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Explorers House: National Geographic and the World It Made

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They've nearly all died-Colliers, Look, Saturday Evening Post, Life, Holiday, and many other magazines--while National Geographic flourishes. The people who made this happen are the subject of Explorers House by Bob Poole

Though circulation has dipped from a high near 11million, the Geographic still reaches around 7 million domestic subscribers, plus two million in foreign issues, and who knows how many others in dentists' offices.

Former associate editor Poole examines more than a century of Geographic publishing, from a thin magazine nursed by Alexander Graham Bell and his son-in-law, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, to the present megamagazine whose offspring of TV and books and et ceteras are presided over by more than 50 well-compensasted vice-presidents.

The heart of Poole's chronicle is the Grosvenor editorial dynasty--the orderly Gilbert, his brilliant son Melville, and Melville's methodical son Gil, now chairman of the board. The smoldering tiff between Gil and editor Bill Garrett, which ends in Garrett's sudden firing, reads like a thriller. Both men still speak to Poole, a testament to the tale's accuracy.

So much for editors. Over the years staffers and contributors performed sacred, sometimes unique, Geographic feats: Robert Peary makes it to the North Pole, or was it just in the vicinity? Maynard Owen Williams explores Tutankhamen's tomb; Luis Marden dives off Pitcairn Island and discovers the remains of H.M.S. Bounty; Barry Bishop climbs Mt. Everest and loses toes to frostbite.

Gilding no lilies, Poole documents Gilbert Grosvenor's racist attitude toward blacks, as well as his early sympathy for Hitler's Germany.

Editor Poole is also a writers writer, a master of the telling detail, the nifty phrase, and the unexpected but apt word. His relentless pursuit of primary sources brings revelations that have surprised even long time Geographic staff members, myself included. A work to be praised, and savored.

Poole's Explorers House delves into the private, behind-the-scenes world of the National Geographic Society. The author, who retired as Executive Editor of the National Geographic magazine so he could write this unflinching biography, explores the formation of the NGS as a DC-based social club for government scientists, military men, inventors, and the all-important amateurs, and the connections and power of the Hubbard, Bell and Grosvenor families that controlled the organization for over a century (a family tree is included that helps decipher this sometimes confusing web of nepotism).

Poole discusses the member/subscriber scheme that fueled the Society's early days (and they were the first magazine to include subscription cards in their pages), the funding of various expeditions, the emergence of NG as a photographic powerhouse, the stock market crash and its effect on the NGS, their expansion into books, globes, television, and other magazines, and their transformation into a giant corporate entity. He also gives a good look at Alexander Graham Bell, a remarkable and caring man who's vision truly lifted the NGS to greatness.

Poole does not shy away from the NGS's black eyes, including the institutional - and sometimes blatant - racism that existed in one form or another, within the NGS until the 1970s, the Cook/Peary North Pole controversy, and the embarrassing pro-Hitler and Mussolini articles that appeared in NG in the late-1930s.

This book is not, and does not claim to be, about the various adventures funded by the NGS. While some explorations are discussed, this tome is primarily about the men and women who made these adventures possible. In that aspect this book is unique. The adventures of the NGS are available in numerous other books and, of course, in the magazine itself.

Understanding that I am a big supporter of the NGS and its mission, I really enjoyed this book. While it is a scholarly work (and to that end is heavily endnoted), it is still an excellent, well-flowing narrative that is at times astonishing, and always riveting. It has increased the enjoyment of my NG collection and I would recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in the workings of the NGS.

If I were to find fault, I would have wanted more photos other than the one posted at each chapter head (to resolve this, just take a look at any NG anniversary issue, the photos will jump to life after reading Poole's account). There are some statistics that are needlessly repeated and I would have like to know what kind of competition existed between the Smithsonian magazine and NG (Smithsonian is only mentioned in passing), but these are just pebbles in an otherwise long, beautiful road.

EXPLORERS HOUSE; `NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND
THE WORLD IT MADE' By Robert M. Poole

I remember as a kid waiting for the newest issue of National Geographic Magazine to arrive with its distinctive yellow border and its images of impossibly remote and exotic places: not to mention the Barenaked Natives. Many years later, I had the unmitigated temerity to actually APPLY for a job at the National Geographic Society, and received an unctuous and snotty rejection. (One doesn't just "apply" to the Society for work; the Society seeks one out, like Skull and Bones or the CIA which,come to think of it, are one and the same.)

It is that aloof and patrician attitude that Robert Poole explores in "Explorers House."
From its inception, the Society existed in the rarified stratosphere of Society. After all, its motto is:" A Society for the Increase and Diffusion of Geographic Knowledge." That sounds like something Ben Jon son or Cotton Mather might have written. It sure isn't NASCAR.

The insider's perspective of the National Geographic (Poole is the retired Executive Editor) reveals the insular, almost incestuous, relationship between Alexander Graham Bell, the Grosvenors, and the Hubbards, all of whom played major roles in the development of the Society.

The subtitle of the book is revelatory:" National Geographic and the World it made."
Like TIME magazine under Henry Luce's stewardship, the Geographic created the world in its own image.

The Geographic created the myth of Robert Peary (who may or may not have reached the North Pole),and subsidized the research of the Leakey's in Africa. It pumped millions into research. And late in its development, the Magazine shifted gears (in the view of its conservative Trustees) and began to cover the issue of race in a feature article on Harlem, global warming, and the environment. In the end, in the words of its editors, the mission of the Geographic is " to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge." Geography is defined in a broad sense as the description of land, sea, and universe; the interrelationship of man with the flora and fauna of earth; and the historical, cultural, scientific, governmental and social backgrounds of society. As society changes, the: magazine slowly evolves its style,format and subject matter to reflect that change without altering those policies."

And does it well.

This book not only presents a meticulously researched history of one of America's most humanistic institutions, the National Geographic, but expertly teases out the very human qualities, the in-house politicking and leadership visions - brave, quirky or inspired - that helped fuel its rise. It is quite a story, the intriguing ins and outs of which were news to this occasional magazine contributor. Founded in 1888, when the country was alive with youthful passion for investigating the physical world, the Geographic evolved into an elegantly two-fisted salon from which explorers the likes of Robert E. Peary, self-styled conqueror of the North Pole, went forth to paint in the blank places on the map. The Society went on to support platoons of intrepid explorers and field scientists, including not a few curmudgeonly writers, photographers, and world-class prima donnas into the bargain. Painstakingly reported, gracefully written, Bob Poole's book limns that whole idiosyncratic lineup with wry insight. Fondness for the institution (which he served as executive editor) aside, however, Poole doesn't flinch from telling the tale warts and all - the Geographic's prewar ambivalence toward Hitler's Germany, its embrace in pre-Civil Rights America of the larger society's racial prejudices, or its Cold War fling in aiding CIA efforts against the Russians. What shines through is Poole's gift for putting the reader into the trenches as the men and women of the Geographic launch themselves into the world, to encounter not only the hard-won botanical specimen or the forbidding wind-scarred glacier but the potentates and political powers-that-be, both at home and abroad, that tend to make life really challenging. What emerges is a clear-eyed picture of how, under the founding Grosvenor clan, the Geographic became a vehicle for the drive, enthusiasms and meritocratic strivings which, on its many good days, typified the better angels of America's approach to the world in the century just past.

I stumbled upon this book, and am I glad I did. It's a lovely history of a great--and eccentric--American icon. And it's not boring, if you're worried about that. In fact, it's way cool, with lots of romance, adventure, history, and enthusiasm for life the founders of the place had. That love for life is why so many people are fond of National Geographic and how so many scientists--amateur and professional--found their life callings. Anyone I know with even a passing interest in anthropology, archaeology, wildlife, the sky, the sea, whatever, all of them say they trace their passion back to reading National Geographic when they were young. I plan on giving them this book for Christmas. Take a look at it; it's well worth it.

This review will not include a synopis -

A thorough telling of the history of the magazine and the people who made it. I don't know about you but my family always saved the copies of National Geographic and put then on the shelves next to the books. How many magazines can you say that about? And it certainly wasn't because of the text. And this was no accident. It was a conscience decision in how the magazine was both put together and 'sold'. You don't subscibe to the magazine, you become a 'member'. It made me think about the film "It's a Wonderful Life" were the boy Jimmy Stewart is proudly explaining that he is a member of the Geographic Society when he still thinks he is going to explore the world outside of his small town. This book was written by a retired executive editor of the magazine and it seems like he had great access. Despite the magazine being his former employer, this is not strictly a love letter to the National Geographic Society. The author doesn't pull punches when it comes to the infighting and power struggles within the magazine, the relationship with the US Gov't (such as letting the FBI use the Society's headquarters proxiemty to the Soviet Embassy to its advantage during the cold war) or the societies history of racism (an issue until well into the 1970's) in a city that has a large african-american community. A good read for anyone interested in publishing, historical Washington, DC and the families behind it.

The next time you're in a used bookstore and notice that pile of old National Geographic magazines that seem to litter every such establishment in the country, ponder this: until the 1950s blacks were denied membership to the NGS, the magazine's first and long-time editor Gilbert H. Grosvenor was a big fan of Hitler and his youth movement, and for years up until the mid 1960s photographs were doctored and altered to "enhance" dramatic effect and remove "unseemly" objects. Robert M. Poole delves into these concerns along with the otherwise brilliant achievements of both the Society and the magazine in this fine historical account.

Founded by the Grosvenor family and Alexander Graham Bell, who had married into it, the NGS and its magazine got off to a shaky but promising start. The decision to promote quality photography along with its instructive and accurate articles was a boon to the magazine's success. Poole also recounts the Peary-Cook North Pole controversy and the Mt. Everest expedition of 1963, both in which the NGS played a big part. The book begins to drag a bit toward the end as the Society goes through a number of personnel changes in its slide toward mediocrity and its main concern with "the bottom line." But Poole does an excellent job in telling the Society's history and makes one long for the "golden age" of the magazine's glory years (pre-1970s, especially the 1950s).

I've always found it interesting to see how the National Geographic magazine has changed over the years - the photography, article perspective and magazine layout - to what it is today. Without a doubt, Explorers House provided a fascinating peek into the lives of the people who were responsible for founding and making this magazine a national institution. I enjoyed reading about the Bell and Grosvenor families but even more, I truly liked reading the "behind the scene stories" of the explorations National Geographic sponsored and the assignment locations their staff journeyed off to. In particular, the Peary/Cook trek to the North Pole and Luis Marden's astounding find of the HMS Bounty remains. Wish there was a little more of this in the book. Maybe Poole has another book to write?

While growing up, a staple around my family's house was the National Geographic Magazine. I have many fond memories of paging through the magazines throughout the years, for the fantastic pictures from all around the world as well as their fantastic maps that seemed to come with every issue. Even to this day, I refuse to throw out any copies that I come across. Indeed, I have a large box in the bottom of my closest of back issues, with a handful from the early 1960s, a couple from the mid-1990s and some from the past decade. The National Geographic is a wonderful magazine, one that has both inspired and opened my eyes to the world.

This made the most recent book that I've finished, Explorers House: National Geographic and the World It Made, by Robert Poole, such a fun read over the past month. Chronicling the history of the organization, Poole examines the chain of events that helped to shape the iconic, yellow bordered magazine over the past century or so that it has been around.

In 1888, a group of men gathered in the Cosmos Club in Lafayette Square in Washington DC to organize a group that would foster knowledge, geography and an understanding of the world to members, and in doing so, launched one of the greatest organizations that has ever existed. After a short meeting in which the Society's name and bylaws were created, the group began to meet regularly, where they would host speakers, moving from place to place. The official magazine was commissioned later in that year, a collection of maps, charts and articles, and was irregularly published for the first couple of years.

Things turned around for the struggling group in 1899, when Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the Telephone, along with Edwin Grosvenor, who would take on the Society and work to expand it far beyond its origins in Washington DC. The Bells and the Grosvenors would become dynasties throughout the magazine's history, to the point where Gilbert Grosvenor, part of the fifth generation involved with the Society, is still the head of the board of directors. Poole moves through the history of the magazine largely focusing on the intertwined nature of the Grosevnor family and the National Geographic magazine, charting its rather colored and spectacular history, examining all aspects in concise, and at times, somewhat am apologetic manner, especially during eras where magazine articles reinforce racism or anti-semitism at various points throughout.

What is most remarkable is the changes that the magazine has undergone, and how it was an exemplary medium from the start. The magazine is only the most visible part of the Society, which issues grants for scientific and exploration endeavours, as well as working to educate about the world around us. The Magazine, which went from a small part of the Society, became a much more important part of the Society's growth over the years, introducing pictures, and through it, the rest of the world to the United States through the efforts of its reporters and photographers. Photography is what the magazine is known for, and this is indeed a great focus of the book, which notes how the magazine changed as technology improved. As new editors and overseers of the Society came and went for the magazine, each seemed to leave a lasting impression on the magazine, through the style of writing and reporting, photography and overall outlook for the magazine, which garnered millions of subscribers because of its quality reporting and photographs.

Going back over some of the earlier issues that I have stashed away is absolutely fascinating, especially when compared to the more current issues. The writing style of the ones from the 1960s tend to be in more depth, longer, written in the first person and tends to be far more upbeat in topic, while newer issues take on a far more critical look at the world around us, examining conflicts and problems around the world in shorter, more report-like articles. One thing that has remained constant between them is the stellar photography that helps to reveal the world.

Explorer's House is a fantastic read about a fantastic organization, one that has touched many points in history, from the discovery of the North Pole, the first ascent up Mount Everest, the first man on the Moon and almost everything in between. With magazines and newspapers around the world seeing drops in readership and advertising revenue with the introduction of new media, it will be a hard time for the magazine, but I for one am inspired to resubscribe after lapsing for years.

Originally posted to my Blog.

With an investigative reporter's urge for detail, Explorer's House tells the story of The National Geographic Society from its founding as a local Washington, DC men's club oriented to exploration to the publishing institution of today. The story is focused on its evolution as an organization, primarily, as opposed to the explorers and exploring it supported. That evolution, in turn, is focused primarily on the leadership, specifically Alexander Graham Bell, his father-in-law, and three generations of the Grosvenor family, and secondarily, on the point of reference for most people, the monthly magazine. To one extent or another, it's a history of the 20th century, a story of family dynamics, and a story of the evolution of an organization. This is not a fluff piece at all, but is very readable. It is thoroughly researched and documented and a balanced look at what worked, what became embarassing, and what was changed. Interesting, especially if you're a student of history or a reader or viewer.