Books published by Vertebrate Publishing Ltd

Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif showcases the Ecrins' most beautiful summits through a selection of the area's best lower grade snow, rock and mixed climbs. Authors Frederic Chevaillot, Paul Grobel and Jean-Rene Minelli have chosen 25 classic Ecrins routes - graded F to AD. Each route features a route description, summary and sketch map.

Mountaineering in the Mont Blanc Range showcases the most beautiful lower grade snow, ice and mixed climbs (F to AD+) in the area. Jean-Louis Laroche and Florence Lelong have selected 36 climbs which are easily accessible from mountain huts, telepheriques and mountain railways. Each route features a description, summary and a sketch map.

South East Mountain Biking North and South Downs is the 2nd edition of the bestselling guide to the finest mountain biking in south-east England. Featuring 24 routes between 16 and 35km in length, this is the most up-to-date and comprehensive guidebook to the area. With Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps, easy-to-follow directions.

On 14 June 1990, at Raven Tor in the Derbyshire Peak District, twenty-four-year-old Ben Moon squeezed his feet into a pair of rock shoes, tied in to his rope, chalked his fingers and pulled on to the wickedly overhanging, zebra-striped wall of limestone. Two minutes later he had made rock-climbing history with the first ascent of Hubble, now widely recognised as the world's first F9a. Born in the suburbs of London in 1966, Moon started rock climbing on the sandstone outcrops of Kent and Sussex. A pioneer in the sport-climbing revolution of the 1980s and a bouldering legend in the 1990s, he is one of the most iconic rock climbers in the sport's history, In Statement, Moon's official biography, award-winning writer Ed Douglas paints a portrait of a climbing visionary and dispels the myth of Moon as an anti-traditional climbing renegade. Interviews with Moon are complemented with insights from family and friends and extracts from magazines and personal diaries and letters. 'Ever since I first set foot on rock at the tender age of seven years, climbing has been the most important thing in my life. In fact I would go so far as to say it is my reason for living and as long as I am able to climb I hope I will. It is from climbing I draw my inspiration for life.'

Brown Hares in the Derbyshire Dales by Christine Gregory is a written and photographic celebration of one of the Peak District's most secretive and enigmatic animals. Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated with over 100 photographs, this book gives an insight into the life, habitat and history of a much loved, yet threatened, species.

Day Walks in the Brecon Beacons features 20 circular routes between 6.8 and 16.5 miles (11km and 16.6km) in length. Author Harri Roberts shares his favourite walks in the region, including Llangors Lake, the Taf Fechan Skyline and the Llanbedr Horseshoe. Each route features Ordnance Survey maps, easy-to-follow directions and local information.

Winner of the 1997 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, Paul Pritchard's Deep Play is a unique, stylish and timeless commentary reflecting the pressures and rewards of climbing some of the world's hardest and most challenging rock climbs. Pritchard started climbing in Lancashire before moving to join the vibrant Llanberis scene of the mid 1980s, at a time when the adventurous development of the Dinorwig slate quarries was in full swing. Many of the new slate routes were notable for their fierce technical difficulty and sparse protection, and Pritchard took a full part in this arcane sub-culture of climbing and at the same time deployed his skills on the Anglesey sea cliffs to produce a clutch of equally demanding wall climbs. Born with an adventurous soul, it was not long before Pritchard and his friends were planning exotic trips. In 1987, paired with Johnny Dawes, Pritchard made an epoch-making visit to Scotland's Sron Ulladale to free its famous aid route, The Scoop. Pritchard and Dawes, with no previous high altitude experience, then attempted the Catalan Pillar of Bhagirathi III in the Garwhal Himalaya in India, a precocious first expedition prematurely curtailed when Pritchard was hit by stonefall at the foot of the face. In 1992, Pritchard and Noel Craine teamed up with the alpinists Sean Smith and Simon Yates to climb a big wall route on the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine, Patagonia. Pritchard followed this with an equally fine first ascent of the West Face of Mt Asgard on Baffin Island. Other trips - to Yosemite, Pakistan and Nepal as well as returns to Patagonia - resulted in a clutch of notable repeats, first ascents and some failures. The failure list also included two life threatening falls (one on Gogarth, the other on Creag Meaghaidh), which prompted the author into thought-provoking personal re-assessments, in advance of his later near-terminal accident on The Totem Pole in Tasmania. A penetrating view of the adventures and preoccupations of a contemporary player, Deep Play stands alone as a unique first-hand account of what many consider to be the last great era in British climbing.

"Scotland Mountain Biking - Wild Trails Vol.2" features 24 classic mountain bike rides across Scotland. Researched, ridden and written by Scottish Mountain Bike Guide Phil McKane, each route features clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps, easy-to-follow directions.

Freedom Climbers is the multi award-winning book by Bernadette McDonald, now available in the UK and Ireland thanks to Vertebrate Publishing. Freedom Climbers tells the story of the extraordinary Polish adventurers who emerged from under the blanket of oppression following the Second World War to become the world's leading Himalayan climbers. Although they lived in a war-ravaged landscape, with seemingly no hope of creating a meaningful life, these curious, motivated and skilled mountaineers built their own free-market economy under the very noses of their Communist bosses and climbed their way to liberation. At a time when Polish citizens were locked behind the Iron Curtain, these intrepid explorers found a way to travel the world in search of extreme adventure - to Alaska, South America and Europe, but mostly to the highest and most inspiring mountains of the world. To this end, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nepal became their second homes as they evolved into the toughest Himalayan climbers the world has ever known.

West Yorkshire Mountain Biking - South Pennine Trails features 23 of the best mountain bike rides in West Yorkshire, between 10.5km and 32km in length, suitable for all levels of mountain bikers. Written by local expert and MTB journalist Benjamin Haworth, each route features clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps.

Showcases 20 circular routes of the North York Moors, between 6 and 14 miles (9km and 22km) in length, that include walks to historic and beautiful areas of the Moors, including Lord Stones, Wainstones and Clay Bank, Rievaulx Abbey, Blakey Ridge and Farndale, the Hole of Horcum, and the stunning coastline at Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar.

Peak Rock is a celebration of significant developments at the cutting edge of rock climbing in the Peak District, from the day that James W Puttrell first set foot on rock at Wharncliffe in the late 19th century, through to modern ascents on the area's gritstone and limestone crags. Meticulously researched and written by a team of local authors.

Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix. Ten years later, Fawcett was the most famous rock climber in Britain and among the best in the world, part of a new wave whose dedication to training transformed the sport, pushing standards further and faster than ever before - or since. His legacy of new climbs ranks him alongside the very best in the history of the sport. He was also the first to style himself a professional rock climber, starring in the landmark television documentary "e;Rock Athlete"e;, and appearing on the covers of magazines around the world. But far from enjoying the fame, Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him. Winner of the 2010 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.

Lake District Mountain Landscape is a spectacular photographic perspective on the Lake District from award-winning mountain photographer and filmmaker Alastair Lee. With an emphasis on the mountain heights, Lee captures the majesty of the 'English Alps' in all seasons and conditions with 360-degree panoramas in ethereal light from the high peaks.

A guide to the mountain biking in the south west of England. It features 26 of the best mountain bike rides in Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Quantock Hills, between 10km and 30km in length, suitable for different levels of mountain bikers. It also features industry-standard Ordnance Survey mapping.

Peak District Trail Running is a comprehensive guide to off-road running in the Peak District National Park, written by Nikalas Cook and Jon Barton. With 22 runs, from 5km to 28km in length, this book is suitable for runners of all abilities. Features clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, and easy-to-follow directions.

The last descent and I can't let myself think it's in the bag. Anything could happen, take it easy, take no risks. Just get to the finish and win. 'The challenge and anticipation that pushes me to try harder. The obsessive urge to achieve. It's not all about winning. Why do I do it?' Growing up in Bristol, Heather Dawe was 17 when she started running. Having fallen in to the teenage trap of smoking and drinking she resolved to do something about it, not knowing then where it would take her. A climber since her youth, an obsession with wild places and the mountains was engrained in her DNA. Moving to Leeds to study, she began to compete in fell races and mountain marathons, joking in the pub one night that she could race at the highest level. Being hit by a car doing over 40mph while cycling would have ended many athletes' dreams, but Dawe's drive pushed her even harder. Hard enough to make her pub joke a reality, hard enough to win Elite Mountain Marathons, to win the Three Peaks Cyclo-cross race and to complete the Bob Graham Round. Pushing harder still, she entered the Tour Divide - racing the 2745-mile route of the Continental Divide in North America as she to sought to discover her physical - and emotional - limits. Dawe writes of what it takes to compete in adventure races; the training, the sacrifice, the mistakes that must be made in order to learn and develop. An intensely deep and personal book, Adventures in Mind explores what drives a woman - living with her partner and their child, working 9-5 - to push so hard and so far; into herself, and into the wild.

A guide to the traffic-free family and leisure cycling in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire. It explores tourist trails, country parks, forest riding and more.

Wales Mountain Biking - Beicio Mynydd Cymru by Tom Hutton showcases 20 of the best mountain bike rides in Wales, between 12km and 50km in length, suitable for all levels of mountain bikers. It features three sections: South Wales, Mid Wales and North Wales. Each route is described with easy-to-follow directions and includes OS 1:50,000 maps.

Cotwolds Mountain Biking by Tom Fenton features 20 classic MTB routes in the Cotswold Hills across the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and extending into parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. With Ordnance Survey mapping and easy-to-follow directions.

Walking South Yorkshire by Rob Haslam is a collection of 30 circular walks of South Yorkshire, between 2 and 8 miles (3 and 13 km) in length, that explore the ancient woodland and rural visitor attractions around Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley. It features route directions, combined with an insight into the county's heritage of ancient woodland.

Scotland Mountain Biking - The Wild Trails features 24 of the best and more adventurous mountain bike rides in Scotland, including a classic Torridon Circuit, Glen Sligachan on Skye, and man-made and natural trails around Innerleithen. Also includes the Fort William to Montrose Coast to Coast route. Features Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps.

Part of the Off Road Trails & Quiet Lanes series of family and leisure cycling guidebooks, Cycling in Sussex by Deirdre Huston and Marina Bullivant covers 20 rides, between 4km and 28km, exploring of one of the most beautiful counties in the UK. It also includes instructions and features original maps, route profiles, and local area information.