Weighted with heavy, nineteenth-century camera equipment, Vittorio Sella climbed some of the world's most mysterious, perilous peaks and photographed them, many for the first time. His strikingly elegant photographs, which in Ansel Adams's words, 'revealed [the mountains] in all their sheer majesty,' offer groundbreaking scientific and documentary information as well. Climbers today still use Sella's pictures to map out routes and to better comprehend their challenges and the magnificence to come.
Through Sella's images, we can witness the grandeur of the world's greatest peaks; the Russian Caucasus, the Saint Elias Range in Alaska, Mount Ruwenzori in Africa, the Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas. His photographic documentation of these peaks had no precedents and has few, if any, equals.
Greg Child is a mountaineer and author of Thin Air (Dell, 1993). Wendy Watson is curator of exhibitions at Mount Holyoke College. Paul Kallmes, a renowned member of the American Alpine Club, has worked closely with the Fondazione Sella for several years.
Published in association with Fondazione Sella and the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Sella the Great
This is one of the key volumes in any collection of mountain photography books. Sella was one of the earliest and most accomplished practitioners of this difficult discipline and this Aperture monograph does full justice to the importance and beauty of his work. The book, measuring approximately 28x31 cm, has been handsomely and meticulously produced. The quality of the photo reproductions is very good, capturing the spirit of the originals. There is a very pleasing layout, with pictures alternatingly ... Read More
Rating: - Kallmes edits showstopper
Paul Kallmes compiled and edited a stunning collected of photogaphs and essays concerning the work of Vittorio Sella. He is to be commended for bringing this collection of Sella's photographs to the attention of North American readers. Mr. Kallmes is a visionary. Bravo and thank you Paul!
Rating: - Sublime Peak Experiences
Vittorio Sella is little-known today, but knowledgeable people like Ansel Adams consider him one of the greatest mountain photographers ever. Sella did his work at a time when cameras weighed 40 pounds, glass negatives two pounds apiece, and mountain climbing was much more primitive than today, without the warmest clothes, tough equipment and bottles of oxygen. Sella is also known for being the first person to scale the Matterhorn in winter.
Sella was the son of the first Italian to ... Read More
Rating: - Captures the spirituality of the mountains
Vittorio Sella photographed primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century and chronicled many important expeditions. In this book, the authors present an wonderful array of his work, and the photographic reproductions are remarkably loyal to the originals in coloration. Admirers of Ansel Adams will love this book and will clearly see the antecedents of his style.
Rating: - An elegantly written and presented piece!
This book is absolutely breath-taking. Whether one is an avid climber or an avid lover of nature and photography, this book pleases all aspects of the senses. Wendy Watson and Paul Kallmes are obviously a gifted and talented pair, bringing first-hand knowledge and intellectual and artistic prowess to this magnificent book. It is a must-have for every library!
