In Mountaineering Holiday, Frank Smythe records 'an outstanding Alpine climbing season' - his 1939 summer holiday. Writing in his typically engaging style of keen observation, entertaining anecdote and remarkable knack for description, Smythe takes the reader with him on his trip into the Alps. Arriving unfit and out of practice, he gets stuck behind slower climbers and spends rainy days confined to the valleys before making an impressive number of successful ascents and historic climbs: Mont Tondu, the Aiguille de Bionnassay, the Brenva Face - and an ascent of the Innominata Ridge of Mont Blanc. There is a wonderful sense of familiarity about the book. Smythes's experiences and emotions are instantly recognisable by the modern climber, evoking memories of other trips and mountain days. And his examination of our need for mountains and wild places reaches conclusions that strike a chord with everybody who enjoys the great outdoors. Yet this is the 1930s. Mountaineering equipment and technique are in their infancy. Attitudes within climbing are markedly different to those of today and the first ascents of many major routes are still to be claimed. Europe is on the brink of war and fearful of the future. The book's final climb is made with four young Germans - mere days before World War II ...

First published in 1976, this book examines the practical workings of the English criminal court system, focusing on the defendant’s experiences of the system and the decisions he takes as he passes through it. Indeed, the defendant in a criminal case is in a unique position to experience the whole criminal process, from the first approaches of the investigating policeman to conviction, sentence and possible appeal. Defendants in the Criminal Process is based upon the close observation of criminal cases and on interviews with defendants. The authors raise several issues and questions to be addressed by those involved in the administration of justice, whether as court administrators, judges, magistrates or lawyers. They also discuss issues of special importance for academics and others concerned with the explanation of the court process.