A treasure trove of photographs—some never before reproduced in book form—from the two greatest Antarctic expeditions. Among the greatest achievements in the history of photography, those of the early polar explorers surely stand out, for the beauty of their images and the almost impossible conditions they encountered. And none of these are more remarkable than the photographs recorded by the official chroniclers of two epic Antarctic expeditions—that of Robert Falcon Scott, departed in 1910, which tragically resulted in his death; and, four years later, that of Ernest Shackleton, whose heroic sea journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia has become the stuff of legend. Their photographers—Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley—transported bulky cameras and glass plate negatives across the forbidding polar landscape to record some of the earliest images of this dramatic environment. That the photographs survived to be presented on their return to King George V is miraculous, and they have remained ever since in the Royal Collection. The Heart of the Great Alone reproduces the best of these marvelous images, some of which have never appeared in book form before—ships encased in ice floes, ice cliffs and ravines, campsites and dog sleds, and the incomparable beauty of Antarctic flora and fauna. Together they form an invaluable record of an environment that global warming has forever changed. With a superb narrative drawing on Ponting’s and Hurley’s writings and other unique archival material from the Royal Collection, and with extended captions for each image, this book is a unique addition to the literature of polar exploration.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
A treasure trove of photographs--some never before reproduced in book form--from the two greatest Antarctic expeditions. Among the greatest achievements in the history of photography, those of the early polar explorers surely stand out for the beauty of their images and the almost impossible conditions they encountered. None of these are more remarkable than the photographs recorded by the official chroniclers of two epic Antarctic expeditions--that of Robert Falcon Scott in 1910 which tragically resulted in his death and, four years later, and that of Ernest Shackleton, whose heroic sea journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia has become the stuff of legend. Their photographers--Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley--transported bulky cameras and glass plate negatives across the forbidding polar landscape to record some of the earliest images of this dramatic environment. That the photographs survived to be presented on their return to King George V is miraculous, and they have remained ever since in the Royal Collection. The Heart of the Great Alone reproduces the best of these marvelous images, some of which have never appeared in book form before--ships encased in ice floes, ice cliffs and ravines, campsites and dog sleds, and the incomparable beauty of Antarctic flora and fauna. Together they form an invaluable record of an environment that global warming has forever changed. With a superb narrative drawing on Ponting's and Hurley's writings and other unique archival material from the Royal Collection, and with extended captions for each image, this book is a unique addition to the literature of polar exploration.
A treasure trove of photographs--some never before reproduced in book form--from the two greatest Antarctic expeditions. Among the greatest achievements in the history of photography, those of the early polar explorers surely stand out for the beauty of their images and the almost impossible conditions they encountered. None of these are more remarkable than the photographs recorded by the official chroniclers of two epic Antarctic expeditions--that of Robert Falcon Scott in 1910 which tragically resulted in his death and, four years later, and that of Ernest Shackleton, whose heroic sea journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia has become the stuff of legend. Their photographers--Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley--transported bulky cameras and glass plate negatives across the forbidding polar landscape to record some of the earliest images of this dramatic environment. That the photographs survived to be presented on their return to King George V is miraculous, and they have remained ever since in the Royal Collection. The Heart of the Great Alone reproduces the best of these marvelous images, some of which have never appeared in book form before--ships encased in ice floes, ice cliffs and ravines, campsites and dog sleds, and the incomparable beauty of Antarctic flora and fauna. Together they form an invaluable record of an environment that global warming has forever changed. With a superb narrative drawing on Ponting's and Hurley's writings and other unique archival material from the Royal Collection, and with extended captions for each image, this book is a unique addition to the literature of polar exploration.
Photographs from the Polar Expeditions of 1910 and 1914
Click on each photo to see the full page.
|
|
Review
"This book lovingly reproduces the best of [Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley's] photographs (and prints some that have not previously been seen in book form), and brings the reader tantalizingly close to the heroes of these expeditions and the suffering and sorrow they endured. The text throughout is excellent; the authors describe Ponting’s famous photograph of a ship seen through a sloping ice grotto "as significant an image as Neil Armstrong standing on the moon for the first time."—New York Times
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful collection of early Antarctic photography,
By
This review is from: The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton, and Antarctic Photography (Hardcover)
During the reign of King George V, Britain sent Robert Falcon Scott in 1910, and four years later, Ernest Shackleton, to Antarctica. This beautifully produced book contains hundreds of photographs by Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley, taken from the albums presented to the king.
Essays, maps, paintings and other ephemera from the Royal Collection add depth and meaning to the photograps. This book is an exhibition catalog (but stands very well on its own); the exhibition is at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh until April 2010. The editorial materials here on Amazon and the exhibition website (link in first comment) provide an excellent description of the book. It's hard to add to those resources, although anyone who has read about Antarctica will find many images that resonate. Almost all of Hurley's photographs, for example, came from glass plates that Hurley was able to retrieve from the sinking Endurance; he dove into the storage cabin to save the last few cases of images. I have a large collection of books from the area, and was lucky enough to travel there in 2002 for a couple of weeks on a wonderful cruise. This wonderful collection has added great insights into my re-reading of my favorites from my collection: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage The Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration) The Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics) David Hempleman-Adams provides interesting insights into the images, and I was encouraged to read two of his best books: Walking on Thin Ice: In Pursuit of the North Pole At the Mercy of the Winds: Two Remarkable Journeys to the North Pole: A Modern Hero and a Victorian Romance Hempleman-Adams's commentary appears on YouTube (link in first Comment), but at the end of the day, the photos are the stars of the show. Herbert Ponting, who travelled with Scott, took artistic photographs. He used colored panels to highlight the contrasts of the landscape, and according to Neil McEwan: "his images of the geometric ice mountains and the weird windblown drifts have an incredible visual poetry. In particular his blue/black views of the Antarctic winter balance the beauty and severity of the scene." Frank Hurley's pictures are all in black and white and documentary in tone. Neil McEwan again: "The photographs taken by torchlight of the ice-bound ship give the onlooker a harsh reminder of the isolation involved and the series of images showing the slow destruction of the vessel by the frozen sea are a reminder of nature's savage power." McEwan's summary of the exhibit resonated strongly with me: "One [photograph] is the picture of the five bedraggled and despondent men of Scott's party posing for a group photograph after discovering they had been beaten to the pole by Amundsen. The second is the crew of the Endurance on Elephant Island greeting their rescuers as the ship comes into view. Both are images of expeditions which ended in failure, but they point up the fine line between tragedy and ecstasy." Overall, this fine book is a wonderful collection of materials and images for anyone with the slightest interest in Antarctica and in polar exploration. Robert C. Ross 2009
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At the heart of the matter,
By
This review is from: The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton, and Antarctic Photography (Hardcover)
This is not a big picture book meant to be casually placed on the coffee table in your living room to be merely enjoyed for its exceptional photographs. The authors have captured the very essence of two early 20th century explorations of the Antarctic regions and present here the very best of the collection of photographs from those expeditions. To those who are readers of polar exploration and British polar expeditions in the 1800's and 1900's this is by far the finest presentation of a very succinct history of those early efforts. The photographs by Ponting and Hurley are simply spectacular. Beyond the superb photographs there is a very well presented history of the expeditions, maps, commentaries and the finest biographical summary of all of the members of those expeditions that I have ever seen in print.
This book deserves more than five stars as it is an essential contribution to the printed history of such events during the Heroic Age that motivated mankind to meet the challeges of Antarctica in the earliest quests for the southern pole. Hopefully a book like this will be well received by many and perhaps create some interest in researching and publishing the largely untold stories of other polar explorers of that period.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Polar photography at it's best,
By
This review is from: The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton, and Antarctic Photography (Hardcover)
I coudn't recommend this book enough. It's full of beautifuls, never before seen photographs of the Antarctic and those heroics Englishmen who explored it.
Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting's best work all in one suberb book. Don't hesitate, get it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
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
|
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
|
|
