On High: The Adventures of Legendary Mountaineer, Photographer, and Scientist Brad Washburn [Hardcover]

Bradford Washburn (Author), Donald Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002 | Series: National Geographic

LIFE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING figures of the 20th century, who mapped, photographed and climbed some of the world's greatest mountains. While the mountaineering community looks to Washburn as a pioneer and mentor, he is much more than a climber. This illustrated autobiography will deal with Washburn's adventures and contributions in many fields. A boy wonder, he published his mountaineering adventures in the Alps while still in his teens. He went on to author or co-author more than a dozen books on mountaineering. 1935: At age 25 he leads the National Geographic Yukon Expedition - the first winter crossing of the formidable St. Elias Range and writes an article on the expedition for National Geographic 1936: Meets with Amelia Earhart to discuss being her navigator on ill-fated round-the-world flight 1939: Becomes Director of Boston Museum of Science, and over a career that spans almost half a century makes it one of the leading science museums in the world 1948: Leads Chinese-American Expedition to the Himalayas; spends three months in eastern China 1953: Aerially photographs and maps Mount McKinley, then in 1951 pioneers first ascent via the West Buttress, now the most favored route up the mountain early 1990s: Maps Everest and helps establish new, correct height of the mountain INCLUDES, NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED ORIGINAL MATERIALS: This book represents a complete, never-before-published record of Washburn's accomplishments, combining his life's adventures with his photography and cartography. This is the first and only complete autobiography, or biography, of Washburn's life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079226911X
• ISBN-13: 978-0792269113
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > New England

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photographs make On High a work of art, December 11, 2002

By 

Mary L. Brown (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On High: The Adventures of Legendary Mountaineer, Photographer, and Scientist Brad Washburn (Hardcover)

The biography of Brad Washburn makes a terrific yarn, even for us armchair adventurers. This is a well-told tale, with a transcribed "oral history" from Mr. Washburn, interspersed with the narrative supplied by Mr. Smith. The significance of Mr. Washburn's life, and what makes this book worth reading, is that his mountaineering adventures were part of the 20th century's final conquest of high places in this world. The high mountains were the last frontier, and Mr. Washburn lived it, wrote about it, mapped it, and (more importantly) photographed it. Fortunately, National Geographic chose to include a variety of Mr. Washburn's best photographs. His friendship with, and admiration for, Ansel Adams is apparent. Buy this for the read, but also buy it as a coffee table book.