EIGHT BOOKS THAT BUILT MODERN MOUNTAINEERING

Treasures from the Margaret and Price Zimmermann Collection

by Mathew Brock, Director of Special Collections & Media

From the first scientific ascent of Mont Blanc to the revolutionary solo climbs of the Himalayas, mountaineering has evolved from curious exploration into one of humanity's most compelling expressions of adventure, discovery, and personal challenge. The foundational ideas that guide today’s climbers were not born on summit peaks—they emerged from the pages of books that captured breakthrough moments in climbing history.

Late in 2024, the Mazama Library began acquiring one of the more significant collections in the Mazama Library’s history: the T.C. Price Zimmermann Collection. Over several months, I worked with member George Cummings and collector Peter Green to review hundreds of volumes, identify gaps in our existing collection, and negotiate with Price’s widow, Margaret Zimmermann. In June 2025, George flew east to inventory the books and hand-carry the most valuable works home. By mid-July, seventeen boxes containing the balance of the collection had arrived at the Mazama Mountaineering Center’s Mazama Library.

The Mazama Library’s Rare Book Collection

The Mazama Library's Rare Book Collection now stands as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most significant repositories of mountaineering literature. With over 1,500 volumes spanning three centuries— from the 1700s to present—the collection preserves the intellectual DNA of modern climbing. Established in 1915, just two decades after the founding of the Mazamas in 1894, the collection serves researchers, historians, authors, scientists, climbing enthusiasts, and members.

Housed in the climate-controlled vault in Portland, Oregon, these reference-only volumes provide unique insight into mountaineering’s technical evolution, expedition planning, environmental science, and adventure literature. Access is available by appointment through the Mazama Library (library@mazamas.org), ensuring these irreplaceable resources remain available for scholarship while preserving them for future generations.

T.C. Price Zimmermann

T.C. Price Zimmermann (1934-2024) was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and became a distinguished historian specializing in late Medieval and Renaissance history. He earned degrees from Williams College, Oxford University, and Harvard University, where he completed his PhD in 1964. Zimmermann began his academic career at Reed College in Portland, Oregon (1964-1977), rising from assistant to full professor and serving as chair of the History Department. In 1977, he joined Davidson College in North Carolina as vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty, later becoming the Charles A. Dana Professor of History until his retirement in 2000.

Beyond academia, he was an accomplished mountaineer and leader in the climbing community. Price joined the Mazamas in 1965 after climbing Mt. Hood. He served as a member of the board of directors of the American Alpine Club from 1975 to 1983 and as president from 1979 to 1982. During his AAC presidency, he led the development of major policy statements on mountaineering ethics, environmental practices, and land use, while also addressing the Club's financial challenges through fundraising initiatives. A career highlight was making the first ascent of Mt. Skarland in Alaska, a mountain peak outside of Fairbanks that reaches upwards of 10,000 feet. He and his wife Margaret had an asteroid named after them by the Lowell Observatory in 1983, and he remained active in cultural organizations including Opera Carolina throughout his life. Zimmermann died on October 5, 2024, remembered as an educator who combined scholarly excellence with deep commitment to teaching, institutional service, and the mountaineering community.

Eight Books That Changed Everything

The Zimmermann Collection contains numerous treasures, but eight volumes stand out as works that fundamentally shaped how we approach mountains—not merely as obstacles to overcome, but as laboratories for human potential, scientific discovery, and philosophical reflection.

Spanning nearly two centuries (1780 to 1956), these books trace mountaineering's transformation from gentleman scientists with barometers to lightweight alpinists pushing the boundaries of high-altitude possibility. Each represents a pivotal moment when someone redefined what it meant to climb mountains through revolutionary techniques, groundbreaking expeditions, or new ways of thinking about risk, achievement, and our relationship with the natural world.

Together, they tell the story of how a handful of curious individuals in the European Alps created a global community of climbers whose influence extends far beyond mountain summits into literature, science, philosophy, and our understanding of human endurance. These books didn't just document climbs—they created the culture, ethics, and techniques that guide mountaineers today.

These eight works represent more than historical artifacts—they contain the intellectual foundation of modern mountaineering. From de Saussure’s scientific methodology to Buhl’s psychological insights, from Whymper’s risk assessment to Tilman’s efficiency principles, today’s climbers still apply lessons first articulated in these pages.

Whether planning an expedition to an 8,000-meter peak or introducing someone to their first mountain climb, contemporary mountaineers draw on wisdom first captured in these foundational texts. The Zimmerman Collection preserves not just rare books, but the intellectual foundation of one of humanity’s most enduring adventures.

Through careful stewardship in the Mazama Library, these works remain accessible to researchers, historians, and climbers seeking to understand not just where mountaineering has been, but where it might go next. In an age of digital everything, there’s something profoundly fitting about accessing mountaineering’s foundational wisdom through the same medium—books—that first captured and preserved it.

Voyages Dans les alpes

by Benedict de Saussure (1780)

The foundational text of alpine exploration and scientific mountaineering. De Saussure's four-volume work documented his systematic exploration of the Alps and established the scientific approach to mountain study. His methods and observations laid the groundwork for modern glaciology and alpine research.

Narrative of an Ascent to the Summit of Mont Blanc

by John Auldjo, (1830)

One of the earliest detailed accounts of Mont Blanc ascents, Auldjo’s work helped establish Mont Blanc climbing as a legitimate pursuit and provided practical guidance that enabled the development of Alpine tourism and guided climbing.

Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers

Edited by Edward Shirley Kennedy (1862)

The first compilation of Alpine Club members’ experiences, this collection established the literary tradition of mountaineering and documented the systematic exploration of the Alps during the sport’s formative period

Hours of Exercise in the Alps

by John Tyndall (1871)

Tyndall’s work combined scientific inquiry with mountaineering adventure, establishing the intellectual framework for understanding mountain environments and promoting the Alps as a legitimate field of study.

Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69

by Edward Whymper (1871)

The seminal work of the Golden Age of alpinism. Whymper’s account of his Alpine adventures, including the first ascent of the Matterhorn and the tragic accident that followed, became the most influential mountaineering book ever written. It inspired generations of climbers and established many conventions of mountaineering literature.

The Ascent of Denali

Denali by Hudson Stuck (1915)

The first credible account of reaching North America’s highest summit, this book documented the challenges of extreme coldweather mountaineering and established protocols for major Arctic expeditions.

The Ascent of Nanda Devi

by H.W. Tilman (1937)

Tilman’s account of the first ascent of this Himalayan giant exemplified the lightweight expedition approach and influenced decades of highaltitude climbing strategy through its emphasis on simplicity and self-reliance.

Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage

by Hermann Buhl (1956)

Buhl’s account of his solo first ascent of Nanga Parbat revolutionized high-altitude climbing philosophy and demonstrated the possibilities of lightweight, alpine-style ascents on 8,000-meter peaks.

What to know more?

Be sure to check out the online exhibit Eight Books That Built Modern Mountaineering by visiting www.bit.ly/8MtnBooks.