Favorite List of Books

[MyName1sMud]

Fiction:
Hatchet -- Gary Paulson
My Side of the Mountain -- Jean Craighead George
Robinson Carusoe -- Daniel DeFoe
Northwest Passage -- Kenneth Roberts
The Endurance -- Caroline Alexander


Non Fiction:
The Foxfire Series -- Various Authors
98.6 -- The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive -- Cody Lundlin
When Technology Fails -- Matthew Stein
FM 21-76 -- US ARMY Survival Manual
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West --Gregory Tilford
Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants -- "Wild Man" Steve Brill
Back to Basics -- Reader's Digest
SAS Survival Manual -- John "Lofty" Wiseman
SAS Combat Survival Guide -- John "Lofty" Wiseman
How to Stay Alive in the Woods -- Bradford Angiers
Household Cyclopedia
The Encyclopedia of Country Living -- Carla Emery
Backwoods Home Magazine Anthologies
Handyman In-Your-Pocket -- Richard Allen Young
The Humanure Handbook -- Joseph C. Jenkins
Nourishing Traditions -- Sally Fallon
30 Energy-Efficient Houses You Can Build -- Alex Wade
Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual -- Reader's Digest
Fix-It-Yourself Manual -- Reader's Digest
North American Wildlife -- Reader's Digest
ABCs of the Human Body -- Reader's Digest
Five Acres and Independence -- M.G. Kains
Practical Electrical Wiring -- Richter & Schwan
Housebuilding, A Do-It-Yourself Guide -- Popular Science
Complete Building Construction -- Audel
The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home -- McGuerty & Lester
Do-It-Yourself Plumbing Max -- Alth
Home Plumbing Projects & Repairs -- Black & Decker Home Improvement Library
Modern Hydronic Heating -- John Siegenthaler
Family Medical Guide -- The American Medical Association
Complete Home Medical Guide -- The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
The Complete Book Of Self Sufficiency -- John Seymour
Joy of Cooking -- Irma S. Rombauer
New Complete Self-sufficiency -- John Seymour
Stocking Up -- Carol Stoner
Bespoke Shoemaking -- Tim Skyrme
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants -- Bradford Angier
So Easy To Preserve -- University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

[rickb]

All Time Fiction:

Master and Commander and the entire series by Patrick O'Brien-- If you want to see how passionate people can get about a series of books check out the archives at this list http://www.hmssurprise.org/

All Time Non Fiction:

The Old Patagonia Express and most any of Paul Thoreau's travel memoirs-- Its a crying shame this writer didn't get to the AT before Bryson.

All Time Outdoors/Nature Guidebook:

Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendez-- The only book of its type you can really enjoy on the couch before heading back into the woods.

All Time AT Book:

The Thru Hiker Papers. Well, not exactly a book, but they are more expansive than Warren Doyle's tome. They are at this link, and one of the few things that might be considered required reading (IMHO)prior to a thru hike. http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/THP_top.html

[Luddite]

the Dharma Bums - jack kerouac
The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey
Anything by Abbey
Into the Wild - Jon Krakaur
The Sun also Rises - Hemingway
The Catcher in the rye - JD Sallinger
Bound For Glory - Woody Guthrie


Currently reading Running with sissors

[Luddite]

All Time Fiction:

Master and Commander and the entire series by Patrick O'Brien-- If you want to see how passionate people can get about a series of books check out the archives at this list http://www.hmssurprise.org/

All Time Non Fiction:

The Old Patagonia Express and most any of Paul Thoreau's travel memoirs-- Its a crying shame this writer didn't get to the AT before Bryson.

All Time Outdoors/Nature Guidebook:

Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendez-- The only book of its type you can really enjoy on the couch before heading back into the woods.

All Time AT Book:

The Thru Hiker Papers. Well, not exactly a book, but they are more expansive than Warren Doyle's tome. They are at this link, and one of the few things that might be considered required reading (IMHO)prior to a thru hike. http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/THP_top.html

Do you mean Paul Theroux... The dude who is suppose to be the greatest travel writer? I've never read anything by him but I want to.

[jhonkevin]

I like a many computers and historical book thus my favourite book list are as under.
1) Microsoft.net books
2) C# station tutorials
3) Threading in C#
4) Object oriented programming with ANSI-C
5) The C book

[Uncle Cranky]

Wow,
I thought I was the only guy reading Kenneth Roberts & Paul Theroux!!
Another good novelist: Robert van Gulik, Judge Dee mystery series.

[mipointofvu]

I just finished a book called Color the Green Movement Blue. It's an environmental book but it has a lot of discussion and stories about the author's outdoor experiences.

[Ontiora]

1. Walden -Thoreau (Absolute favorite)
2. A Walk in the Woods -Bryson
3. Into the Wild -Krakauer
4. A Sand County Almanac -Leopold

[Awol1970]

Fans of "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer Need to read "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions On Everest" by Anatoli Boukreev.

It is the Russian guide's perspective. Krakauer really reems him in his book and Anatoli responded with a book of his own. Boukreev's book is FAR superiour and tells the story in a much more compelling way. Boukreev is the guide from Scott Fischer's expidition who went and saved everyone who could be saved on that day. All 6 of the clients on Fischer's team survived.

A week after the Everest summit Boukreev set a solo ascent record on Lhotse.

Krakauer was a client and a twit and almost needed saved himself.

[crazystick]

I know it was already mentioned but "Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey

Another one i just finished reading is called "The Last Season" by Eric Blehm about the park ranger Randy Morgenson and the search and rescue attempt for him.

[Luddite]

Another one i just finished reading is called "The Last Season" by Eric Blehm about the park ranger Randy Morgenson and the search and rescue attempt for him.

Thats a good one. It was actually recommended to me by a backcountry ranger in Yosemite.


Fans of "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer Need to read "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions On Everest" by Anatoli Boukreev.


Isn't Boukreeve known in the climbing community as a big fat liar?

[Awol1970]

wow I've never heard that. Ed Viesturs calls him the quintesintial climber. That's pretty high accolades.

The fact is Boukreev was a heroic world class climber who saved multiple lives while putting himnself in danger. Arguably the best high altitude speed climber there ever was.

Krakaurer is a journalist who questioned the judgements of a pro.

[Diatribe]

+1 for "A Sand County Almanac"

Dick Proennekke's "One Man's Wilderness"

"Skyland" by George Freeman Pollock. Great, hard-to-find autobiography about the guy who started a mountaintop resort in the late 1880s at Stony Man Mtn. G.F. Pollock paved the way for the establishment of Shennandoah NP and his memoirs paint a vivid picture of the mountain folk who inhabited the park before the park was established.
I recommend this book to anyone

thats all I have for right now. great thread guys!

[Luddite]

wow I've never heard that.

You've never heard about the debate between which book is more accurate? How Boukreev abandoned his clients and never admitted to doing anything wrong?

[Awol1970]

Well of course. I've read both plus Lemme Gammelgard's book "Climbing High". Boukreev descended to Camp 4 after summiting. This was part of the plan in case rescues would have to be made. In fact rescues did have to be made and Boukreev made them. All his clients survived.

Boukreev was awarded The American Alpine Club's David A. Sowles Memorial Award. Which is a fancy way of saying he recieved a VERY high honor for his heroism.

Krakauer was in his tent sleeping while all this was going on. whose book do you think was more accurate?:rolleyes:

[Ashevillian]

Call of the Wild - Jack London
The Good Earth - Pearl S Buck

[Press]

100 years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Gringos by Charles Portis (I just read that so it's in my top 5 for awhile).
Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner
Turtle Island by Gary Snyder

[TallShark]

So, I'm about to finish "Into Thin Air", is there something I should be considering as I finish the book, like maybe it wasn't as accurate as I had assumed? I knew there were a lot of debates and different stories after the expedition but I mean what is the truth, who really fudged up and what could have been done to prevent it?

[TallShark]

^ also is "A Walk in the Woods" worth reading, I've heard some criticism.

[Awol1970]

So, I'm about to finish "Into Thin Air", is there something I should be considering as I finish the book, like maybe it wasn't as accurate as I had assumed? I knew there were a lot of debates and different stories after the expedition but I mean what is the truth, who really fudged up and what could have been done to prevent it?

Read Bourkreev's book. Then decide fo yourself. IMHO it is the individual climbers' fault coupled with the storm. Kraukauer takes the attitde that it was the paid guides responsibilty to babysit the clients down off the mountain. After a month plus in base camp I can't help but think the fact THAT YOUR ASS IS ON YOUR OWN above 8000M wouldn't have been driven into everyone there. All the climbers had watches. All the climbers had been told what their turn around time was. All who died climbed past the turn around time.

Boulreev was a climbing animal. No one else, including the Sherpas, could have done what he did. I'll repeat, read the book...

P.S. Boukreev went directly to Lhotse and set the solo ascent record one week following the tragedy.

[hikerboy57]

the Dharma Bums - jack kerouac
The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey
Anything by Abbey
Into the Wild - Jon Krakaur
The Sun also Rises - Hemingway
The Catcher in the rye - JD Sallinger
Bound For Glory - Woody Guthrie


Currently reading Running with sissors
Great list, I would add anything from James Fenimore Cooper( the Pathfinder)

[stonedflea]

^ also is "A Walk in the Woods" worth reading, I've heard some criticism.

i hated this book and i was actually quite surprised and pleasantly so that not many people thus far have included it on their list of favorites.

it was nothing that i expected.

it's on everybody's "omg you must read this AT book" book list, and it was so hyped up. i went into the book thinking "hey that's awesome... this guy thru-hiked the AT and wrote a book about it and it's going to be all about his experience on the trail."

not so much. actually, it's more about his experiences off the trail and history of the trail than his hiking at all. he didn't even finish 1/4 of the trail.

and his attitude towards the south sucks. he pokes typical elitist yankee fun at southerners his entire way through georgia and tennessee and then he takes a cab from knoxville to roanoke and completely skips that entire portion of the trail. what the heck? you just give up and skip on to roanoke?

i think i would have had a better impression of bryson's book if i had known going into it that he less than half-assed his way up the trail. he does include a few interesting points in his book about histories of certain trail towns and points along the way, but there have been so many other history books written on the trail that i felt he used them as filler for the book he was writing about something he never experienced.

[Luddite]

Kraukauer takes the attitde that it was the paid guides responsibilty to babysit the clients down off the mountain.

It kinda is....

[map man]

Fiction:

Raymond Carver -- Would You Please be Quiet Please?
Alice Munro -- Lives of Girls and Women
Isaac Babel -- Red Cavalry
William Trevor -- The Collected Stories

Guilty pleasures (genre fiction):

John Le Carre -- Smiley's People
J.R.R. Tolkien -- The Lord of the Rings
Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell): The Blood Doctor

Non-fiction (limited to the adventure genre most likely to be of interest here):

Norman MacLean -- Young Men and Fire
Ed Viesturs -- No Shortcuts to the Top

[Awol1970]

It kinda is....

Actually it kinda isn't. The guides are there to help you acclimate, coordinate with the other teams, make sure things run smoothly during the month of marching up and down btwn base camp and camp 1, 2 and 3. Once you are above 8000M @ camp four the responsibility falls on yourself to get back down. Most deaths on Everest occur on the descent because people push past their turn around times.

There is very little actual climbing @ Everest. It is mostly a very long trek uphill.

[TallShark]

^
Thank-you stoned flea for the clarification. I'm not going to buy it now, especially if he has an elitist attitude with some snarky ass comments about the south. I am going to pick up “Into the Wild” though, and I know I’m really late on that one but whatever.

[Luddite]

^
Thank-you stoned flea for the clarification. I'm not going to buy it now, especially if he has an elitist attitude with some snarky ass comments about the south. I am going to pick up “Into the Wild” though, and I know I’m really late on that one but whatever.

You should read the book yourself and make your own opinion. Into the wild is great book, but you'll probably have to get the one with the movie poster cover. I hate when they do that.

[The Outsider]

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
Horn of Africa by Phillip Caputo

[takethisbread]

Books i have read on the trail:

-The Road Cormac McCarthy-friggin classic
-AWol on The AT- Dave Miller -nice trail book
-Peoples History of the United States- Howard Zinn classic picked it up at Hemlock Hollows and couldnt put it down
-Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas

[tirebiter]

-The Road Cormac McCarthy-friggin classic

this x1000, incredible book.

Favorite novel ever is East of Eden, but far too thick for the trail. Agatha Christie paperbacks are great and lightweight.

As for A Walk in the Woods, I liked it quite a bit but I'm also not from the South. It's not an argument worth getting into on Whiteblaze but you should at least read it and decide for yourself. Shouldn't be too hard to find a discarded copy somewhere along the trail. :p

[Spatchka]

This one is under the heading, " I thought my hike was hard..."

How I Found Livingstone - Henry Stanley

This one I couldn't put down...A must read for anyone who sails.

Longitude - Dava Sobel

[Spatchka]

Forgot to add that you can download 'How I found Livingstone' for free from Amazon Classics or Gutenberg and I borrowed ' Longitude' on ebooks from my library.
(OverdriveMedia)

[bobqzzi]

Some excellent suggestions.

For some light fare, I enjoy Carl Hiassen's books

If you haven't tried/considered them, you may wish to consider audio books. I have about 450 on my iPod which weighs less than a paperback. I know it is a somewhat different experience than actually holding a book in your hand, but one real positive is you can listen while actually hiking.

[Mags]

Fiction:

Raymond Carver -- Would You Please be Quiet Please?


One of my absolute favorite authors....

My copy of Where I'm Calling From is very dog-eared.

[tjforrester]

the Dharma Bums - jack kerouac
The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey
Anything by Abbey
Into the Wild - Jon Krakaur
The Sun also Rises - Hemingway
The Catcher in the rye - JD Sallinger
Bound For Glory - Woody Guthrie


Currently reading Running with sissors

A hiker with a cultivated literary taste? Love it! Try Miracles, Inc. (http://tjforrester.com/)if you get the chance. You might even see it on the trail this year. I know a copy is headed its way north.

[chrisoc]

I have several favorites which I re-read every few years;

Chesapeake James Michener
Hawaii James Michener
Shogun James Clavell
Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Cruel Sea Nicholas Monsarrat
Tao Te Ching Lao-Tzu
Living Buddha, Living Christ Thich Nhat Hahn

And of course Thoreau's Walden. You can tell I am a fan of Thoreau. My copy of Walden sits on top of my bookcase along with a small bottle of water, a rock and a pine cone. The water is from Walden Pond, the rock from the site of Thoreau's cabin at the pond and the pine cone I picked up from Thoreau's grave on Author's Ridge in Concord Mass.

[fredmugs]

^ also is "A Walk in the Woods" worth reading, I've heard some criticism.

Nice to see there's someone else that hates that book about as much as I do. A good 2/3 of the book is bashing the federal government in general and the national park service in general. At best it's mildly amusing and I would bet $$$ he made some of that crap up.

If you think the taxpayers should be operating and maintaining the A.T. you'll love it.

I have skimmed a few books while staying at hostels and the only AT books I have read entirely are those by the Barefoot Sisters. The first one is awesome and then second one falls far short by comparison.

[hikerboy57]

It kinda is....
Anatoli Boukreev wrote his own version of events in response to Into Thin Air, called "the Climb".

[TallShark]

Well, I'm not going to read "A Walk in the Woods", after reading some snippets, it is very un-appealing, but I did however just finish "Into the Wild". Krakauer has a way of leaving something to be desired from his non-fiction but that might just be the genre in general. Considering a lot of these books are from loosely pieced together accounts/ information sometimes the stories seem to be empty. The two books I’ve read from Krakauer have certainly felt this way at least. Maybe if I read “The Climb” it will make “Into Thin Air” feel more complete.

One question though: What’s the best piece of wilderness fiction?

[Pringles]

I really enjoyed the first part of A Walk in the Woods. I felt the same way about having to buy a pack cover for an expensive backpack, and the interplay between the characters as they started the hike was really funny. At least I thought so. Once he got to complaining about everything, I didn't like it much, and found it depressing.

Monkey Wrench Gang
As Far as the Eye Can See (the chapter about the two guys just starting out is hilarious)
Hatchet
Mutant Message Down Under
Mawson's Will
Heart of the Sea
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (Lansing)
Shackleton's Forgotten Men
Ghosts of Cape Sabine

Most things that I have read off the National Geographic Adventure 100 best adventure books are really worthwhile. (Google will help you find the list. Probably.) Those that aren't, I ditch pretty quickly.

Pringles

[Andrew Sam]

This is the list of my favorite books:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

[Toli]

Fans of "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer Need to read "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions On Everest" by Anatoli Boukreev.

It is the Russian guide's perspective. Krakauer really reems him in his book and Anatoli responded with a book of his own. Boukreev's book is FAR superiour and tells the story in a much more compelling way. Boukreev is the guide from Scott Fischer's expidition who went and saved everyone who could be saved on that day. All 6 of the clients on Fischer's team survived.

A week after the Everest summit Boukreev set a solo ascent record on Lhotse.

Krakauer was a client and a twit and almost needed saved himself.

Tru dat Brother...Where do you think I got my trail name from :cool:... LOTS of mistakes were made that day :(...

[Buffalo Skipper]

I have a propensity for both the classics as well as science fiction, as well as a smattering of historical fiction. Here are some of my favorite novels (in no particular order):

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

Tai Pan by James Clavell

Downtiming the Nightside Jack L. Chalker

The Razor's Edge Somerset Maugham

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dubliners by James Joyce

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Battefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Shibumi by Trevanian

[Papa D]

I love reading books about the glory of the mountains, living off of the land, being a beat-nik or a pilgrim traveler in a strange land and so forth and I also love non-fiction "how to" books about house building shelter making, etc. but to be honest, I enjoy this sort of book OFF THE TRAIL when I'm not already sort of living this experience. What I like best on the trail is trashy suspense, crime adventures with a little sex mixed in - junk that I would never read at home - books that when I'm done, I can leave in a shelter for someone else - Stuart Woods, John Grisham, that sort of thing - not particularly "high-brow" but makes for a fun rainy night in a shelter.

[Trailbender]

Love reading, have gone through literally thousands of books in my lifetime. Some favorites:

Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

Anything by Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Dean Kootnz, Ken Follet, Isaac Asimov, and way too many to list.

Also like nonfiction, survival books, encyclopedias, anything I can learn practical skills from.

[b.c.]

Cormac McCarthy fans try: Blood Meridian, his best, I think.
Bill Bryson fans try: In a Sunburnt Country, hilarious, Bryson in Austrailia.
Note: Mary Shelley was 19 years-old when she penned Frankenstein. Wow!

Great thread!
Anyone ever read Hunta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill?

[MyName1sMud]

+1 on the above Bryson book. All of his stuff makes you actually laugh out loud (well... at least most of it does) ;)

[gpburdelljr]

Roughing It - Mark Twain
West with the Night - Beryl Markham

[futureatwalker]

Touching the Void Joe Simpson. Wow. What a survival story. And Simpson can write.

On the Beaten Path Robert Rubin. One of my favourite AT accounts. Again, great writing.

Things We Didn't See Coming Steven Amsterdam. Weird apocalyptic fiction.

[hikerboy57]

Cormac McCarthy fans try: Blood Meridian, his best, I think.
Bill Bryson fans try: In a Sunburnt Country, hilarious, Bryson in Austrailia.
Note: Mary Shelley was 19 years-old when she penned Frankenstein. Wow!

Great thread!
Anyone ever read Hunta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill?Its Hanta Yo and absolutely the best portrayal of lakota life that ive ever read(even though its fiction).My kids know what "tatonka" means.

[emerald]

Living on the Wind

Wilderness and the American Mind

[hikerboy57]

a copy of wilderness ethics by guy and laura waterman should probably be left in every shelter along the trail.

[emerald]

Please don't do that unless you wish to donate them to hiking club members.

[Skidsteer]

a copy of wilderness ethics by guy and laura waterman should probably be left in every shelter along the trail.

...And the new reigning world champion oxymoron is.....

[hikerboy57]

...And the new reigning world champion oxymoron is.....thanks, i needed that.sometimes a good slap of reality across the face is needed.Im laughing reading my own post.

[Skidsteer]

thanks, i needed that.sometimes a good slap of reality across the face is needed.Im laughing reading my own post.


I'm glad you got the joke without getting offended. You're a good sport. Rare these days.

[hikerboy57]

I'm glad you got the joke without getting offended. You're a good sport. Rare these days.
Ive never been able to take myself seriously, and I do admit sometimes posting before thinking, so its all good. It is a very timely book, though, considering some of the conversations on WB of late.

[Tom Murphy]

Backwoods Ethics & Wilderness Ethics are classics.

Backwoods Ethics - lays out the moral and ethical underpinnings for Leave No Trace. Discusses the basics of low-impact hiking, camping, cooking, as well as alpine management. Discusses ways to protect the physical environment of our mountains and backcountry.

Wilderness Ethics - very much a philosophical discussion, what is wilderness? Without some management, the world's wilderness cannot survive the number of people who seek to enjoy it. But with too much management-or the wrong kind-we will destroy the spiritual component of wildness in our zeal to preserve its physical side.

I learn something new each time I read these books.

[Skywalker]

Fiction. "The Winds of War" by Herman Wouk. Heck it took him 13 years to write; it oughta be pretty well-developed.

Non-fiction--"April 1865" by Jay Winik. Shows just how ugly the Civil War endgame was, despite the tale we grew up on about the gentlemanly surrender of Lee to Grant at Appoxmattox.

Skywalker

[bsbazaar]

Crime and punishment by Fyodor dostoyevsky
All stories of Anton chekhov
All poems of allen ginsberg
all books of Jack Kerouac

[Bridget11]

My favorite list of books;

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzzane Collins
The missing series by Meg Cabot
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
Power of Five by Anthony Horowitz
Term Limits by Vince Flynn
The Oath by Frank Peretti
Night by Eli Weisel
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Tomorrow When The War Began by John Marsden

[rocketsocks]

The most recent book I've read is a children's book by bob dylan"forever young"and I'm a big fan of flat stanley.The first book I read about long distance hiking was "A walk across America" by Peter Jenkins givin to me by my father back in 1977 good book ,it/he planted a seed. then I bought "the walk west" by same .And then "The complete walker II" by Colin Fletcher.I have not read "the thousand mile summer" by Colin, and have long been looking for a copy in old used book stores,and biding my time.But if someone would like to loan me a copy,I would treat it with the most care possible,as I do all my books.

[Papa D]

The Lord of the Ring Series should still top any trekkers list --- my favorite books lately seem to be those left in trail shelters - usually grocery store paperbacks - pretty fun sometimes

[mmorgan]

A Walk In The Woods is worth the read. It reads fast and would not be a waste of time.

[Rockhead]

You've never heard about the debate between which book is more accurate? How Boukreev abandoned his clients and never admitted to doing anything wrong?

Several of the climbers have given Boukreev credit for saving their lives. Krakauer is his biggest critic. Krakauer didn't save anyone, mistakenlytold the search parties that he(Krakauer) saw one of the climbers return(the climber was still on the mountain) and was criticized by many of the families for tyrying to make a buck off of the tragedy. Perhaps Krakauer was trying to refocus the blame on someone else.

[Rockhead]

There are alot of great books on this list, but which of these titles would you actually want to carry in your backpack? I loved the Dune series but if I remember correctly the original was a pretty thick book.

[rocketsocks]

none....to heavy.:D

[Mike2012]

All Time Fiction:

The Thru Hiker Papers. Well, not exactly a book, but they are more expansive than Warren Doyle's tome. They are at this link, and one of the few things that might be considered required reading (IMHO)prior to a thru hike. http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/THP_top.html

Thanks, that was great but now I'm 2 hours late to the gym. :D

[hikerboy57]

Several of the climbers have given Boukreev credit for saving their lives. Krakauer is his biggest critic. Krakauer didn't save anyone, mistakenlytold the search parties that he(Krakauer) saw one of the climbers return(the climber was still on the mountain) and was criticized by many of the families for tyrying to make a buck off of the tragedy. Perhaps Krakauer was trying to refocus the blame on someone else.
One of my favorite all time climbing books is "the Mountains of my Life" by Walter Bonatti.He solod routes that were deemed impossible, and it has a good dose of controversy about his role in a K2 expedition. Outstanding autobiography.
although Id probably take kerouac's dharma bums or on the road.

[mmorgan]

The Lord of the Ring Series should still top any trekkers list --- my favorite books lately seem to be those left in trail shelters - usually grocery store paperbacks - pretty fun sometimes

How about a small paperback copy of the Hobbit. The story of a common Hobbit who leaves home for a grand adventure. Sounds like a story you could hear on any spring morning on Springer Mtn, minus the Dwarves and Dragons.

[lemon b]

Damn as of late again

Empire of the Summer Moon
Matterhorn
Levathan
Good Soldiers
New Jack ( nothing to do with the kid Balitmore)

[TOMP]

in no particular order

moon palace by paul auster
slapstick by kurt vonnegut
zen and art of motorcycle maintance by robert pirsig
electric cool-aid acid test by tom wolfe
another roadside attraction by tom robbins
jenny and the jaws of life by jincy willet
an unfinished season by ward just
the frog prince by adam davies

[Furlough]

You should read the book yourself and make your own opinion. Into the wild is great book, but you'll probably have to get the one with the movie poster cover. I hate when they do that.


A Walk In The Woodsis an entertaing read, yes. A great book, no. But I agree with Luddite read it for your self and draw your own conclusions.

[rocketsocks]

I think "A walk in the Woods"is very good book.Those that take issue with certain parts,well.......ok but that does'nt mean it's not a well written book,and one man's adventure,Honestly there's no contention here,it is what it is literaly.IMHO

[hikerboy57]

I think "A walk in the Woods"is very good book.Those that take issue with certain parts,well.......ok but that does'nt mean it's not a well written book,and one man's adventure,Honestly there's no contention here,it is what it is literaly.IMHO
It is a good book, you just have to remember Bryson is a writer first, then a hiker.

[coach lou]

Bill Bryson is hilarious. Remember... as HB57 said.... he's a writer hiking, not a hiker writing. His book, 'The Mother Tougue...' is my favorite so far.

[rocketsocks]

It is a good book, you just have to remember Bryson is a writer first, then a hiker.I think that is a very fair statement.

[rocketsocks]

Any body know of other titles of AT hiking books on cd,itunes?

[bamboo bob]

Wow,
I thought I was the only guy reading Kenneth Roberts & Paul Theroux!!
Another good novelist: Robert van Gulik, Judge Dee mystery series.

I think Northwest Passage is the first book I read as a kid and the one that got me into following trails in the woods.

[Sevsa]

Definitely agree with The Razor's Edge and Touching the Void. Paul Theroux non-fiction books are always worth reading although he can be a bit of a crank sometimes, however I don't find his fiction books that enjoyable. I just picked up The Ultimate Journey by Eric Ryback and I'm about half way through. Very interesting to read about hiking the CDT before there was a CDT.
In a somewhat similar vein (since I don't carry books hiking anyway) how about great movies related to hiking or climbing? My list would include Touching the Void, The Way Back, Blind Sight and North Face.

[hikerboy57]

Definitely agree with The Razor's Edge and Touching the Void. Paul Theroux non-fiction books are always worth reading although he can be a bit of a crank sometimes, however I don't find his fiction books that enjoyable. I just picked up The Ultimate Journey by Eric Ryback and I'm about half way through. Very interesting to read about hiking the CDT before there was a CDT.
In a somewhat similar vein (since I don't carry books hiking anyway) how about great movies related to hiking or climbing? My list would include Touching the Void, The Way Back, Blind Sight and North Face. the eiger sanction

[rocketsocks]

I think it's called vertical fronteir,or vertical reality.it's about the history of climbing in yosemite

[Prettygirl]

Here are a few of my favorites that would be good for teens:


1. It's Kind of a Funny Story- Ned Vizzini


2. Flipped- Wendelin Van Draanen


3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime- Mark Haddon


4. Crooked- Laura and Tom McNeal


5. Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom

[bwendel07]

I like Carl Hiaassen, Full of off the wall characters. Some of which you could find on the trail anyday.

[Maren]

Some of my favorite outdoors books include:
North into the Night by Alvah Simon
Encounters With the Archdruid by John McPhee

As far as fiction goes, tough to nail down.
Including both high- and lowbrow:
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut
Anything by Neal Stephenson
Anything by Haruki Murakami
Anything by Tom Robbins
(You can see where this is going...)

I'm hoping that while hiking the AT I'll finally be able to finish Finnegan's Wake (James Joyce) and Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace), two beastly books that mock me from my nightstand.

[itsallgood]

Fans of "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer Need to read "The Climb: Tragic Ambitions On Everest" by Anatoli Boukreev.

It is the Russian guide's perspective. Krakauer really reems him in his book and Anatoli responded with a book of his own. Boukreev's book is FAR superiour and tells the story in a much more compelling way. Boukreev is the guide from Scott Fischer's expidition who went and saved everyone who could be saved on that day. All 6 of the clients on Fischer's team survived.

A week after the Everest summit Boukreev set a solo ascent record on Lhotse.

Krakauer was a client and a twit and almost needed saved himself.

Couldn't agree more. Krakauer seems like the high altitude mountaineering version of Bryson. Entertaining, yes, but not necessarily the most accurate portrayal. He also seems to be trying to make a living trying to ruining reputations: The Mormon Church in Under the Banner of Heaven, Boukreev in Into Thin Air, Greg Mortenson in Three Cups of Deciept......

Outside Magazine just removed him from being listed as a contributing editor for his story on Mortenson....they should have done it with his story on Boukreev.

The cliff notes version of the story:

http://classic.mountainzone.com/climbing/fischer/letters.html

Best Boukreev quote: "I understand you were faced with a problem: your opinion as a journalist vs my statement of fact".



wow I've never heard that. Ed Viesturs calls him the quintesintial climber. That's pretty high accolades.

The fact is Boukreev was a heroic world class climber who saved multiple lives while putting himnself in danger. Arguably the best high altitude speed climber there ever was.

Krakaurer is a journalist who questioned the judgements of a pro.

Viestur's just released a new book on Annapurna called The Will To Climb. It's a great read if you're curious about the history of climbing on Anapurna. More relevant though is that he spends a whole chapter discussing Anatoli's efforts on that day and what he thinks about it. Which I initially found odd since the book didn't really have anything to do with Everest but since Anatoli died on Annapurna I guess a little history of the man himself was fitting.


Well of course. I've read both plus Lemme Gammelgard's book "Climbing High". Boukreev descended to Camp 4 after summiting. This was part of the plan in case rescues would have to be made. In fact rescues did have to be made and Boukreev made them. All his clients survived.

Boukreev was awarded The American Alpine Club's David A. Sowles Memorial Award. Which is a fancy way of saying he recieved a VERY high honor for his heroism.

Krakauer was in his tent sleeping while all this was going on. whose book do you think was more accurate?:rolleyes:

The climbing community was quite pissed over him recieving this award.......and also about his solo summit of Lhotse a few days later after the tragedy....they viewed it as selfish and irresponsible.



Other great books on big mountains:

The Other Side of the Mountain by Matt Dickenson - What happened on the north side of Everest in 1996.
Beyond the Mountain by Steve House - he's a bad ass....nuff said.
No Shortcuts to the Top - Ed Viesturs - about him climbing the 14 8,000ers.
K2: Life and Death on the Worlds Most Dangerous Mountain - Ed Viesturs
Left for Dead - Beck Weathers - The man was left to die TWICE on Everst in the tragedy of 1996.
Annapurna - Maurice Herzog - The account of the first summit of Annapurna.
Memoirs of a Mountain Guide - Lou Whittaker - The man is more or less responsible for Viestur's being the mountaineer he is.
Die Trying - Bo Parfet - Climbing the 7 summits.
Freedom of the Hills - Can't climb them if you don't have the skills.....

Not as big mountains:
Halfway to Heaven - Mark Obmascik - Climbing the 54-58 (depends on the list you use) 14,000+ peaks in CO.

Not all about mountains:
The Last Season - Eric Blehm - Mentioned already but a good read.
A walk across America - Peter Jenkins - I'll give you a guess what this one's about.

[hikerboy57]

for one of the best(maybe the best) mountaineering books out there, walter bonatti's autobiography" Mountains of my Life"blows away anything by viesturs or krakauer.this guy soloed climbs in the alps that are still nothing short of miraculous.

[hikerboy57]

one last one would be "second Ascent" the story of prodigy rock climber hugh herr, who at age 16 lost his legs on a winter hike up mt washington, how he recovered and continued to climb, earned him the nickname"the mechanical boy"

[Carl Calson]

I know it was already mentioned but "Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey

Another one i just finished reading is called "The Last Season" by Eric Blehm about the park ranger Randy Morgenson and the search and rescue attempt for him.

i'm actually reading that book right now. it's hard to put down.

[hikerboy57]

great American Historical fiction- the "Titus Bass"series by Terry C. Johnston.its a seies of historical novels about the mountain men of the early 19th C.

[MyName1sMud]

Dang there is some great reads in here! ;)

[lemon b]

Been into Simon Winchester as of late. Kinda gives me a new view of the lay of the land.

[Livia Griffin]

Here is my list;

The Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan
The secret circle series by L.J. Smith
Fallen series by Lauren Kate
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin
The Layer Cake by J.J. Connely
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Emergence by David Palmer

[xokie]

Cormac McCarthy fans try: Blood Meridian, his best, I think.
Bill Bryson fans try: In a Sunburnt Country, hilarious, Bryson in Austrailia.
Note: Mary Shelley was 19 years-old when she penned Frankenstein. Wow!

Great thread!
Anyone ever read Hunta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill?

I loved Hanta Yo. Cormac McCarthy--In addition to The Road and Blood Meridian try Cities of the Plain and All the Pretty Horses. And an old one that is hard to find--Suttree.

[xokie]

Larry McMurtry starting with All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers, The Last Picture Show, all of The Berrybender Chronicles. The guy never wrote anything that was not good.

Elmore Leanord.

[MyName1sMud]

Larry McMurtry starting with All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers, The Last Picture Show, all of The Berrybender Chronicles. The guy never wrote anything that was not good.

Elmore Leanord.

Just bought the paperback of All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers off of Amazon. I like to keep everything in Kindle Format but the Kindle edition was 11.99 and the paperback was only 6.00. (I have Amazon Prime so I get free two day shipping).

First time I have ever seen a paperback go for cheaper than the kindle edition.

[MyName1sMud]

^^^^ Thanks to xokie for recommending that book. it was a fun read.

[Porkroll]

I am currently reading AWOL ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL by David Miller. In the last two weeks I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, SKYWALKER: Close Encounters On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Walker, and SKYWALKER: Highs And Lows On The Pacific Crest Trail.

[MaryJone]

Wow great collection of books. I love to read inspirational novels. Robin Sharma is my favourite author and I'm currently reading in The Monk who sold his Ferrari.

[Lefty Red]

Before there was a TV mini-series there was a book, a great book - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.

To capture a time and place perfectly read From Here to Eternity by James Jones

For a sci-fi novel that invaded society IRL read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

A great coming of age novel is The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark

And of course the book that gave me my trail name, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels (calm down, it's a joke)

[MyName1sMud]

Man this thread keeps getting better and better!

[LonleyDilla]

These are my favorite list of books:
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzzane Collins
Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
The Oath by Frank Peretti