A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they consist entirely of reproductions of Wainwright's manuscript, hand-produced in pen and ink with no typeset material.
The series has been in print almost continuously since it was first published between 1955 and 1966, with more than 2 million copies sold.[1] It is still regarded by many walkers as the definitive guide to the Lakeland mountains. The 214 fells described in the seven volumes have become known as the Wainwrights, and it has been estimated that around 500 people have climbed them all.[2]
Contents |
The books, with the ISBNs of the revised editions, are:
Each of the fells covered by the guides has its own chapter, which normally includes a map of the fell, comprehensive details and 3-dimensional drawings of ascent routes, ridge routes to other fells, routes of descent and a description of the summit. Carefully annotated pen and ink drawings of ascents and views accompany the details of each fell. Each book starts with a description of the geography of the area and ends with Some personal notes in conclusion.
Unlike many authors who dedicate books to particular people known to them, Wainwright commences each book with an unusual dedication. These are:
Wainwright, notoriously shy, also includes one drawing of himself in each book, generally from behind, of him admiring a particular view. These are:
In the notes at the end of Book 7, Wainwright lists what he considers to be the 'finest half-dozen' fells in Lakeland. His list consists of:
In 2005, the series began factual revision by the publishers Frances Lincoln, in order to adjust the content to the present-day Lake District. Chris Jesty has and continues to undertake the revisions, using an imitation of Wainwright's hand lettering to make the alterations look as unobtrusive as possible. The most notable changes are that the covers of the revised books show photographs of the Lake District by Derry Brabbs, rather than the drawings that were on the covers of the originals, and the maps show the main paths in red.
As of June 2011 all seven books in the 'Lakeland Fells' series plus A Coast to Coast Walk and The Outlying Fells of Lakeland have been issued in these revised editions. A revised edition of Pennine Way Companion is in preparation for publication in 2012, as are Walks in Limestone Country and Walks on the Howgill Fells according to publishers Frances Lincoln.
A 50th anniversary edition and a box set of the original edition have been published. Leather bound versions can be found secondhand.
The 214 fells included in the series are now generally known as 'the Wainwrights'. These range in height from 985 feet (Castle Crag) to 3210 feet (Scafell Pike). Completing all the Wainwrights is a popular peak bagging challenge. The Wainwrights differ from other bagging lists such as the Munros and Marilyns, however, in that Wainwright never set out to compile such a list himself, and inclusion is not based on objective criteria such as altitude or prominence.