Amazon.com (ISBN 0934641374, Paperback)

The most valuable skill you can acquire as a traditional climber is the ability to build sturdy, reliable anchors. Without that, no amount of natural talent or dumb luck will allow you to live a long, healthy life as a rock climber. Fortunately, John Long's guide to climbing anchors is a definitive source, with sections on natural, equalized, haul bag, and rappelling anchors. Whether you're using spring-loaded, camming devices or the old-school, passive tri-cams, Long presents a number of creative options for nearly every possible situation. Long is a patient teacher and his writing is clear and concise, but it's the hundreds of illustrations that really drive his lessons home. --Benjamin Tiffany