Climbing related/adjacent memoirs to read.

Hey all! I love reading autobiographies/memoirs of the great adventurers from past and present.

I was hoping to get some recommendations for a new read if anyone has one! Historical climbing/alpinism is a big plus. Conservation oriented books also appreciated!

Current list I’ve read:

-The Icarus Syndrome-John Long

-Rock Jocks, Wall Rats, and Hang Dogs (10/10)-John Long

-Life Lived Wild (10/10)-Rick Ridgeway

-Psychovertical - Andy Kirkpatrick

-The Backyard Adventurer-Beau Miles

-Into Thin Air-John Krakauer 

I highly recommend Climbing Days, by Dorothy Pilley.  A young woman becomes fixated on cragging during  WWI, and goes on to new routes in the Alps, feminine leads and ropes, and overseas exploration.

Latro wrote:

I highly recommend Climbing Days, by Dorothy Pilley.  A young woman becomes fixated on cragging during  WWI, and goes on to new routes in the Alps, feminine leads and ropes, and overseas exploration.

I’ll look it up thanks! A whole era I know nothing about.

Krakauer’s Eiger dreams. Climbing Free by Lynn Hill. A bunch of David Roberts’s books are good. Annapurna (though it’s veracity is debated).

 I recently picked up Barbarian Days ( about surfing, not mountains) because Kalous recommended it on one of his podcasts. Desert Solitaire is a classic conservation-oriented memoir

The Shining Mountain by Peter Boardman is really good

Touching the Void has to be one of the craziest mountaineering stories, you can’t believe it’s true!

• Revelations - Jerry Moffat
• Punk In The Gym - Andy Pollitt
• Beyond Limits - Steve McClure

^^^These guys are known for their sport climbing, but a big part of these books is their coming-up during a crazy era of British trad climbing.

• Deep Play - Paul Pritchard: Hardcore British trad climbing and adventure mountaineering written in memoirs. Very bold climbing
• Ron Fawcett - Rock Athlete: OG British trad climber who was sort of dethroned by Jerry Moffat and the next generation. So much bold climbing and soloing in this one.
• Hanging On - Martin Boysen: More old school British Trad climbing, about 50/50 rock climbing and mountaineering.  

I've heard Joe Brown's book is awesome too but haven't read it yet. 

The best climbing books I've read have mainly been about UK climbers, but as far as US climbers go:

• Hangdog Days - Jeff Smoot: Mainly focuses on Todd Skinner and Alan Watts and the introduction of sport climbing to the West Coast.
• Royal Robins book: I read the first of two(?) of his books, "To Be Brave", and I was kinda surprised by how engaging it was. And obviously pretty historical.
• Valley Walls by Glen Denny: I actually don't remember that much except that it was the Valley in the 60's. 
• Camp 4 by Steve Roper: haven't read it yet, but how could it be bad?

And I'll second Barbarian Days, one of my fav's and I'm not a surfer. I'll try and update if I think of more. 

"Beyond the Vertical" is gorgeous. It's about Kor's exploits.

"Desert Towers" by Crusher Bartlett is fantastic as well.

After you've read Touching the Void, "Game of Ghosts" gives you a fuller perspective on Joe Simpson. The story of them getting rescued off that Dolomite pillar is excellent.

Book of Lies

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/215454.Burgess_Book_of_Lies

Given to me by a friend, I didn't even know of the Burgess brothers before getting the book. It was a long time ago, but I remember it being a really fun read.

"Because it is There" by Walter Unsworth, an older (1968) British collection of short (like 10 minute reads) bios of 2 dozen or so leading alpinists of the late 1800s to early 1900s. Guys like Mummery and Whymper. Well written, with enough cheeky Brit phrases to give me a chuckle now and then. The action back then was mostly in the Alps and UK crags, and later in the Himalaya.  Yours for the price of a beer and Media Rate shipping. 144 pp, hard cover, VG-EX condition but no dust jacket.

Art of Freedom - the Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka, Bernadette McDonald. 

A masterpiece according to David Roberts (RIP). “Wonderfully strange, muscular, poetic at heart, and brimming with curiosity, Art of Freedom portrays the towering, but intensely reclusive Polish mountaineer, Voytek Kurtyka, per Jeff Long (The Descent). "Regardless of your background, from the armchair to the alpine suffer artist, there is something that will resonate with being human, living by your ideals and enjoying life in its purest form.” - Conrad Anker.

@Zay: Thanks again, stokes the dreams!

Another chapter.

Summits and Secrets by post-WW2 Austrian alpinist Kurt Diemberger, who is the only climber to make the first ascents of 2 8000 meter peaks, as well as many fine alpine ascents. He is also a very gifted writer. Many of the Chapters can stand on their own as independent vignettes, and some of the most interesting stray a bit from a narrow focus on climbing and are the more interesting for that.

One Man's Mountains--a collection of the writings (often humorous) of the late Scottish climber Tom Patey is also a must-read.

If you are interested in the 'Golden Age' of British rock climbing (the Rock and Ice era) of the 1950s and 60s, Rope Boy by Dennis Gray offers a very good account of those days by someone who was 'there' but also with the perspective of one who wasn't one of the main protagonists.

There are many others, but these should give you a good few days of reading pleasure.

Memoirs of My Life Vol 1

1886

John Charles Fremont 

If you enjoy stories of survival along the lines of Shackleton you will like reading about Fremonts expeditions out West.   I believe he did 4 expeditions out west, the fourth being a “hey! Let’s get the band back together and do it again”.  
His first two expeditions were truly nothing short of amazing.

Death Valley in 49 by Manly is another great story of survival.  

Though neither are climbing related they both tell stories of true human courage and survival.  

'The White Spider: The Classic Account of the Ascent of the Eiger' and 'Conquistadors of the Useless' are classics.

'Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing' is a great anthology. 

Lots of people including 'Barbarian Days,' another surf legend's book worth a read is 'Surf is Where You Find It' by Jerry Lopez. 

Not on the level of those two, 'Caught Inside: A surfer's Year on the California Coast' is also very enjoyable. 

Check out Downward Bound

I like to draw attention to my favorite pioneer British alpine climber and boulderer, Oscar Eckenstein. He was in that formative group who began climbing on the rocks in the Lake District and Wales as a kind of sport. In the late Victorian age his frequent companion was Aleister Crowley, who would eventually command a large following as the creator of Majick and Thelema. Eckenstein compiled his diaries written on an uninspiring expedition to the Karakorams in 1892 led by Sir W. M. Conway, and produced the book, Karakorams and Kashmir. A reprint from Delhi, India is available. 

For me, the most interesting part of the book was the chapter on Askole, in which he describes in some detail what is probably the first commercial bouldering contest. He gave a Rupee to the various winners and made a comment to the effect that the best among them were superior to any guide from the Alps.

John Gill wrote:

There's also a book about a mathematician who was also a Master of Rock. I can't remember the guys name though...  In any case, a classic climbing biography and much recommended.

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I'd also recommend Matt Samet's book Death Grip. Not your typical climbing book, but quite compelling.