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At the Edge
At the Edge
Nov 7, 2024 5:32 PM

Author:Danny MacAskill

At the Edge

I checked my balance and peered apprehensively at the sheer drop below. Once I felt comfortable, I radioed down to Stu.

'I'm just gonna unclip quickly,' I said.

My walkie-talkie crackled straight away. Stu sounded pretty stressed. 'Dude, keep the rope on!'

I edged forward, my hands and feet scoping out the summit for any loose rock. The ridge pinnacle was still only a meter wide, if that, but I felt pretty stable.

'This bit's fine,' I said. 'The rope makes it harder for me...'

Danny MacAskill lives on the edge.

The cyclist is legendary for his YouTube viral videos like The Ridge, Cascadia and Imaginate: nerve-racking montages of stunts which scale everything from mountain peaks, rooftops, ghost towns and movie sets. His life is one of thrills, bloody spills and millions of online hits.

It hasn't been an easy ride. Doubt, stress and the 'what if?' factor circle every trailblazing trick, which require imagination, fearlessness, groundbreaking techniques and an eye for a good camera angle. He has spent his life pushing the extremes; somehow, he's still around to tell the tale.

In this unflinching memoir of mayhem, Danny shares his anarchic childhood on the Isle of Skye and early days as a street trials rider, takes us behind the scenes of his training and videos, shares never-seen-before sketches from his personal notebook, and reveals what it takes to go the next level - both mentally and physically.

Join Danny for a nerve-shredding ride. Just be sure to bring a crash helmet.

Reviews

Danny Macaskill doesn't see the world in the same way as you or me . . . jaw-dropping

—— Forever Sport

MacAskill, quite literally, has the world at his feet

—— Telegraph

The best exponent of his art in the world today

—— Times

Revealing . . . Everything you wanted to know about what makes Danny so good, so driven, and so successful

—— road.cc

He's an internet stunt sensation

—— The Daily Mail

Sit down and let Wilfried guide you through the wondrous world of cycling

—— Tim Krabbé

A master of the short story

—— Die Zeit

A goldmine of historical nuggets and walking inspiration

—— Wunderlust

This inspiring book tells the story of a year of walking across the British Isles...Evocatively written, with charming snippets of childhood memories... Somerville explains how walking the countryside shaped him as an adult... Touching on his father's Second World War experiences and stoic nature, Somerville seeks to discover the man inside the man. Poignantly highlights the power walking has in forging close relationships and enabling communication, this heart-warming walker's diary proves real inspiration to exploring Britain on foot.

—— Carys Matthews , Countryfile

Christopher Somerville’s moving, measured and immaculate The January Man is part walker’s diary, part celebration of his reticent yet loving father, and part... well, anything that takes his fancy and ours. But most of all it is a tender rumination on the One Big Thing that troubles all of us when we put on our hiking boots – and that’s mortality.

—— Jim Crace, author of Harvest

A rich and wonderful book which draws on Christopher Somerville’s unusually deep knowledge of Britain’s hidden pathways.

—— Hugh Thomson, author of 'The Green Road into the Trees'

Editor's Choice: a beguiling blend of memoir, travel and nature writing.

—— Caroline Sanderson , Bookseller

A terrific and touching read. The January Man is a combination of natural and human history and somehow manages to be both light- and slightly heavy-hearted... amusing but almost mystical in places too, which is a pretty incredible feat to pull off.

—— Tobias Jones

Brilliantly descriptive of the British landscape and wildlife across the seasons, from fields to coasts, along lanes and byways, it is interwoven with stories of local people, traditions, customs and thoughts on history, culture and geography. Walker or armchair traveller, it’s a pleasure to read.
.

—— Choice magazine

Exquisitely written.

—— Publisher's Association REview

A thrilling read ... exquisitely poignant

—— Saga

The author's gaze is on the world around him, especially its natural history ... his skill at describing just what he sees is remarkable ... a very British account of a father-son relationship and more moving for its restraint and light touch.

—— Susan Griffith , Perceptive Travel

This finely observed and evocative book is a celebration of the power of walking to discover emotional, as well as physical, landscapes.

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

A delightful, poetical hotchpotch of a book. It's part nature notes, part history lesson, as well as memoir and loving salute to his late father. . . Somerville is a great wordsmith.

—— Patrick Hosking , The Times

Charming, evocative

—— CHOICE magazine

Top 10 Books About Walking in Britain - The book tenderly blends memoir with descriptions of nature and the passing of the seasons.

—— Guardian

Calvin is a natural storyteller who is unflinching as he goes behind the scenes and meets the people at the heart of the youth development network.

—— Irish Independent

The book is an eye-opener into the pressures put on young players by clubs, coaches and parents; the corruption and conceit, bullying and harassment. Plus the lengths those clubs and their scouts go to, to recruit kids who have yet to reach secondary school.

—— Independent, 10 Best Football Books of the Year 2017

Completes his formidable trilogy on the game with a blistering indictment of how it treats its youngest players

—— Guardian’s sport books of the year

Outstanding

—— Times

As the book unfurls, the march along the marches turns into a eulogy to his father, part memoir, part biography, always a love story. It also contains one of the most unflinching, moving descriptions of death I have read.

—— Melanie Reid , The Times

This beautifully written book is a haunting reflection of identity and our relationships with the people and places we love.

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Stewart provides much food for thought about how we value our past history

—— Susannah Law , Scottish Field
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