100 Best Mountaineering Books

Chessler's Best Mountaineering Books Lists

We are often asked to recommend a good mountaineering book to read, select as a gift, or for books worth collecting. We started this as a list of the 100 'best' mountaineering books for readers and collectors, and with input from many collectors, we have added sections on the best guidebooks, 8000ers, picture books, prize winners, etc. We update this list occasionally to reflect excellent new books, and delete those with waning interest.

The lists are based on several different factors including quality of the writing, importance of the climbs, reputation of the author, quality of the photos or printing, influence on other climbers, etc.

We usually have some of these books for sale, although most are out of print. Check our website for these titles, but if you can't find a title listed, e-mail us at info@chesslerbooks.com, or phone us at 720 560-4963, and we will tell you what is in stock for any title.

100 Best Mountaineering Books to Read or Collect

Barker. The Last Blue Mountain
Bass. Seven Summits
Bates. Five Miles High
Beckey. Challenge of the North Cascades
Benuzzi. No Picnic on Mount Kenya
Blum. Annapurna: A Woman's Place

Boardman. Sacred Summits

Boardman. The Shining Mountain
Bonatti. On The Heights
Bonington. Annapurna South Face
Bowman. The Ascent of Rum Doodle
Brown. The Hard Years
Bruce. Twenty Years in the Himalaya
Buhl. Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage
Burdsall. Men Against The Clouds
Chouinard. Climbing Ice
Clinch. A Walk in the Sky
Coleman. Canadian Rockies, New and Old Trails
Collie. Climbing on the Himalaya
Cunningham & Abney. The Pioneers of the Alps
Davidson. Minus 148
Diemberger. Summits and Secrets
Du Faur. The Conquest of Mount Cook
Dunn. The Shameless Diary of an Explorer [Denali]
Ferlet. Aconcagua South Face
Filippi. The Ascent of Mount St Elias
Filippi. Karakoram and Western Himalaya
Filippi. Ruwenzori
Fitzgerald. The Highest Andes
Forbes. Travels Through the Alps of Savoy
Freshfield. The Exploration of the Caucasus
Gillman. Everest 80 Years of Triumph and Tragedy
Gillman. Eiger Direct or Direttissima
Greig. Summit Fever
Harding. Downward Bound
Harper. Pioneer Work in the Alps of New Zealand
Harrer. The White Spider
Harrer. Seven Years in Tibet

Harrer, I Come From The Stone Age
Hauser. White Mountain and Tawny Plain
Heim & Gansser. The Throne of the Gods
Herzog. Annapurna
Hillary. View From The Summit
Hornbein. Everest The West Ridge
Houston & Bates. K2 The Savage Mountain
Jones. Climbing in North America
King. Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
Kinzl & Schneider. Cordillera Huayhuash
Kinzl & Schneider. Cordillera Blanca
Krakauer. Into Thin Air
Kugy. Alpine Pilgrimage
Languepin. To Kiss High Heaven
Lukan. The Alps and Alpinism
MacInnes. Climb to the Lost World
Mountaineers. Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills
Maraini. Karakoram

Maraini. Where Four Worlds Meet
McLewin. In Monte Viso's Horizon
Messner. All Fourteen Eight-Thousanders
Messner. Everest Expedition To The Ultimate

Messner. Solo Nanga Parbat
Miller & Manning. The North Cascades
Muir. The Mountains of California
Muir. My First Summer in the Sierra
Mummery. My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus
Murray. Mountaineering in Scotland
Murray. The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
Newby. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
Norman-Neruda. The Climbs of Norman-Neruda
Norton. The Fight For Everest 1924
Noyce. Climbing the Fishes Tail
Noyce. South Col
Patey. One Man's Mountains
Pause. Extreme Alpine Rock
Pilley. Climbing Days
Radcliffe. Land of Mountains: New Zealand
Rebuffat. Mont Blanc: The 100 Finest Routes
Rebuffat. Starlight and Storm
Ridgeway. The Last Step
Roberts. The Mountain of My Fear

Roberts. Deborah
Roper & Steck. Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Rowell. In The Throne Room of the Mountain Gods
Rowell. The Vertical World of Yosemite
Salter. Solo Faces
Sayre. Four Against Everest
Scott. Big Wall Climbing
Shipton. Blank on the Map
Shipton. Nanda Devi
Simpson. Touching the Void
Smythe. Camp Six
Smythe. Climbs and Ski Runs
Steinitzer. Der Alpinismus in Bildern
Stephen. The Playground of Europe
Stuck. The Ascent of Denali
Tasker. Everest The Cruel Way

Tasker. The Savage Arena
Terray. Conquistadors of the Useless
Thorington. The Glittering Mountains of Canada
Tilman. The Ascent of Nanda Devi
Tilman. Snow on the Equator

Venables. Everest The Kangshung Face
Venables. Everest Summit of Achievement
Waller. The Everlasting Hills
Whymper. Scrambles Amongst The Alps
Whymper. Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator
Wills. Wanderings Among the High Alps
Yoshizawa. Mountaineering Maps of the World. 2 Vols
Young. Mountaincraft

BEST CLIMBING GUIDEBOOKS

Criteria include 'classics', importance to an area's history, best efforts from homegrown writers, humor, early use of the Yosemite Decimal System, topo charts or other innovation, controversy, or if they made some other mark on guidebook history.

Alaska
Randall. Mount McKinley Climber's Handbook. 1984
Waterman. High Alaska. 1992 [Classic]

Arizona
Lovejoy. Granite Mountain. 1973
Toula. A Cheap Way to Fly. 1986

Karabin. 22 Karabin Guides: Bouldering & Climbing Guides to AZ 2010s-2020s

California
Brower. Climbers Guide to the Sierra Nevada: Preliminary edition. 1949.
Hammack. Climber's Guide to Pinnacles National Monument. 1955
Kroll. San Luis Obispo Happy Climbs. 1978
Leonard. Mountain Records of the Sierra Nevada. 1937
Meyers. Yosemite Climbs, Topo Drawings. 1976
Nicol. Rock Climbs in Yosemite, Topo Drawings. 1974
Roper. Climbers Guide to Yosemite Valley. 1964
Tucker. Climbing in Santa Barbara & Ventura. 1981
Voge & Smatko. Mountaineer's Guide to the Sierra Nevada. 1972.
Voge. Climbers Guide to the Sierra Nevada. 1954.
Vogel. Joshua Tree Rock Climbing. 1986
White, etc. Crags & Boulders of San Diego Co. 1978
Wilts. Climber's Guide to Tahquitz Rock. 1956
Wolfe. Climber's Guide to Joshua Tree. 1970

Colorado
Ament & McCarty. High Over Boulder. 1967.
Bornemann & Lampert. Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners. 1978

Borneman & Caudle. 14,000 Feet: A Celebration Pf Colorado's Highest Mountains 2005
Dornan. Rock Climbing Guide to Boulder CO Area. 1961
Erickson. Rocky Heights, Guide to Boulder Free Climbs. 1980
Hart. Fourteen Thousand Feet,

Kingery A Climber's Guide to the High Colorado Peaks
Lavender. San Juan Mtrs Climber's Guide to SW Colorado. 1932
Nesbit. Longs Peak, Its Story and a Guide for Climbing It. 1946-1990s
Ormes. Guide to the Colorado Mountains. 1952
Rossiter. Boulder Topographics, Pictorial Guide to Boulder. 1981
Toll. Mountaineering in the Rocky Mountain National Park. 1921

Toll. The Mountain Peaks of Colorado. 1923

Connecticut
Nichols. Traprock. 1982
Reppy & Streibert. Climbing Guide to Ragged Mountain. 1964

Illinois
Koloctoronis. Guide to Mississippi Palisades. 1965

Massachusetts
Anonymous [LaForge]. Boston Rolls. 1987 [Pornographic]

Minnesota
Swenson. Climber's Guide to Taylor's Falls. 1972

New Hampshire
AMC. White Mountain Guide. 1907-2024
Peterson. Climber's Guide to Cannon Cliff. 1972
Wilcox. An Ice Climbers Guide to Northern New England. 1982
Webster. Rock Climbs in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 1982

New York
Goodwin. Climbs in the Adirondacks. 1938
Gran. Climber's Guide to the Shawangunks. 1964
Swain. The Gunks Guide. 1986

Salo. Gunks Climbing. 2021

North Carolina
Price. Carolinas Climber's Guide, 2nd ed, 1977. [Most Illiterate Guide]

Oregon

Grauer. Mount Hood: A complete History 2005
Watts. Climber's Guide to Smith Rock. 1992

South Dakota
Conn. Rock Climbs in the Needles, Black Hills, SD. c.1950

Washington
Beckey. Climber's Guide to the Cascade & Olympic Mountains WA 1949

Beckey. Climber's Guide to the Cascade & Olympic Mountains WA 1953

Beckey. Climber's Guide to the Cascade & Olympic Mountains WA 1961
Whitelaw. Private Dancer [Static Point]. 1985

Wisconsin
Hermacinski. Extremist's Guide to Devil's Lake, New Climbs. 1985 [Controversial, vulgar]
Morris. Climber's Guide to Devil's Lake. c. 1969
Wiegand. Climber's & Fisherman's Guide to Gibraltar Rock. 1971

Wyoming
Bonney. Guide to the Wyoming Mountains and Wilderness Areas. 1960
Coulter & McLane. Mountain Climbing Guide to the Grand Tetons. 1947
Fryxell. The Teton Peaks and Their Ascents. 1932
Ortenburger. Climber's Guide to the Teton Range. 1956
Ortenburger, Jackson. Climber's Guide to the Teton Range, 4th ed 2024

USA Regional
Harlin. Climber's Guide to North America, East Coast;

Harlin. Climber's Guide to North America Rocky Mountains;

Harlin. Climber's Guide to North America West Coast.
Roper & Steck. Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. 1979
Sherman. Stone Crusade: Historical Guide to Bouldering. 1994.
Toula. Rock 'N Road: Rock Climbing Areas of North America. 1995
Vogler. Les Etats Unis: Les Plus Belles Escalades. 1984

Canada
Culbert. Climber's Guide to the Coastal Ranges of BC. 1965
Palmer & Thorington. Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mts of Canada. 1921
Putnam. Climber's Guide to the Interior Ranges of Canada. 1937
Wheeler. The Selkirk Mountains: A Guide for Mountain Climbers and Pilgrims. 1912

BEST MOUNTAIN PHOTO BOOKS

Bartlett. Desert Towers

Bonatti. Magic of Mont Blanc
Bonington. Chris Bonington Mountaineer
Buscaini. Patagonia: Dreamland for Climbers and Tourists
Dumler. The High Mountains of the Alps
Edlinger. Rock Games
Garden. Bugaboos
Garden. Selkirks

Gildea. Mountaineering In Antarctica

Kazami. Premier Peaks of the World
Meyers. Yosemite Climber

Morse. Mountains of Canada
Morse. Canada The Mountains
Ohmori. Over the Himalaya
Perren. Matterhorn
Reader. Kilimanjaro
Reader. Mt Kenya
Shirahata. Nepal Himalaya
Shirahata. Karakoram
Shirahata. The Alps

Shirahata. Majestic Splendor: The Canadian Rockies
Sicouri. Forbidden Mountains Pamirs
Washburn & Roberts. Mount McKinley: The Conquest of Denali

BEST MOUNTAINEERING REFERENCE BOOKS

Alpine Club. Catalogue of the Library
Arctic Bibliography [Vol 1-3 of 10 vols]
Baume. Sivalaya 8000 m peaks
Bent. A Bibliography of the White Mountains
Brown. The First Ascent of Mont Blanc
Coolidge. Swiss Travel and Swiss Guide-Books
Kimes. John Muir: A Reading Bibliography
Mathews. Annals of Mont Blanc
Meckly. Mont Blanc The Early Years
Neate. Mountaineering Literature 1978
Neate. Mountaineering and Its Literature 1986
Neate. Mountaineering in the Andes
Neate. High Asia [7000 meter peak climbs]

Perret. Guide de Livres Sur La Montagne Et L'Alpinsime 2 Vols 1997

Perret. [Guide de Livres Sur La Montagne Et L'Alpinsime 1492-2021] 3 Vols 2022

Salkeld & Boyle. Climbing Mount Everest
Spence. Antarctic Miscellany
Unsworth. Everest A Mountaineering History 1999
Yakushi. Catalog of the Himalayan Literature 1984 or 1994

MOUNTAINEERING JOURNALS & MAGAZINES

Criteria is writing and photo quality, plus coverage of mountaineering activity. Documentation in journals and magazines can be more important than in books. Magazines and Journals are more spontaneous, can be more controversial, are read more widely and are often the first or only appearance of expeditionary accounts and guidebook type information.

Alpine Journal UK 1862-present

Alpinst 2002 - present
American Alpine Journal 1929-present

Ascent: Sierra Club 1967-1999
Canadian Alpine Journal 1907-present
Climbing Magazine 1970-2021 Issue 376
Himalayan Journal 1929-present
Mountain World 1946-1969 (1953-69 in English)
Mountain Magazine 1969-1992
Rock and Ice Magazine 1984-2021 Issue 259
Vulgarian Digest 3 issues, 1970s.

THE 8000 METER PEAKS AND THEIR PRINCIPAL BOOKS

When we created this list over thirty years ago, the concept that many people would climb all the fourteen 8000 meter peaks had not yet taken hold. Messner and Kukuczka were enough. As of 2024 44 people have climbed all the 8000 meter peaks, with as many as 14 more in dispute over a peak or two. Now additional goals have been created, like the ''Grand Slam' of Everest and the North and South Pole.

Everest (8848 m; 29028 ft)

Band. Everest 50 Years on top of the World

Gillman. Everest 80 Years of Triumph and Tragedy

Gregory. Picture of Everest [Photos]
Hunt. The Ascent of Everest
Hunt. Our Everest Adventure [Photos]
Hillary. High Adventure Hillary's 1st book
Noyce. South Col
Tenzing. Tiger of the Snows

Unsworth. Everest A Mountaineering History 2000 3rd ed

Venables. Everest Summit of Achievment

K2 (8611 m; 28250 ft)

Bonatti. On The Heights

Compagnoni. K2 CONQUISTA ITALIANA

Desio. The Ascent of K2 or Victory Over K2
Bonatti. On The Heights
Lacedelli. K2 The Price of Conquest

Kangchenjunga (8586 m; 28169 ft)
Evans. Kanchenjunga the Untrodden Peak
Brown. The Hard Years

Lhotse (8516 m; 27940 ft)
Eggler. The Everest Lhotse Adventure

Makalu (8463 m; 27766 ft)
Franco. Makalu

Dhaulagiri (8167 m; 26795 ft)
Eiselin. The Ascent of Dhaulagiri
Diemberger. Summits and Secrets

Manaslu (8163 m; 26781 ft)
J.A.C. Mansalu 1952-53

J.A.C. Manaslu 1954-56
Yoda. Ascent of Manaslu in Photographs 1952-1956

Cho Oyu (8201 m; 26906 ft)
Tichy. Cho Oyu

Nanga Parbat (8125 m; 26660 ft)
Herrligkoffer. Nanga Parbat
Buhl. Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage or Lonely Challenge

Annapurna (8091 m; 26545 ft)
Herzog. Annapurna: First Conquest of an 8000 Meter Peak
Herzog. Regards vers Annapurna [Color photos]
Lachenal. Carrnets du Vertigo
Terray. Conquistadors of the Useless

Gasherbrum I (8068 m; 26470 ft)
Clinch. A Walk in the Sky

Broad Peak (8047 m; 26400 ft)
Diemberger. Summits and Secrets
Schmuck. Broad Peak, 8047M
Sale, Schmuck, Wintersteller. Broad Peak 2004

Shisha Pangma (8046 m; 26397 ft)
A Photographic Record of the Mount Shisha Pangma Expedition

Chinese 1964 expedition, first ascent. In English.

China Sport Magazine No 4 1964. In English.

Gasherbrum II (8035 m; 26360 ft)
Moravec. Weisse Berge, Schwarze Menschen

BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE WINNERS

The Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust trust was established to promote climbing literature by providing an annual award to authors of literary works, the central theme of which is concerned with mountains. The Boardman Tasker Prize is the highest Award a Mountaineering book can get, although there are other prizes given by Book Festivals such as the Banff Book Festival and the Kendal Book Festival. This list would not be the same if the judges were American instead of British (only 5 USA winners.)

We often have these books in stock:

Boardman-Tasker Prize Winners:

2023 Katie Brown Unraveled

2022 Brian Hall High Risk

2022 Helen Mort A Line Above the Sky

2021 David Smart Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites

2020 Jessica J. Lee Two Trees Make a Forest: On Memory, Migration and Taiwan

2019 Kate Harris Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road

2018 David Roberts Limits of the Known (USA)

2017 Bernadette MacDonald The Art of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka

2016 Simon McCartney The Bond: Two Climbs in Alaska & Lifetime's Connection Between Climbers

2015 Barry Blanchard The Calling: A Life Rocked by Mountains
2014 Julius Lines Tears of the Dawn
2013 Harriet Tuckey   Everest First Ascent. Story of Griffith Pugh
2012 Andy Kirkpatrick   Cold Wars: Climbing the Fine Line between Risk and Reality
2011 Bernadette McDonald   Freedom Climbers
2010 Ron Fawcett Ron Fawcett Rock Athlete

2009 Steve House Beyond The Mountain (USA)

2008 Andy Kirkpatrick Psychovertical

2007 Robert Macfarlane The Wild Places

2006 Charles Lind An Afterclap Of Fate: Mallory on Everest

2005 Andy Cave Learning to Breathe

2005 Jim Perrin The Villain: the Life of Don Whillans

2004 Trevor Braham When the Alps Cast Their Spell

2003 Simon Mawer The Fall

2002 Robert Roper Fatal Mountaineer: Life and Death of Willi Unsoeld

2001 Roger Hubank Hazard's Way

2000 Peter and Leni Gillman The Wildest Dream: Mallory � His Life and Conflicting Passions

1999 Paul Pritchard The Totem Pole: And a Whole New Adventure

1998 Peter Steele Eric Shipton, Everest and Beyond

1997 Paul Pritchard Deep Play: A Climber's Odyssey from Llanberis to the Big Walls (1997 should have been Jon Krakauer Into Thin Air)

1996 Audrey Salkeld A Portrait of Leni Riefenstahl

1995 Alan Hankinson Geoffrey Winthrop Young: Poet, Mountaineer, Educator

1994 Dermot Somers At the Rising of the Moon

1993 Jeff Long The Ascent (USA)

1992 Will McLewin In Monte Viso's Horizon: Climbing All the Alpine 4000m Peaks

1991 Alison Fell Mer de Glace

1991 Dave Brown & Ian Mitchell A View from the Ridge

1990 Victor Saunders Elusive Summits

1989 M John Harrison Climbers

1988 Joe Simpson Touching the Void

1987 Roger Mear, Robert Swan In the Footsteps of Scott

1986 Stephen Venables Painted Mountains: Two Expeditions to Kashmir

1985 Jim Perrin Menlove: : The Life of John Menlove Edwards

1984 Linda Gill Living High: : A Family Trek in the Himalayas

1984 Doug Scott, Alex MacIntyre The Shishapangma Expedition