What's the best guidebook ever written

Russ Walling wrote:

John Sherman’s first Hueco Bouldering guide.

"As you approach Hueco Tanks from the south, your first glimpse of the rocks will be disappointing, unless you're from Stoney Point." 

LOL. Best one-liner in any guidebook ever.

Ask Todd Gordon. He has been everywhere. 

Phil Brown wrote:

I can't say what's the best, but I'm pretty impressed with the two-volume "Adirondack Rock." Amazing amount of information, well organized, user friendly. I'm sure there others just as good, but I haven't seen any better. 

Damnit!  That looks AMAZING!  Guess it is time to switch out my Mellor for this one!

Ordering it today.

Cwn Silyn and Cwellyn - Jim Perrin and Mike Yates.

Downward Bound: A Mad Guide to Rock Climbing - Warren Harding is among the best.

Out of my small collection of 20+ guidebooks, I'd have to say the best I own is the Southern Nevada Bouldering (2) guidebook. It's beautifully done, with extremely detailed information as well as well laid out and full of awesome photos.

Perhaps many of the opinions in this thread are based on the locations we climb most often, but I also think that Jerry Handren's Red Rock and more recent Mojave Limestone books are incredibly well done. Very detailed and so much information, though less fun actions shots than some other books. But all the important info and then some is in the book!

Kristian Solem wrote:

"As you approach Hueco Tanks from the south, your first glimpse of the rocks will be disappointing, unless you're from Stoney Point." 

LOL. Best one-liner in any guidebook ever.

Another gem from that Sherman book in the bouldering route descriptions:  

Seka’s Specialty:  long cranks between jugs

If you are an old school porn aficionado you’ll get it. 

Russ Walling wrote:

John Sherman’s first Hueco Bouldering guide.

Gawd I was just gonna say that. That book truly lays out American Bouldering theology — ethics, values, the stories we refer to without realizing it. if you love small rocks, that is the book. 

Lies and Propaganda From Ten Sleep Canyon. There is no close contender. Aaron Huey is a madman.

From an informationpal standpoint: the older wolverine books for the NRG and RRG

From an entertainment standpoint: the ten sleep guidebooks

From an aesthetic standpoint: the Vegas or Yosemite bouldering books 

Yosemite Free Climbs - Reid 

Love the topos, and the number of routes included. The new valley book has so few in comparison 

It's super obscure, but I think the Bellefonte Quarry guide by Jim Bowers is the funniest, hence best guidebook I've ever seen.

More route by route history (probably half lies) than anyone ever wanted, the occasional Horst slander, unredacted route names to offend everyone, unrepentant drilling and chipping. 

Even an 11b crack climb created with a masonry saw-

"Manufractured"- 'Well, what can I possibly say about this route. It cost 80 bucks'

I also like the Thin White Line, A Climber's Guide to the Seward Highway, which features a color picture of a dead, roadkill bird on the cover.

- Croft's The Good, The Great is my all around favorite. I love the bit about his pup, the no dogs sign at the watershed, and the  I can't remember what happened next line. 

- The SuperTopo books changed the game and were the first to tie in a website/forum, which quickly tanked into 20,000 leagues of bullshit, but for a while there was an amazing place for first-hand Yosemite lore from many of the heavy hitters. Climb a route you liked over the weekend? For a time, you could probably find the first-person narrative of the FA on ST's forum, or at the very least entertaining TRs written up by other blue-collar weekenders like yourself who'd given it a shot.

- The community binder at Frey's refugio is a badass guide.

The Levin Eldo guides are really spectacular.  This third edition is so good with the classic Briggs Vertigo photo.

Vince Nett wrote:

The black: rock climbing in the black

Canyon of the Gunnison 

Bump bc y’all are missing out

I think Jason haas pretty much set the gold standard with his south platte books. He climbed like 99.9% of the routes in there and the ones he did not he explicitly says so. I've yet to use any more accurate guidebook. Seems like the way it should be done.

Probably my favorite the pictures are stunning.. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072KT4TKR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

I think Alan Watt's guide for Smith Rock is an ideal balance of everything that should be in a guidebook. The organization is excellent (which is only apparent in contrast to poorly organized books), good topos and I like the mix of photo topos and line drawing topos. Also, no advertisements. 

Mark E Dixon wrote:

It's super obscure, but I think the Bellefonte Quarry guide by Jim Bowers is the funniest, hence best guidebook I've ever seen.

More route by route history (probably half lies) than anyone ever wanted, the occasional Horst slander, unredacted route names to offend everyone, unrepentant drilling and chipping. 

Even an 11b crack climb created with a masonry saw-

"Manufractured"- 'Well, what can I possibly say about this route. It cost 80 bucks'

I also like the Thin White Line, A Climber's Guide to the Seward Highway, which features a color picture of a dead, roadkill bird on the cover.

How the hell did you get a guide book from “The Wizard”? There is an underground guidebook for a little area up north. Very similar stuff. I’ll leave you to decide if his development is ethical...

Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies