The autobiography of one of the greatest names in mountain climbing. Joe Brown is one of the greatest names in British climbing. This book not only describes his many notable climbs, but reveals a most engaging personality with a highly interesting approach to his craft. He was born in a Manchester slum, the youngest of seven children; his father died before he was a year old. The characteristics he showed as a child - a quite extraordinary self-reliance and an unexpected love of the countryside - are reflected throughout his life-story. THE HARD YEARS is also the story of Joe Brown's climbs up some of the toughest mountains in the world.