Volume 1 of Mechanical Advantage is a compilation of research articles written by John Middendorf and posted online between 2021-2022, primarily documenting the dawn of mechanical climbing in the European Alps. As each article was posted on the bigwallgear website, the author was able to get further feedback from many of the world's best climbers and historians. The book seeks to provide deeper research on oft referenced epochs of mountaineering, with information on the technical and engineering details.