The Alpine Club has a long literary history, with many members publishing not only books on mountaineering but also on mountain culture, ecology, science, geology and much more. This tradition of mountain writing continues to this day and you can see a list of recent member publications listed below.
Mountain Walks Scafell Pike by Graham Uney is a guide to walking routes on and around the Sca Fell range in the Lake District. Among the 15 routes are classics like the Corridor Route and summit walks from Langdale and Eskdale, as well as the Esk Gorge and the Mosedale Horseshoe. Includes Ordnance Survey maps and downloadable GPX files.
The book will be released in May 2025 by Vertebrate Publishing.
In 2023 the members of the Eden Valley Mountaineering Club (EVMC), based around Penrith, climbed all 214 Wainwright summits in the Lake District without the use of a car. Now, one of the participants, AC member Ron Kenyon, has produced a book from their project: offering advice to others looking to access the fells by self-power or public transport, recounting the EVMC's experiences and sharing a good deal of (often quirky) Lake District History.
The book will be released in March 2025 through Kenyon's Jagged Lakes Publications.
The autobiography of Denise Evans, the first female president of the Alpine Club and an accomplished mountaineer and sailor. From her early years in Paris, France to her later life filled with climbing, sailing, and overcoming personal challenges, Denise exemplifies a life lived fully and fearlessly, continuing her adventures into her mid-eighties.
A crowd-funded publishing project with contributions from individuals, the Alpine Club and the Pinnacle Club
The latest title in Mick Conefrey's triptych of early Everest expeditions seeks to get under the skin of the man at the centre of the 1924 expedition: George Mallory. Using contemporary docuemnts, letters, memoirs and diaries, Conefrey seeks to unearth the man behind the mountaineering legend.
Allen & Unwin
Daniel Light explores the history of mountaineering before the ascent of Everest, profiling the characters and cultures who made the first forrays into the world's highest mountains to make early attempts on now infamous peaks.
OneWorld Publications
The first of its kind, this comprehensive guide covers 26 dry-tooling venues across Britain, from popular honeypot destinations to small, esoteric crags. The guide is filled with inspiring action photography, with each venue accompanied by a detailed map and photo topo.
Oxford Alpine Club
The result of years of painstaking research and hundreds of interviews, 'Mountain Guru' examines the life of one of mountaineering's most significant figures; Doug Scott. Moorehead's biography offers an insight into 'Scott the man' as well as 'Scott the climber' - covering his far-reaching charity work and occasionally tumultuous personal life alongside his many expeditions and first ascents.
Birlinn Ltd.
In this biographical work, Graham Zimmerman shares his own coming-of-age tale, reflecting on the highs and lows of his chosen mountain life. In the face of the tragic deaths of his contemporaries and the looming threat of climate change, Zimmerman lays out how he has learned to find a careful balance between his personal ambitions and broader responsibilities.
Mountaineers Books
Harish Kapadia’s first trip to the Himalaya took place almost 6 decades ago and stirred what was to become a lifelong fascination with the region. Harish has written extensively about the Himalaya, both in articles and books, and in his capacity as editor of The Himalayan Journal. In his latest book, he brings together a collection of essays, describing excursions from his younger years and delving into the stories of notable figures such as Sir Frances Younghusband.
Aryan Books
On his first expedition to China, Dave took a translation of The Selected Poems of Li Po by David Hinton and Ursula le Guin’s Tao te Ching. It was not an easy trip but his reading helped him come to terms with events in the poems that he wrote during that time. Years later, when writing a handbook on expedition organisation, he rediscovered these poems in his journal and revised and added to them, recalling discussions about Li Po with the expedition’s liaison person whilst exploring the way travellers and climbers relate to the very different cultures of China and its mountains. His publisher encouraged him to add a selection of his photographs to illustrate the text.
Delfryn Publications