View source for Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

{{short description|Mountaineering textbook}}
{{Italic title}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox book
| image             = Freedom of the Hills 8th ed.jpg
| caption           = 8th edition cover
| language          = English
| genre             = Non-fiction
| publisher         = [[The Mountaineers (club)|The Mountaineers of Seattle]]
| pub_date          = 1960
}}
'''''Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills'''''<ref>{{cite book |title=Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (50th Anniversary Edition) |author=The Mountaineers |publisher=Mountaineers Books |edition=8th |date= 10 October 2010 |isbn=978-1-59485-137-7 |url=http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/Mountaineering-The-Freedom-of-the-Hills-8th-Edition-P569.aspx}}</ref> is often considered the standard [[textbook]] for [[mountaineering]] and [[climbing]] in [[North America]]. The book was first published in 1960 by [[The Mountaineers (club)|The Mountaineers]] of [[Seattle, Washington]]. The book was written by a team of over 40 experts in the field.

==Development==
The book grew out of the annual climbing course run since 1935 by the Mountaineers, for which the reading material was originally a combination of European works and lecturers' [[mimeograph machine|mimeo]] outlines. These were assembled into the ''Climber's Notebook'' and published by the Mountaineers as the hardbound ''Mountaineers Handbook'' in 1948.  By 1955 the rapid postwar evolution of climbing techniques and tools had made the ''Handbook'' out of date, and the effort was begun to produce ''Freedom of the Hills''.  Nearly 80 major contributors are credited in the first edition and it was organized by a committee of 8 editors.  The first four editions were only available in hardcover.

The title of the book is a reference to the ancient medieval European tradition of "[[Freedom of the City]]", that conferred upon the recipient access to a city. The reference implies that with the knowledge in the book, a certain equivalent freedom of the wild mountains can be attained.

==Editions==
{| class="wikitable"
! align=left| Edition || Year || Editor(s) || Size || ISBN
|-
|&nbsp;1st || 1960 || [[Harvey Manning]] || 430 pp. ||
|-
|&nbsp;2nd || 1967 || Harvey Manning || 485 pp. ||
|-
|&nbsp;3rd || 1974 || Peggy Ferber   || 478 pp. ||
|-
|&nbsp;4th || 1982 || Ed Peters      || 550 pp. ||
|-
|&nbsp;5th || 1992 || Don Graydon    || 447 pp. || {{ISBN|0-89886-201-9}} or {{ISBN|0-89886-309-0}}
|-
|&nbsp;6th || 1997 || Don Graydon and Kurt Hanson || 528 pp. || {{ISBN|0-89886-427-5}}
|-
|&nbsp;7th || 2003 || Steven M. Cox and Kris Fulsaas || 575 pp. || {{ISBN|0-89886-827-0}}
|-
|&nbsp;8th || 2010 || Ronald C. Eng || 592 pp. || {{ISBN|978-1-59485-137-7}}
|-
|&nbsp;9th || 2017 || Eric Linxweiler and Mike Maude || 624 pp. || {{ISBN|978-1-68051-004-1}}
|-
|&nbsp;10th || 2024 || Eric Linxweiler || 621 pp. || {{ISBN|978-1-68051-606-7}}
|}

==Structure and layout==

===Sections===
In the 10th edition, the book is divided into six parts as follows:<ref>{{cite web | title=Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 10th Edition | url=https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/mountaineering-the-freedom-of-the-hills-10th-edition-1 }}</ref>

* Part One: Outdoor Fundamentals
* Part Two: Climbing Fundamentals
* Part Three: Rock Climbing
* Part Four: Snow, Ice, and Alpine Climbing
* Part Five: Leadership, Safety, and Rescue
* Part Six: The Mountain Environment

There is an appendix, a glossary, and an index.

===Chapters===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
# First Steps
# Clothing and Equipment
# [[Camping]], Food, and Water
# Conditioning
# [[Navigation]] and Communication
# Wilderness Travel
# [[Protecting The Outdoors]]
# Essential Climbing Equipment
# Basics of Climbing
# [[Belaying]]
# [[Rappelling]]
# Sport Climbing and Technique
# Rock Protection
# Traditional Rock Protection
# [[Aid climbing|Aid]] and [[Big wall climbing|Big Wall Climbing]]
# Basic Snow and Ice Climbing
# Technical Snow and Ice Climbing
# [[Ice climbing|Waterfall Ice]] and [[Mixed climbing|Mixed Climbing]]
# Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
# [[Avalanche]] Safety
# [[Expedition style|Expedition Climbing]]
# Leadership
# Risk Management
# [[First Aid]]
# Self-Rescue
# Mountain Geology
# The Cycle of Snow
# Mountain Weather
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[Ten Essentials]]
* [[Alpine Club Guide]]
* [[Cascade Alpine Guide]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/ The Mountaineers Books]

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[[Category:1960 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Climbing and mountaineering books]]