Explorations: Great Moments of Discovery from the Royal Geographical Society - Softcover

Royal Geographical Society

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1579652204 ISBN 13: 9781579652203

Publisher: Artisan, 2002

Synopsis

Since earliest days, humans have found it impossible to resist the allure of the unknown. The reasons are as different as the people are. Here, in one volume, Explorations captures in photographs and interviews the expeditions and emotions of some of the most daring adventurers of the last century.

Organized according to geographical region, and accompanied by essays by such famous names as Wilfred Thesiger, Richard Leakey, and Edmund Hillary, the photographs offer a fascinating glimpse of the world's varied landscapes and habitats, its peoples, and ways of life. Some of the pictures recall historic moments in time--Scott finding Amundsen's empty tent at the South Pole, Tenzing Norgay photographed by Hillary on the peak of Everest, the ferryman who took David Livingstone across the river on the last day of his life. Other pictures are remarkable as records of vanished or vanishing peoples, or simply as beautiful pieces of art.

The history of the Royal Geographic Society and that of photography were born in the same decade. The invention of photography became an indispensable tool for explorers and travelers, enabling them to make a visual record of what they saw. Many of the photographs they took have found their way into the society's priceless photographic collection and form the basis of this stunning book.

About this title

About the Author:

The Royal Geographical Society has supported geographical research and worldwide exploration since 1830 and is the largest and most vigorous geographic organization in Europe.

From Publishers Weekly:

The Royal Geographical Society was founded in 1830; since then, it has accumulated a half million photographs relating to exploration. The history of the RGS is practically coterminous with the history of the development of photography, born within a few years of one another. This book's wonders fall into two basic categories: landscapes and portraits. In the former group, standouts include an otherworldly shot of Kashmir's Lower Remo Glacier and a gorgeous 1911 view of an Antarctic grotto. The subjects of the "highly exotic" portraits have an understandable tendency to assume austere, dignified poses; the truly memorable pictures break from that mold, such as an 1880s shot of crucified Burmese thieves or an undated photo of a legless South African confronting a baboon. Not to be overlooked, however, are the staggering pictures of humankind's more astonishing edifices, including the Great Wall of China and a Yemeni palace improbably perched on a rock. Brief essays by Hillary, Leakey and others frame some images. This book depends for its success on the boundless variegation of the natural world-and of human society-which is to say that its success is wholly assured. It's divided into geographical sections-everywhere but Europe is amply represented-and each section is arranged chronologically. As readers move forward through time within each section, the later color photos, while dazzling, fail to convey the crude shock of first encounter that the earlier efforts inevitably deliver.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Artisan
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1579652204
• ISBN 13: 9781579652203
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 340