Required Reading List

I often complain to my alter ego that nobody takes the time to mentor anymore, they just bitch about "kids these days" and sport climbing and gore tex and the like. Then I realized that I'm often guilty of that myself. So I hereby offer online mentoring, starting with the basics. The prerequisite to this course is to acquire and read/watch the following. They consist of history, skills, motivation and some philosophy:

Lesson 1 - The fundamentals of climbing and experiencing the wilderness:
Climbing in North America, by Chris Jones
Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Boulding in America, by John Sherman - not necessarily to be read cover to cover, but to peruse and be inspired
John Gill: Master of Rock, by Pat Ament
Moving over Stone - movie
Freedom of the Hills, by The Mountaineers
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey

Lesson 2 - Developing skills and inspiring a lifelong ticklist:
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, by Allen Steck and Steve Roper - peruse/inspire
Mountains of North America, by Fred Beckey - peruse/inspire
Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills, by Craig Luebben
Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age, by Pat Ament
Masters of Stone - movie
Moving Over Stone Part II - movie
The Art of Leading - movie
Climbing Anchors, by John Long
The Monkey Wrench Gang, by Edward Abbey
The Rock Warrior's Way, by Arno Ilgner
The Self Coached Climber, by Dan Hague

Lesson 3 - Understanding climbing concepts informed by climbing history:
Rock Jocks, Wall Rats and Hang Dogs, by John Long
A History of Free Climbing in America: Wizards of Rock, by Pat Ament
Big Walls: Breakthroughs on the Free Climbing Frontier by Paul Piana
Ways to the Sky: A Historical Guide to North American Mountaineering by Andrew Selters
Climb!: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado
Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering
Performance Rock Climbing, by Dale Goddard
One Move Too Many: How to Understand the Injuries and Overuse Syndromes of Rock Climbing
Camp 4: Recollections of a Yosemite Rock Climber, by Steve Roper
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman
Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast and High by Mark Twight
Masters of Stone 2, 3 (they get kind of redundant after that)

That should get you started. I'm curious: What would you put on your list?

Nice list! I've got to get some of those. I'd add--

How to be a Master Climber in 6 Lessons: Pat Ament

Red Rock Odyssey, Classic Trad Climbs: Larry D'Angelo

Downward Bound: Warren Harding

I would add the following literature:

Hermann Buhl: Climbing Without Compromise: Reinhold Messner[Editor]
The White Spider; Heinrich Harrer
The Crystal Horizon: Reinhold Messner
Eiger Dreams; Jon Krakauer
Wilderness and the American Mind; Roderick Nash

I could go on, but I feel these may be fundamentals in Mountain lit.

No way am I qualified to be anyone's mentor but if you are starting out in Colorado:

Serious Play by Steve Dieckhoff

The illustrations are incredible, I really feel like I am seeing the rock through someone else's eyes.

Ordeal by Piton by Steve Roper et. al. A bit hard to track down, the book covers Yosemite climbing history from the beginning through the eyes of the climbers. The photos alone make it worth reading, but some of the essays are truly classic.

I would have to add:
Rock Climbing North America by Tim Toula

Although not the most informative and sometimes inaccurate, this comprehensive guide pushed me to explore as many climbing spots as I could. It usually got me to the area and then I was left on my own to explore. Sometimes this was frustrating, while other times the adventure was more fulfilling than the climbing itself. Always did it help to improve my sense of direction and route finding skills, two absolute, must-have skills.

I was just watching Dosage 3 the other day and thought that the segment on Ron Kauk would be an excellent video to demonstrate the beauty and grace of climbing. Did I just say that last part out loud?

'Touching the Void' by Joe Simpson.
"Gorilla Monsoon' by John Long
'Thin Air' by Greg Child

Self-Rescue; David Fasulo

The ANAMs

Will Gadd's Ice Climbing
Luebby's Basic Skills

The Stand (It's good for when you are there, but can't go anywhere)

"Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage"
by Hermann Buhl

Nice list, Mike. I like that you included the Monkey Wrench Gang, heh.

To add to the list:

Climbing Free, by Lynn Hill

The High Lonesome, John Long (ed.), a compilation of essays by noted free soloists.

And, though not climbing-related, Colin Fletcher wrote some great wilderness travel stuff: The Complete Walker, River, and The Man Who Walked Through Time are all excellent.

Ice World by Jeff Lowe

On the Ridge Between Life and Death by David Roberts. I wish I could find my copy.

Heidi Pesterfield's book Intro to lead climbing

Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts. Not really a book on climbing at all, about an adventurous life. Best book I've ever read I think.

Wow, great books. I have one to add that I really enjoyed.
"No Picnic On Mount Kenya" by Felice Benuzzi

Basic Rockcraft / Advanced Rockcraft by Royal Robbins. Not current, but these two books give some insight into how the original hardmen did business. Written and printed before cams and commercial harnesses, these books are the basis from which all other texts on the subject sprang forth. If want to learn how to pound a pin, jumar, place passive pro, or some tricks to get out of a sticky situation, these lessons are as old as the hills themselves. Good luck finding them if you don't have a copy.

Essential Reading:
Downward Bound (A Mad Guide to Rock Climbing)
An Ascent of Rum Doodle
Mount Analog
The Monkey Wrench Gang

Film:
Climbing the Street by Monty Python
Race For Your Life Charlie Brown

KHall wrote:Basic Rockcraft / Advanced Rockcraft by Royal Robbins. Not current, but these two books give some insight into how the original hardmen did business. Written and printed before cams and commercial harnesses, these books are the basis from which all other texts on the subject sprang forth. If want to learn how to pound a pin, jumar, place passive pro, or some tricks to get out of a sticky situation, these lessons are as old as the hills themselves. Good luck finding them if you don't have a copy.

I have copies of both, plus Walt Wheelock's book on knots. They are the texts on climbing I learned from originally. I guess I'm dating myself here...

Starlight and Storm by Gaston Rébuffat... you would be hardpressed to find a more lyrical description of the camaraderie among climbers anywhere ("Brotherhood of the Rope")

Leave No Trace (lnt.org) has a number of outdoor skills and ethics booklets targeted to specific outdoor activities, including rock climbing, that are worth a read... among many other low-impact wilderness books.

Climbing: Tales of TERROR! by Tami Knight.