Feed your passion for adventure by reading about some of the greatest adventures in human history.
Adventure fiction is certainly entertaining, but true stories of adventure and survival inspire on another level. reading about the dangers and excitement of fellow adventurers stirs the soul to try harder, achieve more, and appreciate the journey.
You are reading: Best non fiction adventure books 2015
some stories arouse our curiosity for the unknown, pushing us to expand our limits and travel outside our comfort zone. others lead us to marvel at the limits of human achievement, even when the hero fails in their final quest, although we certainly prefer it when they succeed.
weave in a bit of geographical and historical lore to feed our intelligence, and you’ve got yourself a solid weekend nestled in a timeless classic.
As we always seek to inspire our readers, we’ve compiled a list of the best non-fiction adventure books that highlight a variety of human achievements in the great outdoors.
tales of survival against all odds from characters like steven callahan and joe simpson. stories about meeting in the wild by bill bryson and cheryl strayed. and yes, stories of tragedy when the powerful forces of nature are too much to overcome.
Whether you’re a history buff, adventure junkie, mystery reader, or conscientious soul seeking deeper insights into the human experience, you’ll find your next great read here.
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in the air by jon krakauer
If Mount Everest has ever piqued your curiosity, read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster.
adventurer and investigative journalist jon krakauer provides a first-hand account of the gigantic blizzard that claimed eight lives on may 10-11, 1996, everest’s deadliest climbing season until the 2014 avalanches and 2015.
His eyewitness account of the events that unfolded at 29,000 feet is a remarkable achievement, a story he almost didn’t live to tell.
krakauer also examines what it is about mount everest that continues to draw so many adventurous souls. specifically, why do people ignore the warning signs, disconnect from concerned family members, and willingly embark on a journey that could very well kill them?
It’s a really fascinating story, and yes, it’s better than the movie.
the man who walked through time by colin fletcher
The Man Who Walked Through Time tells the amazing story of Colin Fletcher’s journey through Grand Canyon on foot. Only a few dozen people have ever traversed the entire length of Grand Canyon National Park, and even fewer have done it all in one trip. Colin Fletcher was the first to pull off the latter.
Fletcher, a self-described compulsive hiker, began his epic Grand Canyon hiking adventure in June 1963. What followed was two months of human struggle against heat and cold, lack of water and supply shortages.
despite the almost impassable terrain and intense physical difficulties, fletcher came away from the experience with a new awareness of how humans fit into the vast scheme of things.
His description of the wildlife, geography, and remnants of ancient cultures remind us that the Grand Canyon has been around much longer than we have, and may very well outlive us.
elias butler and tom myers great obsession
If you read The Man Who Walked Through Time, you owe it to yourself to read the biography of Colin Fletcher’s rival, Harvey Butchart. While Fletcher was the first to thru-hike Grand Canyon National Park, Butchart was the first to hike the length of the park in segments. To Butchart, Grand Canyon wasn’t just a pretty hole in the ground — it was a lifelong obsession.
Elias Butler and Tom Myers spent 15 years researching Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of the Grand Canyon, and their exhaustive research efforts shine on every page.
The book explores Butchart’s early years as a fatherless boy in the rugged mountains of China, his struggles during the Great Depression, and his consuming longing for greatness as he explored the deepest, most inhospitable reaches of the Grand Canyon.
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Part biography and part modern adventure, The Great Obsession follows in Butchart’s footsteps as he climbs, hikes, floats and blasts his way into Grand Canyon lore, enduring heartbreaking tragedies and personal struggles along the way to the Eternal fame.
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a walk in the woods of bill bryson
After spending 20 years living in England, Bill Bryson came up with a great way to reacquaint himself with his home country — walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. After he and his buddy Stephen Katz completed their odyssey, he wrote about their adventures in the instant-classic A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.
Stretching from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail offers a stunning landscape of tranquil forests and pristine lakes.
bryson does an excellent job of describing the beauty of the fragile trail and making a moving plea for its preservation, but it’s his comic genius that takes this adventure book from good to great.
Equal parts adventure, comedy, and celebration, you’ll want to hit the Appalachian Trail as you laugh out loud at the odd assortment of characters Bryson and Katz encounter on their epic journey.
the oregon trail by francis parkman
The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life is one of the few non-fiction adventure books that earns the title of classic American literature.
It’s one of those books that sits proudly on the shelf alongside decorative copies of Treasure Island and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but often goes unread. a shame, as it’s really a great story.
the oregon trail presents the intriguing story of francis parkman’s journey west across the great plains in 1846. after arriving in westport, missouri, by stagecoach, boat, and wagon, parkman embarks on horseback with three companions on a journey of two thousand miles journey.
Since its publication, the book has become a classic account of one man’s exploration of the American wilderness.
towards the nature of jon krakauer
Another excellent book from Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild is a compelling book that evokes the writings of Muir, Thoreau, and Jack London.
The book recounts the tragic mystery of young Chris McCandless, a prosperous college graduate who abandoned his possessions and personal wealth before hitchhiking to Alaska to live in the wild. McCandless’s emaciated body was discovered four months later, in September 1992, but the intrigue of his story lives on today.
in nature, krakauer addresses the questions surrounding the chris mccandless story by addressing the alluring and often dangerous lure of the outdoors.
Based on McCandless’ diary, letters and notes found in his remote camp, the book brings together the young man’s story, from what inspired him to embrace a Tolstoian renunciation of wealth and return to nature, to costly mistakes that eventually cost him his life.
The movie is great (Krakauer himself praises Sean Penn’s depiction of the story), but the book is even better.
the lost city of z by david grann
Chances are you’ve seen the award-winning film The Lost City of Z, the story of legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett’s search for an ancient civilization in the Amazon and the mystery surrounding his disappearance in 1925. If you haven’t, it’s definitely worth a Saturday night and a bowl of popcorn.
I’m not always one to read the book after seeing the movie, but in this case the lost city of z is absolutely worth reading. yes, you’ll continue through the narrative with the final spoiler already in your brain, but it’s still a fascinating read.
Countless explorers have perished over the years trying to solve the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century. the author himself has traveled to the deadly jungle, so he can speak with a rare sense of authority that only comes from personal experience. you’ll be mesmerized from start to finish, even if you already know the ending.
adrift by steven callahan
Adrift tells the true story of Steven Callahan’s harrowing 76 days at sea on an inflatable raft. Callahan is the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, so his account is as unique as it is inspiring.
adrift, a sailing classic, spent an incredible 36 weeks on the new york times bestseller list and is definitely a must-have in any adventure library.
It’s worth noting that Steven Callahan’s Adrift is not the story behind the 2018 film of the same name. That story actually comes from the account of Tami Oldham, who spent 41 days at sea when His ship was crippled by Hurricane Raymond in 1983.
If you’re interested in Tami’s story, read Adrift: A True Story of Love and Loss by Tami Oldham Ashcraft.
sebastian junger’s perfect storm
When three weather systems collided off the coast of Nova Scotia in October 1991, it resulted in an unprecedented tempest with no warning that spawned 100+ foot swells and gale-force winds. It was the storm of the century — the perfect storm.
In his book The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger follows the fateful journey of six men aboard the Andrea Gail, a sword fishing boat that disappeared without a trace during the storm.
junger details the rescues that took place that night, some of which gave birth to heroes while others added more victims to the unforgiving sea. is a story of courage, terror and wonder, combined with a fascinating study of the history of the fishing industry and the science of storms.
in the heart of the sea by nathaniel philbrick
The story of Captain Ahab and the white whale may have been fiction, but the inspiration for Herman Melville’s classic tale is absolutely real.
In the Heart of the Sea tells the incredible true story of the Essex whaler, a 240-ton ship that was wrecked by an 80-ton bull sperm whale in the far reaches of the South Pacific. Fearing cannibals on nearby islands, the surviving crew piloted their three small boats to South America, 3,000 miles away.
Without spoiling the ending, let’s just say it wasn’t a pleasure cruise as the survivors gradually succumbed to thirst, hunger, disease, and fear throughout the 90-day voyage.
In the Heart of the Sea is a gripping story of adventure and survival at sea, offering the definitive portrait of man against nature. the story is impeccably researched and beautifully told, a page-turning narrative with a solid place in American literary history.
wild by cheryl strayed
Hailed by critics as one of the best books of the year when it debuted in 2014, Wild shares the inspiring journey of Cheryl Strayed.
Feeling that his life was in shambles, he took a detour and embarked on a personal odyssey to find himself on the path of the pacific ridge. Driven by sheer will with no training or experience, she wandered off and walked alone over a thousand miles from the Mojave Desert to Washington State.
strayed’s journey to find healing is an uplifting story of a woman who keeps going against all odds. She’s also wonderfully entertaining, sparkling with warmth and humor as she captures the suspense and fear of tackling such an epic undertaking on her own.
touching the void by joe simpson
Simon Yates and Joe Simpson had just reached the summit of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when Simpson plummeted from the vertical face of an ice ledge and broke his leg. Yates struggled to lower his partner to safety for hours in the midst of a raging blizzard, but was ultimately forced to cut the rope before he was pulled to his own death.
Sure that his friend had perished, Yates returned to base camp overwhelmed by guilt and grief. Of course, if the story ended there, Touching the Void wouldn’t be much of a book, and the fact that Joe Simpson is the author is a bit of a spoiler.
simpson miraculously survived the fall and, although he was trapped in a deep crevasse, hungry, crippled and severely frostbitten, he managed to crawl through the cliffs and canyons of the Andes to base camp, arriving just hours before the yachts would plan to do it. break camp.
how simpson and yachts got through the agony of those traumatic three days is a heroic story of survival, suffering and fear, a moving display of true friendship and bravery.
the worst trip in the world by aspley cherry-garrard
In The Worst Journey in the World, Aspley Cherry-Garrard provides a gripping account of Robert Falcon’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. One of only three men to survive the notorious winter journey, Cherry-Garrard himself was with the search party who discovered the remains of Scott and his men after they succumbed to starvation and the brutal cold.
Based on his personal experience as the youngest member of Scott’s team and the journals of his fellow explorers, Cherry-garrard presents the legendary expedition in vivid detail.
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It’s an adventurous narrative, but more importantly, it’s a fitting memory for these early explorers who lost their lives attempting a feat that is still nearly impossible today.
resistance by alfred lansing
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and 27 crewmembers set sail for the South Atlantic aboard the Endurance, planning to cross the Antarctic overland. By October 1915, the Endurance was stranded half a continent away from their destination, trapped in impenetrable ice.
The ship was crushed by expanding ice in the spring, leaving Shackleton’s crew marooned without a ship in the harshest environment on the planet.
however, as the resistance book continues to show, you can crush a ship, but you can’t crush human sand. Shackleton and his crew miraculously survived for seventeen months, drifting on pack ice, attacked by sea leopards, and surviving on fur seal and polar bear meat as their limbs froze.
is a truly remarkable story of dogged determination and the will to survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. to be honest, it makes modern expeditions look pretty pampered.
a brief tour of eric newby’s hindu kush
After spending a decade in the fashion industry, Eric Newby decided he needed a change. So, as any logical career-changer would, he took four days of training in Wales before hiking the Hindu Kush.
A short drive through the Hindu Kush follows Newby and his friend through the formidable peaks of the Nuristan Mountains in northeastern Afghanistan on the greatest adventure of their lives.
The story takes the reader to a region few Westerners have visited and offers a tale of triumphant and terrifying ups and downs. the author’s style is admittedly a bit unorthodox, but the thrill of the adventure combined with his sharp wit make for an entertaining read.
seven years in tibet by heinrich harrer
In Heinrich Harrer’s fascinating memoir Seven Years in Tibet, the Austrian mountaineer recounts his adventures as one of the first Westerners to enter Tibet and encounter the Dalai Lama.
The book covers his escape from a British internment camp in India in 1944, his journey to Lhasa, and the subsequent years he spent living with the Tibetan people. Harrer eventually became a tutor and friend to the 14th Dalai Lama.
Given his kinship with the Dalai Lama and his presence in Tibet just before the Chinese invaded the country in 1950, Harrer’s memoir offers an incredible insight into contemporary Tibetan culture.
On the one hand, it’s a fascinating adventure book; on the other hand, it is a sobering glimpse into the last days of an independent Tibetan state before the Chinese invasion.
wind, sand and stars by antoine de saint-exupéry
One of National Geographic’s Top 10 adventure titles, winner of the National Book Award, and recipient of the Grand Prix of the Académie Francaise, Wind, Sand and Stars is one of the most popular works ever written about flying. Even better, it’s written by the philosophical master of prose Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who you may be surprised to hear was an early pioneer of aviation.
wind, sand and stars captures the grandeur, danger and isolation of flight in eloquent prose. saint-exupéry offers his views and experiences on topics such as heroism, death, friendship, and solidarity among colleagues, ultimately illustrating his thoughts on what makes life worth living.
If you’re one of those adults who still experiences a childlike sense of excitement when a plane takes off and you feel the brief pull of gravity pulling you back down to earth, this book belongs on your tbr list.
kon-tiki by thor heyerdahl
There’s an old story in Polynesian folklore that says the South Sea Islands were settled long ago by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east.
When scientists scorned Thor Heyerdahl, a respected biologist, for believing the stories to be true, he set out to prove that it was actually possible. What better way to try the impossible than to do it yourself?
Heyerdahl gathered a group of five other adventurous souls and built a primitive raft out of balsa wood, bamboo and hemp, the same materials that would have been available to pre-Columbian sailors in South America. The group set sail from Peru and eventually traveled 4,300 nautical miles over three months to reach the Polynesian island of Puka Puka.
Heyerdahl not only gave credence to Polynesian folklore, but his adventures on the high seas make fascinating reading in the book that documents his expedition: kon-tiki (named after his raft). Heyerdahl’s adventure has gone down in nautical legend as a feat of courage and endurance, a magnificent saga of man against sea.
diary of the dead by jason kersten
Journal of the Dead is the perfect adventure book for true crime fans. Combining the best features of both genres, author Jason Kersten takes on the true story of two friends who become stranded in the desert at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Hungry, dehydrated and near death, the friends made a suicide pact as vultures circled above them. When rescuers finally discovered the sole survivor, they were shocked when he openly admitted to stabbing his friend in a mercy killing.
In Diary of the Dead, Kersten uses interviews, profiles, and the shared diary of friends to retell the story of her fateful journey to the New Mexico desert.
The book blends the best features of the true crime and adventure genres, taking you through the gritty details of their expedition and the puzzling nature of the ensuing murder trial.
margot mifflin’s blue tattoo
When 13-year-old Olive Oatman’s family headed west to join the Mormon settlers in 1851, they had dreams of a bright future surrounded by people of like-minded faith. Six years later, Olive was ransomed back to “her people” by the Mohave Indians. What happened in between is an incredible story.
In The Blue Tattoo, Margot Mifflin addresses the story of Olive Oatman through the letters and diaries of Oatman’s friends and family. she details how her family was brutally murdered by Yavapai Indians before the orphan spent a year in slavery. About a year after her, she was traded to the Mohave Indians, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own, fully assimilating her into her tribe.
Olive Oatman became an instant celebrity when she returned to American society, eventually marrying a wealthy Texas banker. Her story has since become legend, inspiring radio plays, movies, fiction, artwork, and an episode from Death Valley Days starring none other than Ronald Reagan. But Mifflin’s account raises an interesting perspective: Did Olive Oatman really want to go home?
desert solitaire by edward abbey
Desert Solitaire was originally published in 1968, but its cry to preserve the natural beauty of the American West is just as relevant today as it was half a century ago. Given the rapid development of the modern world and the gradual deterioration of the earth’s natural wonders, one could argue it’s even more poignant today.
edward abbey wrote desert solitaire while working as a ranger in arches national park (then a national monument) outside moab, utah, and you can feel his deep devotion to the land in his work.
While Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness and the dichotomy between the modern world and the natural world, she also delves into her own personal struggle with morality. the passionate and poetic memoir offers a rare insight into one man’s quest to experience nature in its purest form.
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