Mendoza sits at the intersection of Argentine identity and Andean geography, and both themes run through the best books connected to the region.
The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara (1952, published posthumously). Guevara's diary of his 1952 journey through South America passes through Mendoza and the Andes crossing to Chile. The book is lightweight as literature but gives a vivid picture of the landscape and the social conditions of the era. The Andes crossing by motorcycle is exactly as cold and difficult as Guevara makes it sound.
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (1988). Not about Mendoza specifically — it concerns the Siula Grande in Peru — but for anyone heading to Aconcagua or the surrounding mountains, this account of survival in the Andes is essential reading. It conveys better than any guidebook how quickly the mountains become lethal and how slowly rescue comes.
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (1977). Chatwin's journey through southern Argentina reaches further south than Mendoza, but his observations about Argentine society, immigrant communities, and the strangeness of the interior apply broadly to the whole country. The writing is precise and occasionally brilliant.
The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges (collected 1949). Borges is Buenos Aires, not Mendoza, but his conception of Argentina as a place of infinite layered stories applies everywhere in the country. The story "The South" is particularly relevant for anyone travelling in the Argentine interior.