W. A. Poucher

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Walter Arthur Poucher (b 1891 d 1988), sometimes called 'William Arthur Poucher' (see talk), was one of the leading English mountain photographers and guide-book writers in the years following World War Two. He was also a researcher on the chemistry of perfumes.

His mountain books followed those of the Abraham Brothers, in being were exhaustively illustrated with his own pictures (which were almost invariably in black and white) - (though many considered that the development of drawing the route in white on the photograph used in later volumes, was a regrettable disfigurement). His routes were also well commented, though the style was sometimes rather florid for modern tastes.

Principle of these guides were

'The Welsh Peaks' (first published 1962),

'The Scottish Peaks' (first published 1965),

'The Lakeland Peaks' (first published 1960),

'The Peak and Pennines' (first published 1966),

all of which ran to several reprintings, and

'The Magic of Skye' (first published 1949, new edition 1980).

Later volumes of these works, updated in consultation with his son, John, are still in print.

On the basis of the success of these guides, Poucher encouraged his publishers (Constable) to publish selections of rock-climbs in each area, in a similar photographic format. These were viewed with mixed feelings by the senior clubs who published (sometimes at a loss) the detailed guides to areas

Poucher was a research chemist by profession, working on the chemistry of perfumes. His 1923 monograph 'Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps' has been revised and reprinted over the years and is now in its 10th edition.He was reportedly given leave of absence by Yardley for part of the year to pursue his Mountain Photography. His profession caused some amusement in climbing circles, where he was occasionally described as 'a perfume salesman who wears his wares'.

[edit] See also

• Alfred Wainwright - whose guidebooks are contemporary to Poucher's but in contrasting style
• M. J. B. Baddeley - a leading exponent of the text-based guide, popular earlier in the 20th century