Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

if you love the outdoors and backpacking into the high country or would like to improve your skills climbing rocks/ice/glaciers/whatever, then this book is fantastic. Written by a team of professional climbers and continuously revised, this book covers every aspect of climbing, from setting up camp, choosing the right gear, advanced climbing techniques, even protecting the environment ("leave no trace"). It's essentially a textbook for learning how to climb... the only thing missing is the mountains themselves (you have to provide those). Highly recommended for anyone interested in mountain climbing.