by OpenC » Sun Sep 01, 2013 12:05 pm
He reminds me of Andy Murray (no, wait, hear me out) in that people wanted him to be a popular and communicative media superstar when in fact he was only really interested in what he was good at. I don't think it's an issue that he was pushed to appear on the telly and came across as a miserable old bugger. The way he (apparently) treated those near to him is less easy to overlook, but he's far from unique in this regard when it comes to artists of any genre (and who among us hasn't felt a pang of guilt as they close the front door at 5AM to sneak away to the hills, knowing that they won't be back to their family and friends until the whole day has gone).
The pictorial guides are works of absolute genius, and as the series went on became more and more likable - I agree with CM that he was a great writer, and I'm surprised that he considers this an unusual viewpoint to be honest. I went off the Lake District a long time ago but I still read his books, and I wish there was a real Scottish equivalent for them (Ralph Storer is coming closest so far).
Of course there are issues with popularising certain routes (and a certain Cameron McNeish is not entirely blameless in this same regard) to the detriment of the landscape. Of course there are issues with his favourites, and the places and things he had no time for, and his selections of what constituted a "fell", but that's really a question of personal opinion (if I can look at something the size of Sgor an Lochain Uaine and wonder about its munro status, I'm sure AW can be forgiven for one or two of his choices).
As an author of guidebooks and a mapmaker (and his maps are amazing for a solo effort, let's be honest), he deserves to be remembered fondly. His television appearances say more about television and the culture of celebrity (even back then) than they do about AW himself.