Vertical World of Yosemite, The
Yosemite climbs described by the climbers who made the first ascents

Format	Book	Category	Narratives
Title	Vertical World of Yosemite, The	Pages	207
Author	Galen A. Rowell	RRP
Publisher	Wilderness Press	Reviews	1
Edition	(June 1979)	Ave Rating	(5.00 of 5)

User

Comments

IdratherbeclimbingM9 7/27/2005

This soft cover A4 format book is a collection of Writings by various first ascent Authors and excellent Photographs on rock climbing in Yosemite, edited (and introduced) by G.A. Rowell who gives a short historical context / relevant notes on setting, as to what one is about to read. Each chapter is its own story and many have been published elsewhere (eg The American Alpine Journal), however this is a grand book for having gathered them all in one place. It is an excellent historical treatise of not only benchmark pioneering climbs but also other facets of the Yosemite experience and controversy, within both the context of their times and subsequent peer review. It covers specific events in seventeen chapters from an ascent of Half Dome in 1884 by A.Phimister Proctor through to an interview with Royal Robbins in 1971 after he removed many bolts during the second ascent of the Harding-Caldwell route on the Wall of the Morning Light. It is very well endowed with many original photographs, nearly all of which are black and white though this is not to be unexpected since they were mostly taken by the first ascentionists or Galen Rowell at the time. Some of these are 'famous' in that I have seen them used in other publications, but there is a wealth of gems (amongst a few ordinary ones) that I doubt have seen the light of day elsewhere. Many of them will blow your mind with their portrayal of what was achieved with the equipment of the day. If you want first hand insight into the spirit of what it takes to put up iconic climbs spanning the golden years of development in Yosemite then this book cannot be recommended highly enough, and for Yosemite Climbing aficionados generally this book is an indispensable (though possibly hard to obtain?), 'bible'.

Further Reading:
Amazon - Details, purchasing, etc.