Album of photographs and sketches

Very scarce. 'the most impressive publication to have resulted from any British experience in the Antarctic' (Taurus).

This glorious and most popular work among the reports of the Discovery expedition is a large scale photographic and illustrative study of Antarctic landscape and wildlife. The quality of photographic reproduction - and especially that of the sepia plates - is very high. Some of the pictorial material was used in the scientific reports, but the Royal Society considered the material so worthy and complete as to justify publication as a separate work, particularly because of the importance in documenting the evanescent and changeable nature of the Antarctic icescape.

Most of the album consists of photographs, the greatest portion of which were taken by Reginald Skelton. The album also contains Wilson's drawings of meteorological and aurora phenomena. The portfolio contains Wilson's folding landscape panoramas. Most copies of this work went into institutions, and copies rarely appear on the market.

First edition, 2 volumes, 4to (31.5 x 24.5 cm), xvi, 304 pp., 141 plates including 20 photogravures on rough paper with tissue guard, numerous black and white photographs in text (11 folding), and 13 illustrations by Edward A. Wilson on 13 plates with tissue guard. Portfolio: 2 folding coloured maps and 24 folding panoramas, all loose as issued, original buckram-backed boards, spines faded, some neat restoration to portfolio, a very good set.

Rosove 288-7.A1.; Spence 838; Taurus 46.