From Bandarpunch and Nanda Devi to the Annapurna and more, Zachary Conrad recommends five must-read books for a better understanding of the mountains we seek to scale—beyond us, and within us.

A short film from Mussoorie Writers, featuring Bill Aitken reading from his 1994 book, The Nanda Devi Affair

“I feel a lot of things in the mountains, but gratitude is what I feel the most.” In his first ‘Pardesi Pahadi’ column, Zachary Conrad writes about an unforgettable hike for a glimpse of the majestic Nanda Devi