Mechanical Advantage Volume 1 print format available
Mechanical Advantage Series by John Middendorf
Volume 1 of Mechanical Advantage: Tools for the Wild Vertical is now available as a PDF using this link (~450mb file):
http://bigwalls.net/MechAdvantageVol1b.pdf
This volume covers (mostly) European developments up to the 1930s.
I plan to make a few print versions for libraries, and will hopefully get a print-on-demand service organised at some point in the future, as there seems to be interest. Next, I will be working on Volume 2, which will begin with early climbing in North America in the 1910s, then continue into the 1950s, when big wall climbing became a global phenomena.
For the print version, I will be making a cover, so I am looking for “blurbs” (short recommendations 2-3 sentences max) for the back cover.
Also if you see typos or corrections, of which I am sure will appear in this initial print format version, please also respond by adding TYPO to the reply email message title, that will help a lot!! Annotated screenshots are gold for revisions.
There is still a lot of work to do to get the whole book done, bibliography, index, etc. which I hope to get around to in the coming years.
Thanks for joining me on this writing adventure so far!
John Middendorf, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (September 29, 2022)
Quickie cover for test print copy run:
I try to write more like journalism but include history. I worked as journalist at the Pagosa Sun for a year, and found that writing about weather was really really fun.
open source with attribution is a good way to go. Academics have been doing it for centuries.