In reply to SuperstarDJ:
As this is a climbing website, I'll stick to climbing books.
Got the superb coffee table book "The Climbers" by Jim Herrington for Christmas. Absolutely brilliant. The photos are good, though selective given the point of Herrington's project - to photograph well known climbers of the 20th century's 'Golden Age' of climbing c1930s-11970s etc - seeing as many other greats have died in the last 30-40 years, but the real gem of the book is Greg Child's essay which documents the book's subject period. A must for any climbing history buff or climbing book enthusiast. Many great climbers missing from the book, as I said, but when you read the brief cvs of those included you have to admire what they have achieved in
It's the sort of book which the late Ken Wilson should probably have done as a follow-up to the excellent Hard Rock/Classic Rock etc series.
Also got Chris Bonington's latest book, "Ascent", an autobiography of his life in climbing. An excellent book, very well written. Although most of the stories in it are covered in other books and articles etc, this is a very personal and moving account of his climbing adventures and his reasons for and reflections on what he has done. They certainly are adventures. This book shows what a great deal he has done in climbing and expeditions. There some tones of guilt coming through some of the passages, things you sense he was not proud of, but as far as I am concerned he has nothing to be guilty of. Like Marmite, whether you like him or not (and I do like him) you have to accept he is a legend, you have to acknowledge the breadth and depth of his mountaineering achievements, and you have to chuckle at the anecdotes about his fellow climbers. He is very lucky to be alive, given the antics and near misses he describes. And he is lucky and talented for having achieved what he did. Even if you think you know all about Bonington and the people he climbed with and the places he's been, you probably don't, so read this book.