Mountains books
Mountains books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Into Thin Air
Jon KrakauerA first-hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster, written by a journalist who was on the mountain; it set the pattern for modern mountaineering memoir.
The Living Mountain
Nan ShepherdA short, close study of the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland, written in the 1940s and published in 1977; it is a core text of mountain nature writing.
Mountains of the Mind
Robert MacfarlaneA history of how Western writers and climbers came to see mountains as beautiful and meaningful rather than only frightening.
The Mountains of California
John Reid MuirMuir's account of the Sierra Nevada, combining geology, plant life and personal travel; an early and influential piece of American nature writing.
K2
Ed ViestursA climber's account of K2, written with David Roberts, focused on technique, risk and decisions made at altitude.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More mountains books
- Sacred Mountains of the World
Sacred Mountains of the WorldEdwin Bernbaum - The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament
The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old TestamentRichard J. Clifford - How Mountains Are Made
How Mountains Are MadeKathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - Mountains
MountainsSeymour Simon - Meditations on the Peaks
Meditations on the PeaksJulius Evola - Living in mountainsLiving in mountainsMike Ferguson1985
- Rainbow for Alison
Rainbow for AlisonMaud Johnson1982 - No way down
No way downGraham Bowley2010 - Freaky peaks
Freaky peaksAnita Ganeri2001 - About habitats
About habitatsCathryn P. Sill2008 - First Ladies
First LadiesAmy Pastan2001 - The princess and the warrior
The princess and the warriorDuncan Tonatiuh2016