Royal Robbins' risk-taking streak turned up early — way before the Modestan gained fame as a rock-climbing pioneer.

"To Be Brave" (Pink Moment Press, 222 pages) is the first of a projected seven-volume series titled "My Life." Although he now believes that plan may be too ambitious, Robbins decided on that number because he wanted to make each book relatively short.

His goal is to inspire people and show them what is possible.

"I think we are what we dream about," Robbins said, choosing his words carefully. "If you dream about things going well and things turning out well, they tend to. There's no guarantee, but it tends to work that way. If you take a negative view of life, negative things will come your way. If you take a positive view of life, positive things will come your way."

Robbins was known for his daring climbs in the 1950s through the '70s on Yosemite National Park's Half Dome and El Capitan. He and his wife, Liz, founded the Royal Robbins Co., an outdoor clothing store, in 1968 and sold it 31 years later.

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