Autographs of Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the English Lake District. Among his 40-odd other books is the first guide to the Coast to Coast Walk, a 182-mile (293-kilometre) long-distance footpath devised by Wainwright which remains popular today.
Alfred Wainwright was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, into a family which was relatively poor, mostly because of his stonemason father's alcoholism. He did very well at school (first in nearly every subject) although he left at the age of 13. While most of his classmates were obliged to find employment in the local mills, Wainwright started work as an office boy in Blackburn Borough Engineer's Department. He spent several years studying at night school, gaining qualifications in accountancy which enabled him to further his career at Blackburn Borough Council. Even when a child Wainwright walked a great deal, up to 20 miles (32 kilometres) at a time; he showed a great interest in drawing and cartography, producing his own maps of England and his local area.
In 1930, at the age of 23, Wainwright saved up for a week's walking holiday in the Lake District with his cousin Eric Beardsall. They arrived in Windermere and climbed the nearby Orrest Head, where Wainwright saw his first view of the Lakeland fells. This moment marked the start of what he later described as his love affair with the Lake District. In 1931 he married his first wife, Ruth Holden, a mill worker, with whom he had a son, Peter. In 1941 Wainwright moved closer to the fells when he took a job (and a pay cut) at the Borough Treasurer's office in Kendal, Westmorland. His first home in the town was 19 Castle Grove, which boasted a view of Kendal Castle from the front window.
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Current items with a signature of Alfred Wainwright
These are the most current items with a signature of Alfred Wainwright that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Wainwright in Lakeland - Alfred Wainwright (Signed, Illustrated Hardback, 1983) | £200.00 |  |
Traded items with a signature of Alfred Wainwright
The most expensive item with a signature of Alfred Wainwright (Alfred Wainwright. (SIGNED) 1986 First Impression "A Pennine Journey") was sold in November 2025 for £445.28 while the cheapest item (Alfred Wainwright Calendar 2025 (Signed by Chris Jesty).) found a new owner for £12.49 in February 2025. The month with the most items sold (7) was November 2025 with an average selling price of £177.48 for an autographed item of Alfred Wainwright. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in December 2025 with £325.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £12.50 was November 2023. In average, an autographed item from Alfred Wainwright is worth £154.08.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Alfred Wainwright were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 1975 Westmorland Heritage Alfred WAINWRIGHT Drawings Signed Limited Edition HBDJ | £190.00 |  |
 | A Dales Sketchbook By Alfred Wainwright Signed Hardcover 1976 Yorkshire Illustra | £39.45 | |
| A Dales Sketchbook By Alfred Wainwright Signed Hardcover 1976 Yorkshire Illustra | £44.54 | |
 | A Second Lakeland Sketchbook (Alfred Wainwright) Signed by the author | £23.38 | |
| Alfred Wainwright SIGNED: Wainwright In Lakeland | £161.18 | |
 | Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright, Westmorland Heritage, SIGNED limited edition, lovely condion | £325.00 | |
| Alfred Wainwright. (SIGNED) 1986 First Impression "A Pennine Journey" | £445.28 | |
| Alfred Wainwright. SIGNED. 1987 First Impression "Ex-Fellwanderer" | £187.88 | |
| Alfred Wainwright. SIGNED. “A Coast to Coast Walk” 14th Impression. | £333.10 | |
 | SIGNED Hunter Davies THE WAINWRIGHT LETTERS Alfred Wainwright 2011 Hardback D/J | £23.75 | |
