Tigers of the Snow by Jonathan Neale, its about Himalayan expeditions prior to the first climb of Everest but concentrating on the sherpas experience more than the western expeditions. For what its worth thats my recommendation.

Alex - stick with Touching the Void. I agree it does start fairly quietly, but boy does it pick up....

"Feeding the Rat" is good, the whole Ogre expedition being an extraordinary chapter in mountaineering history by itself.

IMHO This Game of Ghosts is actually a beeter all-round read than Touching the Void. Subsequent books have been good in parts (Storms of Silence, Beckoning Silence, and er the other one).

Vic Saunders' books are interesting: Elusive Summits probably the best expedition type narrative of his. Same applies for Steve Venables excellent Everest: Kangshung Face, now called "Alone at the Summit" or some similar. The last stages of this have a Simpson-esque drive which leaves you going "Just get out of there!" whilst bathed in a thin filmy sweat. Well it did to me anyway. The same episode is covered in Ed Websters fantastic "Snow in the Kingdom", but with far better photographs.

I agree with Andy Fanshawe as a choice - a very vivid picture of expedition life. Andy Greig's 2 books are also excellent, though I haven't got round to Electric Brae or Where They Laid Bare yet.

In addition (had enough yet?!) Native Stones by David Craig is superb. And he can do some good R&B apparently, which I believe is some kind of popular beat combo favoured by the young people.

I can add at great length when I get home and trawl the bookshelf again...

We've done this before as well haven't we? UI'll look for a link.

Appologies, but with no search function it would have taken me a while to find that out! Anyway, sometimes its good to re-do something. Gets people involved who may not have been registered last time!

LOL. Thanks everyone.

You could also look for anything by Paul Pritchard.

Would second "Seven Years In Tibet". Great book.

Good point Captain. Paul Pritchard's "The Totem Pole" is an excellent read, though I have to confess to there being a tear in my eye when I finished it.

Scanning the bookshelves, I'd now add WE Bowman : The Ascent of Rum Doodle, and Maurice Herzog: Annapurna to the literature section.

<Gratuitous name drop ahead> Simon Yates once told me his favourite mountain books were John Muirs wilderness exploration books, though that was a few years ago. (No further name dropping for a few years now I've done that, sorry!).

I'd put Aat Vervoorn's Mountain Solitudes in to annoy people as it's only available in NZ...and probably John Barry's Great Climbing Adventure because the story of the Norweigian icy lake made me laugh so much I feared incontinence...

For a 'local' mountain book for anyone who walks, climbs or runs in Snowdonia Thomas Firbanks "I Bought A Mountain" is essential reading - he used to farm at Dyffryn, half way between Capel and Pen Y Pass.

VSD (did you realise your initials are a peculiar medical condition?) you're quite right, I've trawled back a while without the search option, and eventually gave up - didn't there use to be a search forums option?

There did, but apparently it was dragging the forum down causing gremlins, so it disapeared. VSD? LOL

I'm looking out for a copy of Robert McFarlane's 'Mountains of the Mind'. Looks like a whole new approach to the subject and the reviews have been excellent. Have a look on Amazon for synopsis and reviews.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree about the John Barry. I thought it was so awful, I gave up less than half-way through. Personally I found it egotistical, over-maco and chauvinistic.

<embarrassing name-drop, and another of my tedious tales ahead>

I was once climbing in the Llanberis Pass on one of my numerous failed attempts to get my leading grade up to VS. We had chosen a route called Brant because it is supposed to be one of the easiest VS's in the pass. I was having a mini-epic on this thing, and I had put in loads of hardware and must have been making a lot of noise. Suddenly someone called my name from below. I looked down and it was my mate Andy who lives in Bethesda.
"What do you think of Slape then"? he asked.
"This isn't Slape it's Brant" I replied".
"The whole valley knows you think it's Brant, but it's actually Slape," he laughed. "And that's not all, John Barry was here a moment ago, and he was saying 'Look at that stupid woman, whatever does she think she's doing, she can't honestly believe she's on Brant! You don't seriously admit to knowing her do you? '"

So that's another reason for me to not recommend his book :-)

Joe Simpson 'Beckoning Silence' is a good read. For something lighter Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' is excellent.

"How to sh*t in the woods" is a cracking read, not all of it strictly mountaineering though.
But funny and very informative all the same.

Eric Newby's " A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" is very funny and a well-known travel classic from the 50s. It does describe a real expedition but sends up stiff-upper-lip amateurism. Still in print and easy to find.

Alastair Borthwick's "Always A Little Further" is tales of camping and climbing in Scotland in the 30s, i.e. when hillgoing as a recreation stopped being exclusively a toff's game; most of the characters are penniless Glaswegian enthusiasts who had to hitch-hike to get to the hills. The book has a certain misty-eyed romanticism to it but is beautifully, simply written and easy to enjoy. Not sure if it's still in print.

Alison - I didn't say he was a nice guy, just that the book was, in places, very funny! Though I take it he has a certain slightly macho, misogynist charm - certainly worked on Rebecca Stephens anyway...

Went to hear him lecture a few years ago, he's done a lot of interesting stuff, and was clearly rather awed (or possibly just infatuated) with a woman called Polly, describing her in glowing terms. I think they're married now :-)

"Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" is very good isn't it - especially Thesiger's one-liner at the end. Newby has an immensely posh accent though: but reading his "Love and War in the Apennines" makes you realise quite how much he and Wanda put up with in the war. Very interesting.

Eric Newby's books are all excellent, but especially Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.

all books by joe simpson (beckoning scilence, touching the void,storms of scilence,the water people,dark shadows falling and the best being this game of ghosts)

Touching my fatehrs sole-tenzing jamling norgay

eiger dreams-jon krakaur (sp?)

The flame of adventure-simon yates

Can't be bothered to read any posts here.

Joe Simpson is always a good read, and Doug Scott is great for his pictures.

"Himalayan Climber" is brilliant!!!

I'll have to repeat much of the above, any book by Joe Simpson. I found it impossible to put Touching the Void down as soon as I started it.
I've got a ticket to the film next month, it will interesting to see how it appears in big screen.

I'd also agree that Antoli Boukrev's Climb book on Everest situation gives a much more balanced account.

Non climbing again Shackleton related is the book written by his navigator, Eric Worsley (? I think), it reads better than Shackleton's own account.

Yeah...Shackletons is a bit dry.

"Endurance" is still rather definitive mind you.

And thanks for the reminder Lloyd, I need to send off my cheque for my ticket to see the film.

(It's in the post Phil! - Sorry!)

Try the F W Smythe mountaineering books.