From time to time for at least the last 12 years or so, I’ve had a simple catalog show up in the mail from a little company called Chessler Books. From a design perspective it’s purely functional, and I’ve honestly never ordered anything from them - every climbing book I own I’ve picked up from local Seattle and Portland booksellers - but there’s definitely money to be spent with these guys. From posters to autographed copies of historical narratives, antique maps (swoon) to vintage hardware, Chessler is easily the most recognizable resource for adventure, mountain, and polar literature.

The founder of the company, Michael Chessler, had a list that he shared of what he considers the 100 best mountaineering books out there. I can’t say I’ve read most of them, but I have read a handful and have my eyes on a few more. For the sake of posterity I’m sharing his list below with my own custom color key that I’ll update as I continue to work through them.

• Owned, but not read
• Not owned, but read and returned to the library
• Owned and read and enjoyed

Chessler’s 100 Best Mountaineering Books

A bit of a cross-post from Altitude Slickness, but consider this the first of hopefully many future posts about the world of outdoor literature, photography, and design. Expect bits and pieces of climbing ephemera, book reviews, scans of odd or historical advertising, and a healthy dose of love for the written word as it pertains to the great outdoors.

Stay tuned.