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It's an adventure story, it's a how-to guide... it's Calvin Rustrum. After pining away for years -- and bidding fruitlessly on several copies on eBay -- I got hold of the new (reprint) edition. My, oh, my. Awesome! Cal is truly The Man. Yes, it was published in 1968 (as was a certain Web site host who shall remain nameless) and as such some of the info is a bit dated. Some of it I don't really agree with, in light of newer technology: down long underwear, for instance. But the fundamentals are the same, and he knew more about this stuff than most of us ever will. He is an engaging writer and has an unabashed, infectious love for the winter wilderness.

Note that Rustrum practiced trapper-style winter camping, which leaves the kitchen sink at home but brings the stove and just about everything else. This is shocking to people reared on lightweight mountaineering gear, but if you're not climbing a mountain, why try to fit everything into a backpack?

WINTERDANCE: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen

Exciting and hilarious first-person account of a middle-aged man who decides to run the Iditarod. Doesn't have much to do with winter camping, since Paulsen rarely gets a chance to sleep in the book, but a great adventure and extremely well-written.

CROSSING ANTARCTICA by Will Steger and Jon Bowermaster

The story of the 1989-1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition; six men from six different countries make a 7-month, 3,700-mile crossing of Antarctica by dogsled. Good expedition story by team leader Steger, well annotated with gear and provision lists.

ARCTIC DREAMS by Barry Lopez

The classic North-country book, by one of the best nature writers in the world (also quite talented at fiction -- Crow and Weasel is great).

THE WINTER WILDERNESS COMPANION: TRADITIONAL AND NATIVE AMERICAN SKILLS FOR THE UNDISCOVERED SEASON by Garrett and Alexandra Conover

(The updated version of their earlier Snow Walker's Companion.) Excellent, very readable book by a well-respected husband-and-wife guide team. They practice "old-fashioned" techniques, with big canvas tents, natural fibers, axes, and the like -- not the book to read if you plan to go fast and light. It gets deep into traditional methods of surviving with the winter wilderness by living with it, not just camping in it.

WINTERWISE: A BACKPACKER'S GUIDE by John Dunn

Thorough, all-around guide to winter backpacking. Covers a wide range of topics, from food to French technique. A good choice if you're just starting out or want one book that touches on almost everything.

MOUNTAINEERING: THE FREEDOM OF THE HILLS The Mountaineers

The legendary book from The Mountaineers; the definitive manual for technical climbing. While it doesn't spend much time on camping techniques, it has everything you need to know about moving safely when the snow (and ice) gets steep. Much of it may be too technical for the average winter camper, but it's a great reference for anyone who spends a lot of time in crampon and ice axe territory.

I don't know of any cookbooks that address winter camping in particular, and I don't think one is really needed. Below are some backpacking cookbooks that may be helpful in planning a winter trip.

NOLS COOKERY by Claudia Pearson

Very clear, very helpful book based on NOLS' "bulk rationing" system, which gives parties large amounts of several foods - allowing them to create menus on the fly - rather than traditional individual-menu planning. It's a very helpful system for long trips. Also covers a lot of cooking basics: measurements, techniques, storage solutions. Simple, easy recipes. Has some advice for vegetarian winter campers.

TRAILSIDE'S TRAIL FOOD edited by John Viehman

A thorough lesson in individual-menu planning, with sections on what foods to eat in different climates/seasons. Has a lot of good tips, and a very good selection of easy recipes - my favorite of any outdoor cookbook. A good memory of the now-defunct Trailside series (usurped by also-now-defunct "Anyplace Wild," which I guess is a more young, hip, and active title... though it seemed like the same show to me).

SIMPLE FOODS FOR THE PACK by Claudia Axcell, Diana Cooke, Vikki Kinmont

Published by the Sierra Club, this book includes a food glossary, a few sample menus, brief cooking tips and some natural remedies to common ailments of the trail. The focus, however, is on the recipes. The dishes are natural, healthy, and imaginative, though for the winter camper they may be too complicated and would need a good deal of "fattening up."

GORP, GLOP & GLUE STEW: FAVORITE FOODS FROM 165 OUTDOOR EXPERTS by Yvonne Prater and Ruth Dyar Mendenhall

Another one from The Mountaineers. A cookbook both whimsical and very applicable to a camper's needs. With a large section on one-pot meals, four different glop recipes and several for gorp and granola, it hits me where I live. Plus, each recipe comes from a notable outdoorsperson and includes a tale from them that often relates to the recipe at hand. Tasty and entertaining -- gives you a night's reading in the tent.

ANYTHING EXCEPT SNOW: The last thing I want to read about, as I lie in my tent for 10-12 hours, is someone who's stuck in their tent for 10-12 hours. I want something engaging that doesn't require much heavy lifting, and cheap enough that I won't mind when it gets battered beyond recognition in my pack.

The horrific night of August 13, 1967, when both the first and the second recorded fatal grizzly-bear attacks on humans in Glacier National Park occurred -- both, strangely, involving 19-year-old women -- by different bears 10 miles apart? Mmm... Probably not. I'll save this one for when I'm at home.