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Messner, Kate

First Ascent: The Epic Yosemite Rock-Climbing Rivalry of Royal Robbins and Warren Harding

56 pp. | Yosemite Conservancy | August, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781951179335 $19.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. Robbins (1935–2017) and Harding (1924–2002) started out as rock-climbing buddies but quickly became rivals. Messner’s conversational text introduces them and their interest in climbing; she then follows them from the few climbs they attempted together to the many they tried separately and competitively. Yosemite National Park had plenty of rockfaces that no one had summited yet, and a race for first ascents ensued. The text, at times placed on the page to im-ply pauses (“Finally, Royal felt that rocky ledge under his hand / and held on / for dear life”), evokes the drama of ­scaling a rockface. Occasional direct address draws readers and listeners in (“You know how ­Warren felt about giving up”). The text also makes clear the differences in the men’s philosophies of climbing, which informed key moments in their rivalry: Robbins tried to leave as few traces behind as possible, while Harding “just wanted to climb!” without worrying about how many bolts he hammered into the rock. The illustrations’ c­ompositions are engagingly varied, though their representations of people can be cartoonish. Back matter includes more information about rock climbing and the “rock stars” who climbed alongside ­Robbins and Harding, further reading, and selected sources.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

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