mont Blanc. Although the mountain had been climbed first in 1786, ascents were still infrequent events when he climbed the peak … During Smith’s entertainments in the 1850s the ascent of Mont Blanc became common, and mountaineering in the Alps became a popular sport’ (ODNB).
Cox 10; Neate S86; NLS s415.
