I have been reading all the Mountain Literature Classics articles and wonder if somewhere I have missed this one.
Roger Hubank's 2001 novel Hazard's Way.
The early years of rock climbing in Wasdale at the end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th. With a background of social change and an unpopular war this could be right up to date. It culminates in one of the key tragedies of early climbing.
There is an early line I like: men for whom it was a moral duty to make something of their lives.
In a lifetime of reading this is one of the finest books I have read.