Ian Brown’s work is available in an annual calendar and several books, which can be purchased below.
All publications are printed and produced to the highest standards.
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(SPECIAL NOTE: Due to US customs and Australia Post policies, we cannot currently ship to USA. We apologise for this inconvenience and will update this website when/if the situation changes.)
AVAILABLE NOW….
2026 Wild BLUE MOUNTAINS Calendar
$38 + post
Sample pages:
NEW BOOK…
John Ewbank: the climbs and times of a rock climbing legend
Available in late October 2025 – only 650 copies
ORDER NOW!
$75 + post
(NB: We can deliver this book for free in the Blue Mountains. If you wish to take up this option, please do not order online but CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US)
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- Hardback
- Full colour
- 297mm x 210mm (portrait format)
- 336 pages
- Printed in Australia on FSC-certified paper
- ISBN 9780975098943
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An anthology on the life of John Ewbank, Australian rock climbing pioneer and musician, in his own words and from those who knew him. In the 1960s Ewbank blazed across Australia’s emerging rock climbing firmament like a meteor – then he was gone. But his climbs, his philosophy, his attitude to landscape and his writings are legendary, and influential to this day. Ewbank created hundreds of new climbs, in the Blue Mountains, Warrumbungles, Tasmania and Victoria, many of which are much-loved classics. He went on to become an accomplished performer, musician, songwriter and folk singer based in New York, but continued to climb. Ewbank died tragically in 2013.
This book brings together Ewbank’s own writings with photographs, songs, interviews and reflections from many other climbers and musos, many never before published, evoking an historic era, ranging across NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, UK and USA, and casting light on the many facets of a complex and intriguing personality.
More than 60 contributors include prominent climbers Bryden Allen, Chris Baxter, Keith Bell, Giles Bradbury, Simon Carter, Greg Child, John Davis, Chris Dewhirst, John Fantini, Dennis Gray, Lincoln Hall, Peter Jackson, Keith Lockwood, John Moore, Dick Smith, Robert Staszewski and John Worrall, and musicians Dean Parker and Rich Romano. As a significant slice of Australian climbing history, this book will appeal to all climbers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Who was JOHN EWBANK?
John Ewbank (1948-2013) emerged from a tough childhood in Yorkshire to become the pre-eminent Australian rock climber of his generation, pioneering hundreds of new climbs before he was 23, in the 1960s into the 70s. Many of his climbs are enduring classics, including The Totem Pole, Icarus and Chimes of Freedom in Tasmania, The Crucifixion in the Warrumbungles and Hercules on Perpendicular Rock. In the Blue Mountains he established every climb on the crumbling Dogface including Gigantor and Colossus, as well as numerous free climbs such as Flake Crack and The Janicepts, Australia’s hardest climb for some years.
On a trip back home to the United Kingdom, the teenage Ewbank repeated many of the hardest climbs there, and hence in the world at that time. He created a radical but simple new system for rating the difficulty of climbs which has been adopted in Australia, New Zealand and Africa, pushed Australian climbing standards higher, was a passionate advocate for ‘clean’ (non-destructive) climbing and manufactured some of the first ‘crackers’, started the first NSW climbing magazine (Thrutch) and wrote extensively on climbing practices and ethics.
As a youthful iconoclast, Ewbank challenged accepted views and annoyed some people. As a thinker and writer he inspired and influenced generations of climbers. Ewbank’s later writing was more circumspect and diverse, sometimes eccentric, taking in reflection, stories, poetry, fiction and plays. His work was published in magazines such as Mountain, Ascent and On the Edge. His pieces include the classic essay ‘Ironmongers of the Dreamtime’ (centrepiece of this book), ‘Lady Nicotine and The Captain’s Nose’ and ‘A love letter from New York’.
When Ewbank left Australia for life as a New York folk musician and performer, he continued to climb and wrote fine songs including ‘Rally round the flag’, ‘Another man’s Juliet’ and ‘Every angel up in heaven’ (for daughter Jane) and released four albums of his music. On frequent trips back to Australia he toured widely to considerable acclaim, and settled a few old scores on the cliffs. He was reportedly friends with Leonard Cohen and was the support act for one of Bob Dylan’s Australian tours. During his life Ewbank struggled against addictions, but had overcome them when, haunted by the death of friends and beset by health problems, and two days after recording his last song ‘Saved’, John took his own life in 2013.
Some of Ewbank’s writings that could not be included in the book will be available here soon.
The Blue Mountains: exploring landscapes shaped by the underlying rocks, uplift and erosion
Now available in SOFTBACK reprint for $80 (plus post).
This ‘ground-breaking’ book fills a yawning gap in publications on the Blue Mountains. Main author Peter Hatherly is a geophysicist and bushwalker who has spent many years exploring and studying the landforms of the Blue Mountains. He has published important research on the latest geological uplift of the Lapstone Monocline, an event fundamental to the dramatic landscape we see today.
The book is aimed at the general reader and lavishly illustrated with photographs, original maps and innovative diagrams. The content is in three parts – Geology & Geomorphology, Interactions and Landscapes by Region. The first is an explanation of the geological history, the rocks and land-shaping processes, followed by how these interact with Blue Mountains ecology and traditional Aboriginal life. The final section the book is devoted to describing in detail the landscapes of the main precincts of the Blue Mountains…
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- lower Blue Mountains
- Kedumba, Jamison, Megalong & Kanimbla valleys
- Boyd Plateau & Kanangra Walls
- Bindook Highlands, Blue Breaks & Yerranderie
- Upper Grose Valley
- Newnes Plateau & Gardens of Stone
- Wolgan & Capertee valleys
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“We hope this book will become an essential guidebook and reference, enjoyed by everyone who wants to know more about the amazing landscape of the Blue Mountains.” (co-author Ian Brown)
What other experts say…
Hugh Durrant-Whyte FRS – NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer…..”Here is a holistic view of these regions seeing the rocks, rivers, trees, flora and fauna as part of an integrated whole. Here is something exhilarating and inspiring for every Blue Mountains lover, with many new places and views to experience and understand. Here is a new way of understanding and participating in the history of this beautiful landscape.”
Andy Macqueen – Blue Mountains historian, author and bushwalker…..”A superb exposition of the amazing landforms of the Greater Blue Mountains, and how they have influenced the environment and the people.”
Tara Cameron – President, Blue Mountains Conservation Society…..”Looking at ‘the view’ becomes a richer experience after reading this beautiful book..the authors help readers gain a greater appreciation of the Blue Mountains. Visually stunning with great photos and maps, it is very accessible and a terrific read that enhances our understanding of special and well-loved locations. A great contribution and resource for residents, visitors and lovers of the mountains alike.”
Tim Cohen – Associate Professor, University of Wollongong…..”Conveying geological events, deep time and modern processes in a plain but engaging manner is no easy feat. This book does this in a simple and useful manner…The book is beautifully presented and well illustrated. It will appeal to everyone from natural historians to scientists and to those who would simply like to learn more about these landscapes.”
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- 204 pages
- softback (hardback sold out)
- 25.5 cm x 24 cm
- 256 photographs, 40 original maps & 20 diagrams
- printed and bound in Australia using FSC-certified mixed-source paper
- Foreword by NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
- ISBN 9780975098936
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Newnes: Wolgan Valley
Edited and produced by Ian Brown (Newnes Hotel and Cabins, 2022)
Hardback, 64 pages, over 100 photographs including many historical images, text on history, natural and cultural heritage.
ISBN 9780975098929
A$35 plus postage A$10 (Australia), A$30 (worldwide)
Wild Blue: World Heritage splendour of the Greater Blue Mountains
by Ian Brown (Windy Cliff Press, 2003)
Softback ONLY (hardback sold out), 128 pages, 82 photographs, 30,000 word environmental history and natural history of the Blue Mountains.
ISBN 0975098918
A$50 post free worldwide
SOLD OUT
A Passion for Place: Gardens of the Blue Mountains
by Alison Halliday and Joanne Hambrett, photography by Ian Brown (Bloomings Books, 2010)
Hardback, 256 pages, colour photographs throughout, cultural history of the gardens.
ISBN 9781876473778
Previous Calendars
