The most recommended Everest books

Who picked these books? Meet our 37 experts.

37 authors created a book list connected to Mount Everest, and here are their favorite Mount Everest books.
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Book cover of Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes

Craig Storti Author Of The Hunt for Mount Everest

From my list on the climbing history of the Himalayas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with the Himalayas in the 8th grade and vowed to go there one day. Eighteen years later I fell in love again, with a woman this time, who was living in Nepal. While living there I trekked extensively and read everything I could about the mountains, especially Everest. I thought it was odd that all the Everest books started in 1921, but the mountain was discovered in 1853. What took them so long? Hence my book The Hunt for Mount Everest.

Craig's book list on the climbing history of the Himalayas

Craig Storti Why did Craig love this book?

If you’re a Himalayan enthusiast, this book is a must. Heck, even if you’re not yet an enthusiast, you will be after you start reading Fallen Giants. Its sweep is magnificent, its story-telling superb. You’d think this book would get repetitive, so many mountains and so many climbs, but you’d be wrong.

By Maurice Isserman, Stewart Weaver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fallen Giants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The story of the world's highest peaks and the remarkable people who have sought to climb them

The first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa teammate Tenzing Norgay is a familiar saga, but less well known are the tales of many other adventurers who also came to test their skills and courage against the world's highest and most dangerous mountains. In this lively and generously illustrated book, historians Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver present the first comprehensive history of Himalayan mountaineering in fifty years. They offer detailed, original accounts of the most…


Book cover of Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America's Favorite Holiday with America's Thanksgiving Expert

Melanie Kirkpatrick Author Of Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience

From my list on making your Thanksgiving more meaningful.

Why am I passionate about this?

My idea for a book about Thanksgiving was born in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I was in downtown Manhattan that awful morning on my way to my office at the Wall Street Journal, directly across from the World Trade Center. I stood on the street and watched the towers fall. Two months later, as Thanksgiving approached, I found myself reading William Bradford’s first-person account of the First Thanksgiving. I wanted to learn more about this little kernel of history and how it grew into a cherished national holiday. I wrote several articles for the Journal about the holiday. Writing a book was the logical next step. 

Melanie's book list on making your Thanksgiving more meaningful

Melanie Kirkpatrick Why did Melanie love this book?

If you’re nervous about fixing Thanksgiving dinner—and who isn’t?—this book is for you. Veteran cooking teacher Rick Rodgers provides an array of excellent holiday recipes along with a step-by-step guide to preparing, cooking, and serving the meal. While his focus is the traditional feast—turkey, stuffing, cranberries, potatoes, pies—he also includes recipes for ethnic and vegetarian favorites. Plus there’s a welcome section on what to do with the leftovers. When it comes to preparing the holiday dinner, my personal Mount Everest has always been the gravy. No longer. Thanks to Thanksgiving 101, my gravy is now rich, smooth, and delicious.

By Rick Rodgers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thanksgiving 101 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Every fourth Thursday of November, Americans open their homes to friends and families. But when was the last time most of us made dinner for such a big crowd? With Thanksgiving 101 by your side, preparing for the holiday will be a pleasure. With step-by-step instructions for classic Thanksgiving dishes, as well as new twists on old favorites, this book will become gravy-stained in its first outing. Whether you're looking for new ways to cook turkey; traditional trimmings, chutneys, or chowders; a vegetarian entrée; or fresh ideas for regional classics, including Cajun-or Italian-inspired tastes, Thanksgiving 101 serves up a delicious…


Book cover of Above All Things

Craig Shreve Author Of One Night in Mississippi

From my list on based on little known moments in history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the challenge of taking a headline, a photo, or a curious little footnote in someone else's history, and fleshing out all the details to make it a full-blown story. Here are five books where I think this task has been taken to entirely other levels.

Craig's book list on based on little known moments in history

Craig Shreve Why did Craig love this book?

George Mallory’s disputed ascent of Everest hardly qualifies as “little known history,” but I couldn’t do a top 5 list on historical fiction and not include it. You can tell from the details that Ridout is obsessed with this story. Mallory’s efforts on the climb are perfectly juxtapositioned against his wife’s less glamourous but no less difficult task of holding the family together in his absence. The novel thrives as an exploration of the intense pressure that Mallory’s final Everest attempt placed on both.

By Tanis Rideout,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Above All Things as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Above All Things is a heart-wrenching novel about George Mallory's fatal attempt to conquer Everest, from debut author Tanis Rideout.

In the Himalayas two climbers strike out for the summit of the Earth's highest mountain - aiming to be the first to the top.

In Cambridge, a wife collects the milk, gets three children out of bed and waits for a letter, a telegram - for news of her husband.

It is 1924 and George Mallory and Andrew Irvine are attempting to be the first to conquer Everest. They face inhuman cold and wind, but putting one foot falteringly after…


Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

By Mimi Zieman,

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Mimi Zieman Author Of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an OB/GYN, passionate about adventuring beyond what’s expected. This has led me to pivot multiple times in my career, now focusing on writing. I’ve written a play, The Post-Roe Monologues, to elevate women’s stories. I cherish the curiosity that drives outer and inner exploration, and I love memoirs that skillfully weave the two. The books on this list feature extraordinary women who took risks, left comfort and safety, and battled vulnerability to step into the unknown. These authors moved beyond the stories they’d believed about themselves–or that others told about them. They invite you to think about living fuller and bigger lives. 

Mimi's book list on women exploring the world and self

What is my book about?

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up the East Face without the use of supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, or chance for rescue. When three climbers disappear during their summit attempt, Zieman reaches the knife edge of her limits and digs deeply to fight for the climbers’ lives and to find her voice.


Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

By Mimi Zieman,

What is this book about?

The plan was outrageous: A small team of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, which had only been successfully climbed once before. Unlike the first large team, Mimi Zieman and her team would climb without using supplemental oxygen or porter support. While the unpredictable weather and high altitude of 29,035 feet make climbing Everest perilous in any condition, attempting a new route, with no idea of what obstacles lay ahead, was especially audacious. Team members were expected to push themselves to their…


Book cover of Edge of the Map: The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff

Christine Reed Author Of Alone in Wonderland

From my list on outdoor adventures by and about women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I got interested in long-distance backpacking in my mid-twenties, looking for an escape from the messy life I had created for myself. I wanted to reinvent myself, and a blog about the Appalachian Trail suggested a perfect solution. After 650 miles on the trail and the death of my mother, I knew I would never be the same. In the years since, I have hiked the Wonderland Trail (as featured in Alone in Wonderland) and the Colorado Trail. Backpacking has become more than an escape – it has become home.

Christine's book list on outdoor adventures by and about women

Christine Reed Why did Christine love this book?

Garton dives deep into the investigation into Christine Boskoff's disappearance in the Himalayas. This book tells the beautiful story of Christine's career as a mountaineer, in the 90s when Everest was becoming as much of a status symbol as a feat of human perseverance. As a lover of Everest stories, I ate this one up – female-forward mountaineering stories are still few and far between.

By Johanna Garton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edge of the Map as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The next must-read." - REI, Uncommon Path magazine  - Finalist, Colorado Book Awards  - Nominee, Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature  - Nominee, Banff Mountain Book Award for Mountain Literature- Nominee, Reading the West Book Awards- Nominee, High Plains Book Award  **WATCH OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER ON PAPERBACK PAGE LISTING**   A dramatic and inspiring adventure story based on the lives of trailblazing mountaineer Christine Boskoff and her partner Charlie Fowler. Edge of the Map traces Christine's life as a high-altitude climber and mountain guide - from a two-day climbing course while a Lockheed engineer in Atlanta to her remarkable leadership of…


Book cover of The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest

Craig Storti Author Of The Hunt for Mount Everest

From my list on the climbing history of the Himalayas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with the Himalayas in the 8th grade and vowed to go there one day. Eighteen years later I fell in love again, with a woman this time, who was living in Nepal. While living there I trekked extensively and read everything I could about the mountains, especially Everest. I thought it was odd that all the Everest books started in 1921, but the mountain was discovered in 1853. What took them so long? Hence my book The Hunt for Mount Everest.

Craig's book list on the climbing history of the Himalayas

Craig Storti Why did Craig love this book?

This book is of the incredible-but-true genre. A man who knows neither how to fly nor how to climb buys a plane which he plans to fly to India, crash land on the lower slopes of Everest, and climb the rest of the way to the top—all for the (married) woman he loves. Does he make it? What a question! It’s the premise that matters.

By Ed Caesar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Moth and the Mountain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“An outstanding book.” —The Wall Street Journal * “Gripping at every turn.” —Outside * “A hell of a ride.” —The Times (London)

An extraordinary true story about one man’s attempt to salve the wounds of war and save his own soul through an audacious adventure.

In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Mount Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceives his own crazy, beautiful plan: he will fly a plane from England to Everest, crash-land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit—completely alone. Wilson doesn’t…


Book cover of The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest

David Zurick Author Of Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya

From my list on the Himalaya for people who don’t climb mountains.

Why am I passionate about this?

I embarked as a teenager on an overland journey from Europe to Nepal, and have made a career out of returning to the Himalaya as often as possible. My research and photographic expeditions to the mountains over the many decades have led me into some of the most exquisite landscapes and cultures on the planet. In all cases, I seek to combine the physical experiences with aesthetic and spiritual ones, and the books I tend to read about the region also move me in those directions.

David's book list on the Himalaya for people who don’t climb mountains

David Zurick Why did David love this book?

I’ve read a slew of books about climbing the big Himalayan summits and this is one of the best. It chronicles the first ascent of Mount Everest by an American team and in doing so provides a thrilling account of the climb itself, of the natural majesty of the mountain, and of the eccentric personalities of the team’s members.

By Broughton Coburn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Vast Unknown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the midst of the Cold War, against the backdrop of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the space race with the Soviet Union, and the Vietnam War, a band of iconoclastic American mountaineers set off for Mount Everest, aiming to restore America's confidence and optimism. Their objective was to reach the summit while conducting scientific research, but which route would they take? Might the Chinese have reached the top ahead of them? And what about another American team, led by the grandson of a President, that nearly bagged the peak in a bootleg attempt a year earlier?

THE VAST UNKNOWN:…


Book cover of Denali's Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak

Brian Dickinson Author Of Blind Descent: Surviving Alone and Blind on Mount Everest

From my list on mountaineering from a solo summiteer and survivor.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer and sponsored mountaineer, I’ve always been wired a bit differently. Whether it’s jumping from a helicopter to save a drowning person or topping out on the highest peak in the world, I’m always drawn to adventure and, specifically, stories of survival. Having operated in highly traumatic environments, I’ve gleaned a lot of wisdom through the years, which I’m now able to retell through my writing. I hope you enjoy the books on this list and they have a profound impact on you the same way they did on me!

Brian's book list on mountaineering from a solo summiteer and survivor

Brian Dickinson Why did Brian love this book?

Having climbed North America’s highest peak 3 times, Denali’s Howl describes a horrific situation on a mountain I’m all too familiar with.

The weather patterns, distance, and size of Denali make it an unforgiving peak to climb. I couldn’t put this book down as Hall recounted the dire scenario the climbers went through resulting in tragedy.

By Andy Hall,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Denali's Howl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the summer of 1967, twelve young men ascended Alaska's Mount McKinley-known to the locals as Denali. Engulfed by a once-in-alifetime blizzard, only five made it back down.

Andy Hall, a journalist and son of the park superintendent at the time, was living in the park when the tragedy occurred and spent years tracking down rescuers, survivors, lost documents, and recordings of radio communications. In Denali's Howl, Hall reveals the full story of the expedition in a powerful retelling that will mesmerize the climbing community as well as anyone interested in mega-storms and man's sometimes deadly drive to challenge the…


Book cover of Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It

Nora Sandler Author Of Writing a C Compiler: Build a Real Programming Language from Scratch

From my list on systems and system failures for programmers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love computers, and especially computer systems. I’m interested in how different pieces of hardware and software, like processors, operating systems, compilers, and linkers, work together to get things done. Early in my career, as a software security tester, I studied how different components interacted to find vulnerabilities. Now that I work on compilers, I focus on the systems that transform source code into a running program. I’m also interested in how computer systems are shaped by the people who build and use them—I believe that creating safer, more reliable software is a social problem as much as a technical one.

Nora's book list on systems and system failures for programmers

Nora Sandler Why did Nora love this book?

This isn’t a technical book, but it gets to the heart of why so much software is fragile and insecure. This book examines spectacular failures of all sorts, from nuclear meltdowns to plane crashes to oil spills, but I loved it because its message resonated with my own experience writing and debugging code. It argues that complex, tightly coupled systems involving hidden interactions and close coordination between lots of different parts are more likely to fail catastrophically. It also talks about strategies to make those systems safer, like doing “premortems,” getting advice from outsiders, and building diverse teams.

My big takeaway? Technical solutions alone won’t make software (or other complex systems) safer. We need to change how we build and how our organizations work, too.

By Chris Clearfield, András Tilcsik,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Meltdown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A groundbreaking take on how complexity causes failure in all kinds of modern systems—from social media to air travel—this practical and entertaining book reveals how we can prevent meltdowns in business and life.

A crash on the Washington, D.C. metro system. An accidental overdose in a state-of-the-art hospital. An overcooked holiday meal. At first glance, these disasters seem to have little in common. But surprising new research shows that all these events—and the myriad failures that dominate headlines every day—share similar causes. By understanding what lies behind these failures, we can design better systems, make our teams more productive, and…


Book cover of The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest

Brian Dickinson Author Of Blind Descent: Surviving Alone and Blind on Mount Everest

From my list on mountaineering from a solo summiteer and survivor.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer and sponsored mountaineer, I’ve always been wired a bit differently. Whether it’s jumping from a helicopter to save a drowning person or topping out on the highest peak in the world, I’m always drawn to adventure and, specifically, stories of survival. Having operated in highly traumatic environments, I’ve gleaned a lot of wisdom through the years, which I’m now able to retell through my writing. I hope you enjoy the books on this list and they have a profound impact on you the same way they did on me!

Brian's book list on mountaineering from a solo summiteer and survivor

Brian Dickinson Why did Brian love this book?

This book had a profound impact on me. While several witnesses have told tales of the tragic 1996 disaster in the death zone on Mount Everest, Anatoli Boukreev gives his perspective of not only surviving the storm but also running toward it to help others who were in dire need.

You never know what you’ll do when faced with danger, but Boukreev set his own safety aside to save lives.

By Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston Dewalt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Climb as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In May 1996, two commercial expedition groups attempted to ascend Mount Everest. Each group contained world class climbers and relative novices, some of whom had paid tens of thousands of pounds for the climb. But as the climbers neared the summit, they were overtaken by intense snow and wind, and found their crucial oxygen supplies depleted. Five of them died, including the expeditions' two charismatic leaders. Anatoli Boukreev emerged as the hero. A top climber and guide, Bourkeev led his exhausted and terrified group of six back to safety, then went back out in the blizzard to help others stranded…


Book cover of Everest: The Ultimate Book of the Ultimate Mountain

Craig Storti Author Of The Hunt for Mount Everest

From my list on the climbing history of the Himalayas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with the Himalayas in the 8th grade and vowed to go there one day. Eighteen years later I fell in love again, with a woman this time, who was living in Nepal. While living there I trekked extensively and read everything I could about the mountains, especially Everest. I thought it was odd that all the Everest books started in 1921, but the mountain was discovered in 1853. What took them so long? Hence my book The Hunt for Mount Everest.

Craig's book list on the climbing history of the Himalayas

Craig Storti Why did Craig love this book?

This is the Everest Bible. It has it all: every fact, every myth, every attempt, every failure, and the ultimate success. By rights, this book shouldn’t really work—so many attempts, so many near-misses, so many personality clashes, so many tragedies—but somehow it builds. The personalities are outsized, of course, the egos gigantic, and that helps, but the mountain is just too famous to ever be dull.

By Walt Unsworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Everest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This complete history tells the truth about many of those who have attempted to climb to the roof of the world.