BURSTThe Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature has announced its 2026 shortlist, with six books selected from 33 entries submitted from nine countries. The shortlisted authors are from a range of backgrounds and the books span mountaineering history, environmental writing, mountain culture, biography and fiction.
The 2026 entries came from England, Bulgaria, Canada, Georgia, India, New Zealand, Switzerland, the USA and Wales, continuing the award’s international reach.The shortlist was selected by judges Nandini Purandare, chair, Brian Hall and Tony Whittome. The six shortlisted books are:
Upland: The Strange History and Vital Future of Britain’s Mountains by Ed Douglas, published by The Bodley Head, Vintage-Penguin Random House. Douglas examines the geology, history, politics and culture of Britain’s uplands, exploring their role in shaping communities and national identity across Scotland, Wales and northern England. The book also considers the prospects for restoring damaged upland environments.
First on Everest: The Life of Howard Somervell by Graham Hoyland, published by The History Press. The biography focuses on Howard Somervell, a surgeon, mountaineer, musician and artist who took part in the 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions. Somervell climbed without supplemental oxygen to a world-record altitude in 1924 and later became a medical missionary in India. His watercolour paintings are included in the book.
Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People and Place in Antarctica by Louise K. Blight, published by The Westbourne Press, an imprint of Saqi Books. The book documents three months in Antarctica, focusing on scientists, wildlife, changing conditions and the impact of climate change. It follows work studying breeding penguins and the effects of the world’s largest-ever iceberg on their habitat.
Everest Surgeon: Michael Ward and the Exploration of High Asia by Riaz Dean, published by Pen & Sword Books. The biography examines the life and expeditions of Michael Ward, the doctor on the 1953 first ascent of Everest. Ward also played a key role in the 1951 Everest reconnaissance, led Himalayan scientific and mountaineering research, and was involved in expeditions in Nepal, Bhutan and China.
Borrowed Land: A Highland Story by Kapka Kassabova, published by Jonathan Cape. Kassabova examines life in a Scottish Highland glen undergoing significant change. The book combines memoir, cultural history and portraits of local people while considering the effects of renewable-energy projects, industrial development and other changes on the area’s established way of life.
Crux by Gabriel Tallent, published by Penguin Random House UK through its Fig Tree imprint. The only novel on the shortlist, Crux follows two teenagers, Tamma Callahan and Dan Redburn, whose friendship develops around climbing in California’s Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree. The novel explores adolescence, identity, family relationships and the intense commitment of young climbers.
The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature will be presented to the winner or winners at the Boardman Tasker Award Shortlisted Authors event during the Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday, November 20, 2026. The 2026 shortlist covers both non-fiction and fiction, with the six books examining mountains and climbing through environmental, historical, cultural, biographical and personal perspectives.
The post Six Books Up for Esteemed Mountain Literature Award appeared first on Gripped Magazine.