How to Rock Climb! (How To Climb Series)

This is the second book I have read about learning to climb and is the better read of the two. John Long is an accomplished climber who knows how to articulate the finer details of climbing to a novice. He also has a more entertaining way to express what can be a sometimes boring subject. No matter how much you like to climb, reading about the in's n' out's can still be boring. With this being the 5th edition, Long has also been able to refine what and how to say everything you need to know as a beginner. Also having read another "how to climb" book by another author and several guide books, I have noticed John Long is often referred to as a reference and for quotes. So if everyone one else is going to refer to and quote him, you might as well read him yourself. If you are only going to read one "how to climb" book, then I would make it this one. Though I highly recommend reading more than one, after all they say two heads is better than one and climbing can be dangerous.

UPDATED: 2 stars for Kindle version, 5 for the paperback. The book is full of much helpful information for beginners, but it wasn't all that useful until after getting a paperback version from a local outdoor gear store. The Kindle version is a rip off however. All the gorgeous color photos are in LOW resolution black and white. I find it's also helpful with a book like this to be able to thumb back and forth easily, which is awkward electronically.

It has been the standard for a long time, continues to be so, easy to see why.

Well, I finally found out what "bomber" meant! :-) as in bombproof. Some times I wanted the lingo explained early on or I suppose I missed those notes in the beginning. This is an interesting book for me - a novice. It is useful. This book would greatly benefit from drawings that get at specific rope configurations and other concepts. The figure drawing showing the forces exerted when increasing the angle of the V is a fine example of weight forces vs angle points. "The forces on the primary placements increase significantly at greater angles"... I NEVER knew this! Epiphany BOING! More of this fine example would make this a great book. Not about the book. Frankly, I think it is better to buy books like this in hardback rather than the Kindle Edition. I get so tired of trying to figure out how to get to page xx. If it says 62 minutes left in book or location 14878, I get frustrated. This is not a novel. This is a guide and a reference. The Kindle format is just not suitable for books like this. My recommendation is to buy the paper edition. The GoTo function is next to useless on a Kindle Fire HD. One other remark about Kindle Editions. The photos are clean and high definition except that a reader cannot enlarge a picture. Plus, in this book some captions to pictures are too small to read easily. Plus, it seems there are no Figure numbers! Why are the pictures lacking an expansion box in the lower left or right corner? Buy paper back or hard copy. I think you'll be happier. From now on I will. For example, you are reading about a knot and you want to re-look it up. In paper, you'd flip back a few pages or a previous chapter and you are there. With the Kindle you have to find a chapter and then scroll to and fro until maybe you find the knot. Or you have to do a search which gives you way too many options in too many places.

Awesome beginners intro book to climbing. Let me start with I very rarely pickup a book and enjoy reading it. Most writers bore me. But, John Long is a great author that kept me entertained the whole time. He has a very light, humorous style. I actually have read 3 times already. I would highly recommend for anyone that's just starting out.

The 4th edition of this book was my first introduction into the sport of Rock Climbing, and is still one of my most commonly used "go to" books when I need to review a point or technique. I bought the 5th edition for my kindle to have it on the go while I'm deployed overseas, and I still think it's one of the most comprehensive guides I've ever read. A note on the images, if you have a classic kindle, the images are B%W, because the kindle is monochromatic. The PC edition (and others I'm sure) is in full color, with all the original glory of the print edition. If you would like to begin rock climbing, or have already been, and would like to learn more, I highly recommend this book as a great reference.

this is a very good book. it explains things in detail with good photos. Ive been climbing for 7 years now and theres always something new to learn. If you have never been climbing before dont think you can just buy this book and go climbing. you need to learn from someone first so you dont get hurt. great book and i would recomend it to anyone

Barely any climbing technique. The book mainly focuses on placing protection, knots, and the history of climbing. Which is fine, but for a book titled "how to climb" I expected to learn how to become a better climber. Seems like it would have been better to have separate books for climbing technique, trad climbing, and the history of climbing. I'm not even sure how good of an idea it is to have a "how to rock climb" book teach about trad climbing because that would imply that you could just read the book, buy some gear, and head out and start placing your own protection. I can honestly say that I didn't learn a single piece of information that actually improved my climbing ability (and I'm sure I have a lot to learn in that area). If you don't know the first thing about climbing you will certainly learn a lot of skills from the book but if this is you then why do you need to learn all about trad climbing/history of climbing?

a mine of information

Of the 12 climbing 'how to' books that I've read during the year of covid, this is by far the one most likely to be called a Climber's Bible. The author's knowledge is absolutely stellar, his writing style easy to follow, and it covers a very extensive range of material. Maybe a few more diagrams here and there would help, but this book is already heafty and I would hate to see him cut something out to make room for diagrams. On the topic of 'old fashioned' climbing ideas, I just want to point out that there are a two or three places where he maybe isn't following current convention. For example, he says that you "should" tie knots in the ends of rappel ropes if you are not sure they make it to the ground. I do believe that the vast majority of climbers, guides, and pros would nowadays say to always tie those knots. But in the end, the book is great and you shouldn't only learn from one source anyway.

A very hands-on book which thoroughly describes how to climb, what to look for and how to better your techniques. While in spite of reading it I'd still take a full class before I try trad, it's still a very good concretization of knowledge for people who've reached different levels of climbing (top-rope, sport, trad) and an insight into what's next.

Everything arrived as promised thank you

Perfect as always!