DOW Hall Publications Fund

Criteria for the DOW Hall fund:

  1. to provide financial assistance for the publication of alpine literature
  2. should fall within the objects of the club
  3. should have literary merit
  4. should be of original or creative nature
  5. unlikely to be published without financial assistance
  6. wherever possible monies granted should be repaid to the club, in part or full.

Please send applications for this fund addressed to the Publications Convenor care of [email protected]

Current projects – grants awarded

The fund is currently supporting the following books yet to be published. Titles yet to be finalised.

  • By Lyn McKinnon, Invincible Spirit, a biography of Dan Bryant, part of early Himalayan exploration. Expected publication date 2023. -$2000
  • By Paul Maxim, the working title of this snap-shot history of mountaineering in New Zealand through 25 selected climbs is Aotearoa 25 (Paul Maxim Publishing). Expected publication date 2023 – $2500
  • By Ray Salisbury, EPIC - Adventures Across Aotearoa, a book covering feats of endurance across New Zealand (Exisle Publishing Ltd). Expected publication date, October 2023 - $1000.

Past recipients of the DOW Hall Fund

  • Colin Monteath, Erebus a portrait of an Antarctic volcano, a book on Mt Erebus in Antarctica (Massey University Press). Published August 2023. Buy online
  • Gavin Lang,  an illustrated title of all 24 of the 3000m mountains in the Southern Alps of NZ with high-quality photographs and stories. There will also be a short film documentary produced covering the storytelling angles not possible in the book.  Seeking the Light: climbing all 24 of New Zealand’s Southern Alps Mountains above 3000m (publisher Potton & Burton). Publication date 2022. Buy online
  • Shaun Barnett, Across the Pass: a collection of writing about tramping in New Zealand (Otago University Press). This title spans over two centuries of writing on a wide range of tramping accounts from early exploration of the mountains, bush excursions and coastal walks to trans-alpine traverses.  Published in 2021.
  • By Ron Hay, a book of recollections on the adventure, beauty, danger and call of the mountains is titled The Spirit of the Mountains (Mary Egan Publishing). Published 2021.
  • By Paul Hersey, a mountaineering novel about love, loss and redemption, the bonds between family and the outdoors and taking those rarest opportunities to try to right past wrongs is Protection (Imaginary Mountain Surveyors – Canmore). Published July 2020 – Buy online
  • Hugh D. Wilson, Field Guide: Wild Plants of Mount Cook National Park (October 1978)
  • Chris Maclean, John Pascoe (Craig Potton Publishing, 2003)
  • Norman Hardie, On My Own Two Feet: The Life of a Mountaineer (Canterbury University Press, 2006)Joy of the Mountains
  • Pat Deavoll, Wind From a Distant Summit (Craig Potton Publishing, 2011)
  • Graham Langton, Summits and Shadows: Jack Clarke and New Zealand Mountaineering (Steele Roberts, 2011)
  • Paul Maxim, Bold Beyond Belief: Bill Denz; New Zealand’s Mountain Warrior (Maxim Books, 2011) Buy online
  • John Wilson, Joy of the Mountains, a climber’s life John Harrison 1932-1966 (Anne McGregor, 2012) Buy online
  • Shaun Barnett, Rob Brown and Geoff Spearpoint, Shelter from the Storm, the story of backcountry huts in New Zealand (Craig Potton Publishing 2012)
  • Brian Wilkins, Among Secret Beauties: a memoir of mountaineering in New Zealand and the Himalayas (Otago University Press 2013)" "
  • David Harrowfield, New Zealand’s Mountain History (publisher cancelled the release of this title)
  • Laurence Fearnley, Lydia Bradey: going up is easy (Penguin 2016)
  • Lyn McKinnon, Only Two For Everest: how the first ascent by Riddiford and Cotter shaped climbing history (Otago University Press 2016)
  • Peter Alsop, Dave Bamford and Lee Davidson, Scenic Playground: the story behind New Zealand’s mountain tourism (Te Papa Press). Winner of the 2019 New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival. Book released Nov 2018 Buy online
  • Edited by Laurence Fearnley and Paul Hersey, the working title of this non-fiction anthology of both published and unpublished historical mountaineering extracts from NZ’s past is:  To the Mountains: a collection of New Zealand Alpine Writing (Otago University Press). ‘Gems of mountaineering writing from known and unknown sources – from romanticism to misery, towering precipices to blistered feet.’