books i consider the best of polar/maritime/mountaineering/general outdoors nonfiction
created by doomcountry
last updated January, 2026

Would you consider a non-fic biography for the list if it includes the persons climbing journeys across the world? đThe first book recc here for the list is from Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first to climb Mt Everest (led by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay). The second recc is from Ernest Shackleton's historic South Pole attempt.
Sir Edmund Hillary: An Extraordinary Life Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Right now I am only including books I have read, but thank you for the recs!