Bradford Washburn
A Life of Exploration
7 × 10 inches. B&W photographs and maps. Bibliography. Notes. Index. 280 pages.
2004. ISBN 978-0-87071-010-0. Paperback, $24.95.
Hardcover, $24.95.
"You recognize the explorer in Bradford Washburn at first sight. There
is something about his eyes, the set of the chin . . . the consistent
energy of mind and spirit." -Ansel Adams
From Denali to Mt. Everest, from the Grand Canyon to the Alps,
mountaineering legend Bradford Washburn has explored, climbed, mapped,
and photographed some of the most beautiful and challenging landscapes
on Earth.
Bradford Washburn: A Life of Exploration is the first book to
detail Washburn's multi-faceted life and achievements. In his career of
over forty years as Director of the Boston Museum of Science, Washburn
wrote numerous books and articles, many for the National Geographic
Society; created groundbreaking maps; and photographed breathtaking
vistas.
Washburn is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and
of London's Royal Geographic Society, and an authority on Alaska's
mountains and glaciers. A licensed pilot since 1934, he was an early
advocate of air-dropping supplies to high-altitude mountain camps. He
urged the use of high-frequency radio for communication between such
camps, and researched wireless communications, aerial film,
cold-weather survival techniques, and cold-weather search and rescue
operations for the U.S. military.
Michael Sfraga's engaging biography recounts Washburn's
adventures and accomplishments as a mountaineer, photographer, and
scientist. In examining this rich life and work, Sfraga links
Washburn's achievements to significant changes in our scientific and
geographic understanding.