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Mad Max
Trad climber
Bakersfield
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 3, 2015 - 09:28am PT
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What is the most rare and exotic, revered and holy guidebook of all climbing and alpine literature?
For me, the Needles guidebook comes to mind, since I've only ever heard of it and the few that are around for sale cost anywhere from $160-$450 for a used copy.
Show me what a REAL good guidebook looks like.
Cheers,
Max
EDIT: This thread has gotten to be pretty amazing, I never would have ever guessed there were so many guidebooks published before the 60's and I was wrong.
Thanks for all your contributions, it's cool to hear,read,or see little bits about what life was like before the whole world got smaller.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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You did say holy, didn't you? I'll let you handle it, under my supervision.
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Mad Max
Trad climber
Bakersfield
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 3, 2015 - 09:46am PT
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Now we're talkin'!
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Mad Max
Trad climber
Bakersfield
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 3, 2015 - 10:44am PT
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better make a PDF of it and keep the original in a fireproof file safe, That thing will probably be worth thousands
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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None of the aforementioned guides is even scarce, least of all rare.
But, like most things that are "collected," where demand exceeds readily available supply, prices go up. The Moser, et al Needles Guide demands high bucks because (until Kris's guide comes out) it is the most current and only "available" guidebook for the area. [It would be a VERY POOR investment of $$ unless you absolutely have to have it as a guide to the area. Otherwise, once Kris' guide comes out, expect prices and interest to plummet.]
The Beckey guides are not really that scarce in real terms, but people like them and they are not readily available.
Here are some genuinely Scarce and Rare U.S. guidebooks (there are many more, but I don't have pics to post):
1st Devils Tower Guide - 3 known copies (though I'm sure others are out there somewhere).
1st Needles Guide - a dozen or so copies known.
1st Pinnacles Guide - very scarce.
There are tons more obscure and/or early guides that are genuinely scarce or rare.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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That first Pinnacles guide came to my mind, too. The Fresno County Library had a copy which we borrowed when we first went climbing at Pinnacles in the mid-1960's. About the only things I remember were a picture of Photographer's Delight (incorrectly captioned "Mechanic's Delight") that looked like the summit of the Lost Arrow, and the description of the start of Condor Crags -- "A balance pitch on tweek holds."
John
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dwell
climber
Pollock Pines
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This one might be pretty rare. Old Roper hardcover red guide from 64'. Almost mint condition without dust cover. I also proudly own an old well used Bartlett Sierra Eastside, and an old type paper lovers leap,Consumnes,and Sugarloaf from Gene Drake,RIP.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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The Bartlett East Side guide is a Classic (as are the Roper Red guides). But, none are even remotely scarce (though I would think the Bartlett guide would edge out the Roper guide, even if the Roper guide had a mint dust jacket).
John, Is this the picture to which you were referring?
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dwell
climber
Pollock Pines
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thanks for the info Sketchy. Also have all three of the Moser/Vernon guides. Needles, Domelands and Sequoia/Kings. Living up North never got there much so they are all in great shape. And damn if I didn't lose an old desert rat Joshua Tree, and drove away with one of your old purples on the roof back in the nineties.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Yes, it is, Sketchy.
I have my own version of it:
John
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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I agree with lookssketchy.
I need the Moser needles guide but waiting for price drop to complete the collection.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Hmmmm^^^....I find myself in a surplus (have exceeded the mint shelf and road trip copy minimum for any classic still useful guidebooks).
How much you willing to part with for one in fair condition?
Or, maybe something to trade? There's a few obscure guidebooks I'd like...(any of Randy's posted above...ha ha!).
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Goddammit Vogel, once again you have overlooked the one true Opus of Odiferous SoCal Adolescent Crag Audacity, that sulpherous, testosterone-infused tome of tasteless sandbagged tripe bearing page after page of shameless grade suppression, those days of future passed, pages aglow now with the bronzed smokey patina and hash oil stains of a thousand and one tentbound bunkweed sessions, a monumental rumination on the unique vibrancy of high-school hubris and prescient self-parody -- but above all, at the end of a very long day, a timeless, enduring, and transcendent testament to just how far a bunch of stoned teenagers will go with their fearlessly naive delusions of destiny: that's right, I'm talking about The Scumbag Digest, that inspired volume of unrestrained youthful crag stoke and emergent free-climbing euphoria that launched a thousand ill-fated debacles into the molecular matrix of impenetrable chaparral that is San Diego County climbing.
And here, now, in the year of our lord two thousand and fifteen,with four decades of ripened rumination and mature reflection providing a temperate lens of sober hindsight, there really is only one thing left to say:
"You Gotta Have Vision, Man, You Gotta Have Vision."
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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BVB is correct in that The Scumbag Digest is a truly scarce and highly desirable guidebook. IMHO it also qualifies as a Classic guide worthy of any collection.
I have only a limited number of guides scanned (and lack copies of many others).
Tami, I do have the Woodsworth guide, for what it is worth. A great little early guide to a major North American climbing area.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Isn't the original Stanford Buildering Guide pretty rare?
Somebody recently gave me a mint copy of Roper's Pinnacles Guide--Stoke!
And Reilly, what the heck is that thing??
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Isn't the original Stanford Buildering Guide pretty rare?
the 2nd Edition, but still quite hard to find.
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Crystal Basin - Branscomb
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!