The ''Alpine Journal'' (''AJ'') is an annual publication by the
Alpine Club
The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as:
:"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of whi ...
of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. It is the oldest
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
journal in the world.
History
The magazine was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of
Longman
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
in London, with
Hereford Brooke George as its first editor. It was a replacement for ''Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers'', which had been issued in two series: in 1858 (with
John Ball as editor), and 1862 (in two volumes, with
Edward Shirley Kennedy
Edward Shirley Kennedy (usually known as E. S. Kennedy) (1817–1898) was an English mountaineer and author, and a founding member of the Alpine Club.
Early life
Kennedy was a gentleman of independent means, who attended Caius College, Cambridg ...
as editor).
The magazine covers all aspects of mountains and mountaineering, including expeditions, adventure, art, literature, geography, history, geology, medicine, ethics and the mountain environment, and the history of mountain exploration, from early ascents in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, exploration of the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
and the succession of attempts on
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
, to present-day exploits.
Online access
Journal volumes since 1926 (bar the current issue) are freely available online. Digital scans of earlier volumes of the ''Alpine Journal'' from 1863 to 1926 have been made by academic libraries and are available online.
Notable editors
The following people have edited the magazine:
*
Leslie Stephen
Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, and mountaineer, and the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell.
Life
Sir Leslie Stephen came from a distinguished intellect ...
(1868–1872)
*
Douglas Freshfield
Douglas William Freshfield (27 April 1845 – 9 February 1934) was a British lawyer, mountaineer and author, who edited the ''Alpine Journal ''from 1872 to 1880. He was an active member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club and ...
(1872–1880)
*
Arthur John Butler
Arthur John Butler (21 June 1844 – 26 February 1910), was an English scholar, editor, and mountaineer, professor of Italian language and literature at University College London.
Apart from his work on Dante and other Italian poets, Butler trans ...
(1890–1893)
[ A. T. Quiller-Couch, revised by Nilanjana Banerji, " Butler, Arthur John (1844–1910)", in '']Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' (Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2007)
*
George Yeld (1896–1926)
*
John Percy Farrar
Captain John Percy Farrar (25 December 1857 – 18 February 1929), also known as Percy Farrar and as J. P. Farrar, was an English soldier and mountaineer. He was President of the Alpine Club from 1917 to 1919 and a member of the Mount Everest C ...
(1920–1926, co-editor)
*
Edward Lisle Strutt
Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Lisle Strutt, CBE, DSO (8 February 1874 – 7 July 1948) was a British soldier and mountaineer, and President of the Alpine Club from 1935 to 1938. After a distinguished military career he defended classical mountainee ...
(1927–1937)
*
T. Graham Brown (1949–1953)
* Johanna Merz (1992–1998)
References
External links
* including an online archive of back issues 1926 to 2019
Alpine Journal back issues 1863 to 1926 online at the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
Alpine Journal back issues 1863 to 2002 full text or limited search, online at
Hathi Trust
HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...
{{Authority control
1863 establishments in the United Kingdom
Alpine Club (UK)
Annual magazines published in the United Kingdom
Sports magazines published in the United Kingdom
Mountaineering magazines
English-language magazines
Magazines published in London
Magazines established in 1863