New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 1975, 1st edition. 204 pp, many b/w photos and illustrations, appendix. Original blue hardcover with yellow lettering on spine. Ex Lib, Jacket and book are in Good condition.
A cult classic of modern rock climbing in Yosemite. Harding pokes fun at Robbins' high ethical standards, and describes his first ascent of the Nose.
This book is a combination of instruction, satire, and autobiography. Harding (1924-2002) is best known for his first ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, the pioneering ascent of the Nose route with numerous partners, in 1958. He also made the controversial first ascent of El Capitan's Wall of the Early Morning Light in 1970, a climb that attracted national press attention.
Anecdotes abound in connection with Harding's contemporary climbers in the Valley: Royal Robbins, T.M. Herbert, Yvon Chouinard, Don Lauria, Chuck Pratt, Galen Rowell, etc.
The book closes with a tongue-in-cheek appendix where Harding rates these and other climbers (61 total) on a scale of 1 to 10, and presents his reasons plus some biographical notes on each climber.
