A nationally known mountain climber at the age of 15, Washburn moved from an academic career at Harvard to become the director of Boston's Museum of Science, but he is probably best known for his nature photography, which was directly influenced by Ansel Adams. A longtime associate of National Geographic, which initially published much of his work, Washburn is a pioneer of aerial surveying and photography, developing technology that is still in use. The book details his techniques and includes informative historical and biographical text by journalist Smith and long sections in Washburn's own words (including the story of Barbara Washburn, who nonchalantly takes a job as his first secretary at the Museum of Science and then spends the next half-century as Brad's full-fledged partner in adventure and exploration). But the stars of the show are the 100 b&w photos and maps: aside from boyhood and personal photos, there are stunning glaciers, striking deserts—any earth formation that looks spectacular from a mountaintop is here. Yet the biographical material here is dominant enough that readers will have to care about mountaineering and aerial photographic history as lived by Washburn. (Nov.)
