Royal geographic society illustrated: a unique record of exploration and photography

Lavishly produced with 300 historic images, and with essays by noted explorers and adventurers, this magnificent volume is one to treasure—a stunning view of the world in all its variety and a pictorial reminder of some of the greatest achievements in exploration and photography. The history of the Royal Geographical Society and that of photography run parallel, for both were born in the same decade. The new invention of photography was to become a vital tool for explorers and travelers, enabling them to make a visual record of all they saw. Many of these pictures eventually found their way into the Society's priceless photographic collection, 300 of which form the basis of this book. Organized geographically—with essays by such celebrated names as Wilfred Thesiger, Richard Leakey, and Edmund Hillary—the photographs open a window onto the world. Some of the images recall legendary events—Scott as he discovers Amundsen's empty tent at the South Pole; Tenzing Norgay photographed by Hillary as he reaches the peak of Everest; Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, frozen into the pack ice in Antarctica. Other pictures are remarkable records of vanished or vanishing peoples—or simply beautiful works of art in their own right.