I just finished two good reads I thought I would share with you. The first is Climb! The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, by Jeff Achey, Dudley Chelton and Bob Godfrey.
I picked up Climb! because I was particularly interested in the history of the few Colorado areas I have visited, but I quickly read the book cover to cover. The history behind most of Colorado's classic routes are included, and its fascinating to realize how difficult people were able to climb, even before many gear advancements. Even if you dont live in Colorado, this book will inspire you to put up routes of your own, and maybe even travel out there to try some of those classics.
My second read was Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America, by John Sherman.
This book starts with a history of bouldering, specifically focused on John Gill- the godfather of bouldering and dynamic movement. It then traces the history, personalities, and problems of different areas by region in America. Because I spend more time bouldering than anything else I really enjoyed this one, and now have a huge ticklist of problems I would like to climb someday. My one complaint is that the only area covered in Texas is Hueco Tanks. Of course that is where Sherman spent much of his time (developing the V-scale there), but I would have enjoyed reading some history of centex bouldering. Still, I'd recommend this book to any boulderers out there.
These books are particularly relevant and interesting because of their focus on rock climbing. While there is a wealth of literature on mountaineering, critical writing in the fields of trad, sport, and bouldering is lacking. As well, though both of these books are now a bit dated, the majority of the routes and problems found in them are still there for anyone to try. I know I'll be road tripping for some of them soon...well, I hope!
