Banff Mountain Book Award — Should Jim Perrin be trusted to judge his peers impartially?

This morning, 26/09/2012, we were telephoned by one of our many well-wishers who thought we would be interested to know that Jim Perrin is this year on the jury for the Banff (Canada) Mountain Book Award.

If our ‘well-wisher’ is correct it is an extraordinary coincidence that this information has come to us after we posted, only last night, Might Jim Perrin also have used aliases? ref. R J Ellory, which it is our absolute belief he has been doing for many years.

We know that he flatters to their faces those whom he later — it might be said — stabs in the back, and we gave as an example one name, Joe Simpson, mountaineer and author of many award-winning books.

From reading and googling it is apparent that a most talented young author, and one who writes with great elegance of style, Robert Macfarlane, has also been the recipient of this bizarre and detestable behaviour: as well, it has come to our notice that the eminent scholar, historian and author, David Craig has, similarly, been affected by what in our opinion can only be described as the quite wicked — even corrupt? — machination of Jim Perrin who was instrumental in causing a book of his to be ‘over-looked’ for an award.

Is it right?  Is it ethical?  Is it, in point of principle, proper that this man with his known and proved track record of writing letters to score points or to exert influence, sometimes anonymously, ref. our post The Anonymous Letter should be allowed to sit in judgment on the work of his peers?

Is it even possible to believe in the honesty of this man or that he is capable of the absolute impartiality required?…

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We note that after decades  of almost exclusively referring to himself as ‘Jim’ Jim Perrin has now taken to calling himself ‘James’: however, Google will always find him.

And we observe that when he was featured on the Banff web-site in 2006 he allowed himself the use of the title, Doctor: Dr. Jim Perrin, Oswestry, Wales* — (with an accompanying photograph) and we have the evidence to show that he has been calling himself ‘doctor’ in correspondence since 2000.

Whilst we know that in 2008 he was granted an honorary fellowship from Bangor University, North Wales — (it was his friend, Professor Merfyn Jones, who was vice-chancellor at the time), we have no knowledge that he was entitled to any honour as far back as 2000.  We have wondered if he actually earned a PhD?  He definitely ‘implied’ that he had — and with sufficient detail — to someone who believed him and who later wrote of him that:  ‘He [JP] was steeped in literature (with a PhD in 17th-century biography.)’.

So far there is no trace of it, and if it should be the case that he did not, there is surely another question-mark concerning Jim Perrin’s integrity?

Jac’s sisters.

* NB. 23/05/2018. It is interesting to note that this ‘incriminating’ link, up to now working perfectly, has mysteriously disappeared…  Doubtless Jim Perrin has caused it to be removed as it was certainly specific evidence. However, and as we have so often said, ‘we have a print-out ‘. In due course we will find it, and post it here.