Review by Tony Lourens
Author: Jacob D Nuttall
Illustrations: Jacob D Nuttall
Pages: 179 • B&W throughout
Dimensions: 15 x 23cm
Publisher: Naked Snail Books (self-published via KDP Amazon)
Available: Paperback £11.99 and Kindle £4.99
ISBN: 978-1739294304
I have read numerous ‘how to’ books on climbing, and in fact have also written one.
To be honest, it is hard to be original, or to reinvent the wheel. And at the end of the day, all instructional books on climbing are more or less the same, and they all cover more or less the same stuff. It is the author’s job to try and be different, to bring something special to their book, which will make it stand apart from others. This can be done in two ways:
- The presentation of the text
- The images used
When Jacob Nuttall contacted me and asked if I would review his book, I thought, not another book on how to climb. But, when I received the book in the mail and saw the cover (with a line along the top saying “over 1 million copies not sold”), I immediately knew that his book was going to be different. And how pleasantly different it is.
Nuttall covers practically everything that is needed in such a book, but what sets his book apart from the others I have read, is the way it is written. He explains things so well and in a way that is easily understood and with a healthy slice of humour (as only the English can do), which makes the book rather entertaining. It is actually quite absorbing and often very funny. Or as they say in the literary world – a page turner!
His diagrams are also excellent and done in comic strip fashion. They show you exactly what they are supposed to, but with a wonderful humorous twist and fun captions where needed, which makes the book such a joy to read. It makes learning fun!
Covering everything you need to know to get out there and have fun and be safe, from adaptive climbing, gear, climbing techniques to sport climbing, trad climbing, competition climbing, bouldering, psichobloc, and much more. Climb is probably the best and most entertaining instructional book I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It is refreshingly different from anything else out there and a definite must if you want to learn or know more about climbing and having fun on rock.
