If anyone knows moutaineering books, it's Michael Chessler, the owner of America's leading mountaineering book supplier, Chessler Books. The following list was put together by Chessler. He used one or more of the following criteria to select books including: writing quality, historical significance, author's reputation, and photographic quality.
All of these books are carried by and may be purchased directly from Chessler's on-line store. He also has many out-of-print and rare outdoor books, and you'll want to be sure to visit his site.
The list is ordered first by author and secondly by title.
Ordered by Author:
The Last Blue Mountain by Barker
Seven Summits by Bass
Five Miles High by Bates
Himalayan Challenge by Bauer.
Challenge of the North Cascades by Beckey.
No Picnic on Mount Kenya by Benuzzi.
Annapurna: A Woman’s Place by Blum.
The Shining Mountain by Boardman.
On The Heights by Bonatti.
Annapurna South Face by Bonington
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by Bowman
The Hard Years by Brown
Twenty Years in the Himalaya by Bruce
Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage by Buhl
Men Against The Clouds by Burdsall
Climbing Ice by Chouinard
A Walk in the Sky by Clinch
Canadian Rockies, New and Old Trails by Coleman
Climbing on the Himalaya by Collie
The Pioneers of the Alps by Cunningham & Abney.
Minus 148 by Davidson.
Summits and Secrets by Diemberger.
The Conquest of Mount Cook by Du Faur.
The Shameless Diary of an Explorer by Dunn.
Karakoram and Kashmir by Eckenstein.
Aconcagua South Face by Ferlet.
Karakoram and Western Himalaya by Filippi.
The Highest Andes by Fitzgerald.
Travels Through the Alps of Savoy by Forbes.
The Exploration of the Caucasus by Freshfield.
Everest by Gillman.
Eiger Direct or Direttissima by Gillman.
Sunmit Fever by Greig.
Downward Bound by Warren Harding
Pioneer Work in the Alps of New Zealand by Harper.
The White Spider by Harrer.
White Mountain and Tawny Plain by Hauser.
Climbing in the Caucasus by Heckel.
The Throne of the Gods by Heim & Gansser.
Annapurna by Herzog.
From the Ocean to The Sky by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Everest The West Ridge by Hombein.
K2 The Savage Mountain by Houston & Bates.
Climbing in North America by Jones.
Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada by King.
Cordillera Huayhuash by Kinzl & Schneider.
Cordillera Blanca by Kinzl & Schneider.
The Adventures of An Alpine Guide by Klucker.
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.
Alpine Pilgrimage by Kugy.
To Kiss High Heaven by Languepin.
The Alps and Alpinism by Lukan.
Climb to the Lost World by Maclnnes.
Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills by Manning(ed)
Karakoram by Maraini.
In Monte Viso’s Horizon by McLewin.
All Fourteen Eight-Thousanders by Messner.
Solo Nanga Parbat by Messner.
The North Cascades by Miller & Manning.
The Big Book of Mountaineering by Moravec.
The Mountains of California by John Muir.
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir.
My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus by Mummery.
Mountaineering in Scotland by Murray.
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by Murray.
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Newby.
The Climbs of Norman-Neruda by Norman-Neruda.
The Fight For Everest 1924 by Norton.
Climbing the Fishes Tail by Noyce.
South Col by Noyce.
One Man’s Mountains by Patey.
Extreme Alpine Rock by Pause.
Climbing Days by Pilley.
Land of Mountains: New Zealand by Pilley.
Mont Blanc: The 100 Finest Routes by Rebuffat.
Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat.
The Last Step by Ridgeway.
The Mountain of My Fear by Roberts.
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Roper & Steck.
In The Throne Rootn of the Mountain Gods by Rowell.
The Vertical World of Yosemite by Rowell.
Solo Faces by Salter.
Four Against Everest by Sayre.
Big Wall Climbing by Scott.
Blank on the Map by Shipton.
Nanda Devi by Shipton.
Touching the Void by Simpson.
Camp Six by Smythe.
Climbs and Ski Runs by Smythe.
Der Alpinismus in Bildem by Steinitzer.
The Playground of Europe by Stephen.
The Ascent of Denali by Stuck.
The Savage Arena by Tasker.
Conquistadors of the Useless by Terray.
The Glittering Mountains of Canada by Thorington.
The Ascent of Nanda Devi by Tilman.
Snow on the Equator by Tilman.
The Everlasting Hills by Waller.
Scrambles Amongst The Alps by Whymper.
Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator by Whymper.
Wanderings Among the High Alps by Wills.
Mountaineering Maps of the World. 2 Vols by Yoshizawa.
Mountaincraft by Young.
On High Hills by Young.
Ordered by Title:
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Newby.
A Walk in the Sky by Clinch
Aconcagua South Face by Ferlet.
The Adventures of An Alpine Guide by Klucker.
All Fourteen Eight-Thousanders by Messner.
Alpine Pilgrimage by Kugy.
The Alps and Alpinism by Lukan.
Annapurna by Herzog.
Annapurna South Face by Bonington
Annapurna: A Woman’s Place by Blum.
The Ascent of Denali by Stuck.
The Ascent of Nanda Devi by Tilman.
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by Bowman
Big Wall Climbing by Scott.
The Big Book of Mountaineering by Moravec.
Blank on the Map by Shipton.
Camp Six by Smythe.
Canadian Rockies, New and Old Trails by Coleman
Challenge of the North Cascades by Beckey.
Climb to the Lost World by Maclnnes.
The Climbs of Norman-Neruda by Norman-Neruda.
Climbing Days by Pilley.
Climbing Ice by Chouinard
Climbing in North America by Jones.
Climbing in the Caucasus by Heckel.
Climbing on the Himalaya by Collie
Climbing the Fishes Tail by Noyce.
Climbs and Ski Runs by Smythe.
Conquistadors of the Useless by Terray.
The Conquest of Mount Cook by Du Faur.
Cordillera Blanca by Kinzl & Schneider.
Cordillera Huayhuash by Kinzl & Schneider.
Der Alpinismus in Bildem by Steinitzer.
Downward Bound by Warren Harding
Eiger Direct or Direttissima by Gillman.
Everest by Gillman.
Everest The West Ridge by Hombein.
The Everlasting Hills by Waller.
The Exploration of the Caucasus by Freshfield.
Extreme Alpine Rock by Pause.
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Roper & Steck.
The Fight For Everest 1924 by Norton.
Five Miles High by Bates
Four Against Everest by Sayre.
From the Ocean to The Sky by Sir Edmund Hillary.
The Glittering Mountains of Canada by Thorington.
The Hard Years by Brown
The Highest Andes by Fitzgerald.
Himalayan Challenge by Bauer.
In Monte Viso’s Horizon by McLewin.
In The Throne Rootn of the Mountain Gods by Rowell.
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.
K2 The Savage Mountain by Houston & Bates.
Karakoram and Kashmir by Eckenstein.
Karakoram and Western Himalaya by Filippi.
Karakoram by Maraini.
Land of Mountains: New Zealand by Pilley.
The Last Blue Mountain by Barker
The Last Step by Ridgeway.
Men Against The Clouds by Burdsall
Minus 148 by Davidson.
Mont Blanc: The 100 Finest Routes by Rebuffat.
The Mountain of My Fear by Roberts.
Mountaincraft by Young.
Mountaineering in Scotland by Murray.
Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada by King.
Mountaineering Maps of the World. 2 Vols by Yoshizawa.
Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills by Manning(ed)
The Mountains of California by John Muir.
My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus by Mummery.
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir.
Nanda Devi by Shipton.
Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage by Buhl
No Picnic on Mount Kenya by Benuzzi.
The North Cascades by Miller & Manning.
On High Hills by Young.
On The Heights by Bonatti.
One Man’s Mountains by Patey.
Pioneer Work in the Alps of New Zealand by Harper.
The Pioneers of the Alps by Cunningham & Abney.
The Playground of Europe by Stephen.
The Savage Arena by Tasker.
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by Murray.
Scrambles Amongst The Alps by Whymper.
Seven Summits by Bass
The Shameless Diary of an Explorer by Dunn.
The Shining Mountain by Boardman.
Snow on the Equator by Tilman.
Solo Faces by Salter.
Solo Nanga Parbat by Messner.
South Col by Noyce.
Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat.
Summits and Secrets by Diemberger.
Sunmit Fever by Greig.
The Throne of the Gods by Heim & Gansser.
To Kiss High Heaven by Languepin.
Touching the Void by Simpson.
Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator by Whymper.
Travels Through the Alps of Savoy by Forbes.
Twenty Years in the Himalaya by Bruce
The Vertical World of Yosemite by Rowell.
Wanderings Among the High Alps by Wills.
White Mountain and Tawny Plain by Hauser.
The White Spider by Harrer.
[End of Listing]