EXPLORATIONS: Great Moments of Discovery from the Royal Geographical Society

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. (Nov.)