The Evidence of Things Not Seen : A Mountaineer's Tale

by W.H. Murray, Hamish MacInnes (Foreword)

Pioneering climbing in Scotland the 1930s, combat against Rommel's forces, three years in Nazi prison camps, and a near fatal alpine accident marked W.H.Murray's early life. Three exploratory Himalayan ventures followed including the critical 1951 reconnaissance trip that established the route by which Everest was climbed two years later. Thereafter he built a reputation as a writer and environmental polemicist and was deeply involved with the struggle to protect the Highlands from commercial exploitation.

Genres: Adventure, Mountaineering, Memoir

392 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

William Hutchison Murray OBE was a Scottish mountaineer and writer, one of a group of active mountain climbers, mainly from Clydeside, before and just after World War II.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography by W. H. Murray is actually not the book I had intended to read, but I’m not sorry for the time I spent reading it. He is a good writer and definitely had an interesting life. For the most part he is remembered as a Scottish mountaineer, naturalist, and early conservationist. This book, written at the end of his life, starts with a little of his early life leading into into the 1930s. As an adult he joined mountaineering groups. Actually, that part of the book was the least interesting to me. When WWII came along he ended up in the army in the middle-east, eventually to be captured by Rommel’s troops. From there he begins what I thought was the most vivid part of the book, his life in at least four POW camps. Murray and his fellow prisoners had assorted survival strategies. A number spent their time plotting escape, many organized classes and Murray started his first book using his memories of climbing to keep sane and positive.

He began to write his Mountaineering in Scotland surreptitiously. Amazingly, he traded a collection of Shakespeare printed on lovely paper for the rough, thick camp toilet paper. In the circumstances I don’t think Shakespeare would have minded. Unfortunately during a camp transfer his book was discovered and he was roughly treated by the Gestapo. It must have been horrible as it was nearing completion when they took the book from him. Undeterred, he wrote it all over again and kept it safe til wars end.

The rest of this book covers his return to mountaineering, his part in the Scottish Himalaya expeditions and his eventual return to Scottish mountains and concerns.

Nan Shepherd was a rough contemporary who may have written more beautifully but her feeling that men were mostly concerned with mountain conquering doesn’t really fit Murray. Like Shepherd he enjoyed the total experience and the physical beauty of the walks. I plan to give the book originally written on toilet paper (2x) a try.

[Sima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. While it contained many climbs that Bill Murray had attempted and completed, he also talked about writing, his wife, conservation, living in a prison camp for three years, the kindness of some of the German soldiers as well as cruelty of the Gestapo. My favorite memory was how kindly he remembered the porters that helped him and his team in the Himalayas; a sharp contrast to when I was growing up. The term "coolie" was derogatory, usually aimed at uncouth behavior from children who should know better, a relic from my dad's experience with the cast system. Murray shines a light on these strong, brave men, who leave their families to support the "sahibs" mission of mountain climbing. I had gone with my family to India and quite honestly, the working class impressed me with their strength.
Another oddity was his acceptance of his role as a trailblazer, making easier pathways for other people to follow behind him rather than a "peak bagger", which forms the crux of so many of the books on the Banff Mountain Book Festival list. It was refreshing to read something different, though he experienced many of the same dangers including a bad climbing accident that seriously injured him and killed one of his friends.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHM's story is a fascinating one. The initial chapters made me worried that the climbing bits would get too technical, or his writing too philosophical, for my taste, but that wasn't the case. He also has a way of describing beautiful scenery and sweet moments in a way that really touches you. As always, with hiking/climbing stories written by somewhat older men, there are bits that I disagree with or atleast see differently, but that doesn't detract from the book. It just means I need t find some more of these books written from different perspectives.

[Rob Roop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great auto-biography. It appealed to me because of Murray’s reputation as a Scottish mountaineer and the story of how he helped to identity the route that was eventually used to summit Mt. Everest.

In reality his life is much more interesting. He served in North Africa in WWII and spent several years as a POW.

His work in conservation was immense.

He wrote the book that rebranded Rob Roy McGregor a hero rather than a brigand based on original research.

[Manselk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we can say this autobiography shows a man who is not afraid to tell how climbing has influenced a life, not only putting scottish ice climbs on the world map, but scottish himalayan expeditions.
His ability to deal with war and its atrocities and how he wrote on toilet paper only to have it destroyed.His observations on life are insightful and refreshing.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

W h Murray was a Scottish climber who was active before world war 2 and after. This book covers some of his earlier climbs and his time spent in the war but mostly his time in the Himalayas and some work he did looking at a possible route up Mount Everest. His writing is fantastic and his story I enjoyed this book and also his books about climbing in Scotland.

[Keith Boynton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely strange and scattered, but with fascinating passages. Murray's accounts of his wartime experiences are particularly enthralling.