MENTION the name Peter Hodgkiss to a British mountaineer and you will receive a look of recognition and admiration. Almost all mountaineers start out climbing in their minds, fuelled by published accounts of daring adventures and attempts at the near impossible. They long to be in the mountains often before they have even seen one.
Which is why Hodgkiss, although not a world-class Alpinist, or at the cutting edge of modern mountaineering – at least not physically – is so influential. What he did was arguably more important.
One of three brothers, Hodgkiss was born in Leeds in 1936. His family moved to Nottingham shortly afterwards and he attended school in West Bridgford. After leaving school,he followed his father into the printing business, serving a six-year apprenticeship.As a young man he was a passionate about sport, a keen rower and cyclist, but his introduction to the mountains came at the age of 17 on an Outward Bound course. A fire was lit and he realised he had a passion for hills and crags. Over the years, he became a proficient climber, comfortably operating at VS on the Scottish rock faces, and he was an accomplished Alpinist with ascents all over Britain and Europe. His philosophical approach to wilderness areas was one of a wanderer rather than peak bagger, and he preferred to spend time with his thoughts in less popular areas rather than head for the coveted climbing Meccas of Chamonix or Zermatt. His was a true passion rather than a testosterone-filled ego trip; he loved the space and significance of nature for its holistic value, rather than as a vehicle for any macho posturing. He was brought up a Catholic, but this was as close to religion as Hodgkiss got. In fact, his Sunday routine was so regular that one of his daughters once told a friend: "My father is agnostic, which means he goes climbing on a Sunday." A conservationist in both action and thought, he fought for the campaign to prevent the extension of the Cairngorm ski area in to Lurchers Valley, considering the Highlands as being precious and in need of careful management rather than commercial exploitation.
It was this incredible love of the mountains and his experience and knowledge of printing and publishing that cemented Hodgkiss's legacy in British mountaineering. He met his wife, Joy, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Woodthorpe and they married in 1959. In 1961, they moved to Glasgow and Hodgkiss began work as a troubleshooter for the Clyde Paper Company.
The move meant he was within striking distance of some of the best climbing in the UK, hanging out with the notoriously tough Scottish climbing set. Hodgkiss himself was no wimp, however; regarding rain as "condensation" he could also move on ice up to a V grade. Even as he aged and became ill he would often say "growing old isn't for softies". His enthusiastic approach to mountains and mountain literature is legendary and yet for many, his influence is unrealised. The Alpine Club (Alps), the Scottish Mountaineering Club (Scotland), The Fell and Rock Climbing Club (Lake District) and Climber's Club (Wales) all have climbing guides. These guides are used by most, if not all, serious climbers when starting out, and many continue to use them long after they can consider themselves "experienced". Hodgkiss was the integral link between often amateur volunteer editors and the printing firms. He would advise on layout, format, paper quality, orientation of photographs and charts and anything else that required his expert eye. He also negotiated prices with the printing firms.
In 1985 Hodgkiss, along with bookseller Jack Baines, co-founded the Ernest Press. It was a small, independent publishing house specialising in mountain literature. Their first publication was a copy of Twenty Years on Ben Nevis by WT Kilgour. The mountain classic had been out of print for 80 years and this approach to publishing books and stories that inspired both men led to the establishment of the Ernest Press's good reputation. His enthusiasm could be almost wearing, and he would refuse to accept that "bad" weather could spoil a day out. Too wet for climbing? No matter, plenty of walking to be done. No excuses. Hodgkiss was, at best, incorrigible and regularly started and finished his mountain days in the dark, often covering more ground in one day than many would cover in two or three.It is no exaggeration to say that without him, these guides would not have the same quality of production as they do today. Moreover, they might have ceased to be produced on such a wide scale. Hodgkiss's career followed the bucking trends of an inconsistent industry, and he frequently found himself out of work. During these times he sought solace in the hills and he found regular partners for his adventures through the Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland. While Hodgkiss was keen to make money, this was not his motivation and his approach to publishing was very much like his approach to the mountains, an instinctive feel for what was right at the time. He proved to be an exceptionally talented publisher, with four of his books going on to win the Boardman Tasker Prize for literature, and many more have been shortlisted. This annual award is akin to the Oscars for mountain writing, and by no means a small deal. One particular Hodgkiss moment of inspired genius came when he was approached by an author by the name of Charles Lind. Lind had penned a prose-poem in the imagined mind of George Mallory, who was lost on Everest in 1924. The poem entitled An Afterclap of Fate: Mallory on Everest was an altogether different type of mountain recollection and difficult to sell to the climbing fraternity, let alone a publisher. Hodgkiss went with his gut and published it. Lind won the Boardman Tasker in 2006. If publishing mountain writing is a gamble, Hodgkiss was a betting man and more often than not he beat the odds. That said, the book has yet to sell a thousand copies.
The Ernest Press holds a catalogue of some 50 books, many of them prizewinners. As well as Lind, Ernest Press has championed the work of Roger Hubank, a Boardman Tasker winner and recipient of the Grand Prix award at the Banff literature festival in 2001. Despite publishing brilliant, if non-commercial novelists, the company did make money – not from books but from mountain biking guides, a market it still dominates. In 1993, the Ernest Press was appointed joint publisher of the Alpine Journal, an annual 450-page collection of tales and pictures from the past year. It is the oldest journal of its kind in the world, having been first published in 1863. Hodgkiss was fastidious in his attention to detail when it came to producing the book, ensuring that its quality never diminished.
Hodgkiss was an extraordinary driving force behind the scenes of British mountaineering. He was a modest man who inspired those around him and those who were not fortunate enough to meet him. His passion for the mountains never dwindled and his drive to educate others on the beauty and importance of those mountains never died.
Peter Hodgkiss died of cancer. He is survived by his wife, Joy, and their four children
Peter Hodgkiss. Born May 7th 1936 in Leeds. Died 31st January 2010 in Glasgow
Chris Mair© published in The Scotsman. 19-03-10
Post Title
→Peter Hodgkiss..Ernest Press founder
Post URL
→https://national-grid-news.blogspot.com/2010/03/peter-hodgkissernest-press-founder.html
Visit National-grid-news for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection
