Alaska and the Yukon. Cold. Mysterious. Distant. Imagine how empty and forbidding the region seemed in the 1930s when Bradford Washburn began a series of exploratory expeditions. With its glorious black-and-white, large-format photographs, Exploring the Unknown contains previously unpublished diaries kept during Washburn's 1934 first-ascent climb of Alaska's Mt. Crillon; the 1935 National Geographic Society-sponsored exploration of wilderness sections of Canada's Yukon; and the 1951 climb of Mt. McKinley's West Buttress.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Bradford Washburn, known as a pioneering mountaineer in Alaska, was a member of several teams that made the first ascent of several Alaskan mountains, such as Mount Marcus Baker and Mount Bertha. His map of Mount McKinley is used to this day by climbers. When he married in 1940, his wife, Barbara, joined him on his expeditions and in 1947 became the first woman to climb Mount McKinley. Together, the couple surveyed and created detailed maps of both the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest. Exploring the Unknown contains Bradford's lively and descriptive diaries of three of his expeditions: his first ascent of Mount Crillon in 1934, a Yukon mapping expedition in 1935, and his first ascent of the West Buttress of Mount McKinley in 1951. Bradford's passion for exploration as well as his fear of the danger of mountaineering come across clearly and keep the reader's attention. Conversely, the tone of Barbara's The Accidental Adventurer is stilted, partly because she rarely reveals much of herself. For instance, her comments on reaching the summit of Mount McKinley indicate that she was primarily concerned with pleasing her husband. Thus, although her account reveals intriguing details of the various expeditions, it nevertheless disappoints. Exploring the Unknown is recommended where travel adventure is popular but both titles only where there is interest in the history of mountaineering. [Sealed until recently, these diaries are published to celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Washburns' climb of Mount McKinley's difficult West Buttress. Ed.] Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, N.
- Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Dr. Bradford Washburn, 90, is an explorer, mountaineer, writer, photographer, and mapmaker who for 41 years lead scientific expeditions for and directed Boston's Museum of Science. Lew Freedman is sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News and has written numerous books about Alaska.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
