Mountaineers Books
Emily Erickson, Mountaineers Books sales representative, is constantly advising her bookstore, outdoor retail, and parks store customers about the titles in our library that are both great reads and will be strong sellers in their stores. Here she shares five books that are always on her “Recommended List.”
Snowshoe Routes Washington, 3rd Ed.
By Dan Nelson
This book covers 100 awesome snowshoe routes in Washington, including shorter trips and overnights as well! I love the organization of this book and how easy it is to find the perfect route for me. The ‘At-A-Glance’ chart makes it easy to find difficulty rating, route time, best season, avalanche potential, and more!
Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls
By Paul Bannick
The perfect book for sinking into on a winter day. After flipping through Paul Bannick’s stunning images and informative words, I became much more owl-aware, scanning tree limbs with a close eye. This fall, in Mazama, I came upon a beautiful Barred owl sitting in a tree, hunting for mice. Once I got home, I pulled this book off my shelf to get reacquainted with this beautiful creature. So fun!
Denali: A Literary Anthology
By Bill Sherwonit, Editor
Edited by one of Alaska’s greatest writers, this collection shows Denali in a different light. From native voices to mountaineers, naturalists, early explorers and modern adventurers, these stories deepened my appreciation for the wild place surrounding North America’s highest point.
Swallowed by the Great Land: And Other Dispatches from Alaska’s Frontier
By Seth Kantner
I can feel the quiet of the north in this collection of author Seth Kantner’s short stories. I savored each sentence. “The sun is to the north, scallops of snow in the mountains. The hollows in the tundra and the trees and the last snowdrifts beside our feet are refilling with evening light like cups of gold.”
Sherpa: The Memoir of Ang Tharkay
By Ang Tharkay
While we’re familiar with early mountaineering voices like Eric Shipton, there aren’t many opportunities to read an historic first-person mountaineering account from an eastern perspective. Ang Tharkay was Sirdar on the 1950 French ascent of Annapurna. There is an innocence to Tharkay’s voice. I especially enjoyed learning about Tharkay’s childhood and how he became a Sherpa in Part 1.
