Best Guide Book Ever

[ken4ord]

With all this talk of a new guide book being the best ever, I thought I would put this one out there. What is the best guide book you have ever seen? Why? What makes it the best guide book ever?

 

 

My favorite was the Ed Webster guide for the White Mountains (Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges in North Conway). What set this guide book aside from other guide book was:

1. It is compact and sturdy, I had mine threaded with cord so that I could clip it on the rack.

2. Very concise and thorough. Route name, first ascent info, brief sentence describing the climb, pitch by pitch description (like: p1 Up left facing corner, to spacious belay ledge 110'.)

3. Good pictures of the cliff with route lines drawn in, with numbering system with number of route matching index, route description, and photo route list.

4. Index and photo route list had bold page number that description was on, light gray page number(s) for photos.

5. *** system and R & X systems were used.

6. Trail maps at the begining of each section were easy to use.

 

By far the greastest guide book in my opinion, thanks Ed.

[sobo]

I thought that JoJo's guide to waterfall ice in BC/Alberta was quite good.

 

As far as rock goes, I thought the old (ca. mid-80s) guide to Seneca Rocks, WV ed.

[AaronB]

"The Needles" southern sierra rock climbing Sally Moser, Greg Vernon, Patrick Paul ...It has the most highlighter slashes in my collection. And started the mystery for me

[LUCKY]

The old Tieton river guide by Matt Christensen the topos of the columns and the bend where killer, wish they would do a reprint.

[ken4ord]

I guess what I am getting at is not so much which guide is the best, though that is good to know, but what set these guides apart from other guides? LUCKY mentioned the topos of Tieton guide, but there are a lot of guides with topos, what is special about the topos in that guide compared to others?

[sobo]

LUCKY mentioned the topos of Tieton guide, but there are a lot of guides with topos, what is special about the topos in that guide compared to others?

 

Matt Christensen's guide to Royal Columns from ca. 1987 is great because the topos ACTUALLY look like what the rock REALLY looks like. It's like Matt got a hold of a real artist to do the illustrations, and from several different angles. They look like charcoal/pastel drawings direct from photographs. I've never found a guide that made you feel so right about which climib you were looking at getting on - better than any "photo-topo" guide.

 

I second LUCKY's wish that they would update it. Lotsa new stuff up there since '87.

[Sargent_Rock]

My vote for the best guidebook would be Steve Roper's 1964 (red cover) Yosemite Valley Guide. The combination of stunning photos, beautiful line drawings, and "Yosemite Mystic" woven into the route descriptions makes it an enjoyable book to read.

Of course my opinion is some what affected by how much influence that guide had my life forty years ago!

[alpinerock]

Any new Smith Rock Guide.

New Guide to Indian Creek.

A lot of color photos of the areas with clearly drawn topos (or numbered routes labeled on color photos). Well written route descriptions never hurt also.

[Wallstein]

I second the vote for Ropers 1964 valley guide. Best book in my collection.

[ken4ord]

That reminds me I have the original 1st ed. of 50 classics by Allen Steck and Steve Roper. That is a great guide book, because it is interesting read. Good stories of climbs on the selected routes, great history, and really nice black and white images. It is also cool to see how the ratings have changed over the year, with the freeing of aid sections and the expansion of the YDS rating system.

[Pencil_Pusher]

Any one of the Beckey Bibles because of how many people they have inspired, and continue to.

[tomtom]

The Waddington Guide - Don Serl

 

Reads like a good book.

[Dru]

The best guidebook is the one having the most fun

[cj001f]

The best guidebook is the one having the most fun

Then I nominate the Voge & Smatko - Mountaineer's Guide to the High Sierra, where Smatko tossed in all of the little warts he claimed an FA off