Rowell, Galen. Alaska: Images of the Country. Photographs by Galen Rowell.

Promontory, 1985. Hardcover with protected dust jacket, like new. 146 pages. Landscape, wildlife, and people photography by Galen Rowell with text by John McPhee, from Coming Into the Country.  

Galen Rowell (1940–2002) was an influential American wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist, and accomplished mountaineer celebrated for pioneering the concept of "participatory photography". Originally an avid rock climber, Rowell transitioned to full-time photography in 1972 after receiving an assignment for National Geographic, going on to shoot extensively for major publications and leading more than 35 wilderness expeditions worldwide.Renowned for combining physical athleticism with visual artistry, he captured remote locations and fleeting optical phenomena by utilizing portable 35mm cameras, custom-designed graduated neutral density filters, and vibrant color slide film. In addition to publishing 18 books—including his acclaimed guide Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape—Rowell was a dedicated conservationist who earned the Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography in 1984.

Alaska: Images of the Country is a classic 1981 large-format photography and nature book published by Sierra Club Books. It pairs the photography of wilderness photojournalist Galen Rowell with selected prose from Pulitzer Prize–winning author John McPhee.

Core Overview

• Photographer: Galen Rowell

• Text: John McPhee (excerpted from his best-selling 1977 book, Coming into the Country)

• Publisher: Sierra Club Books (1981)

• Format: Large-format photography book (~146 pages featuring full-color photographic plates paired with narrative excerpts)

Key Themes & Content

1. Interweaving Wilderness and Human Experience:

   Rather than presenting pure, untouched landscape photos or a standalone travelogue, the book blends McPhee's non-fiction reporting with Rowell's imagery. It explores the tension between Alaska's immense, untamed wilderness and the rugged individuals attempting to build lives in the Last Frontier.

2. Galen Rowell’s Photographic Style:

   Rowell, an accomplished mountaineer, brought a dynamic "participatory" approach to photojournalism. His vibrant color photographs capture the dramatic light, vast mountain ranges, rivers, wildlife, and remote settlements of Alaska. Instead of static landscape shots, his photos emphasize natural phenomena—such as the Arctic light, changing seasons, and rugged weather—while documenting bush pilots, homesteaders, and local communities.

3. John McPhee's Narrative Excerpts:

   The text draws directly from McPhee's acclaimed Coming into the Country, dividing the narrative perspective across three key regions of late 1970s Alaska:

   • The Urban/Political Sphere: Observations on Anchorage and the debate over selecting a new state capital.

   • The Deep Wilderness: Exploration of the upper Yukon River valley and remote Brooks Range.

   • The Bush Lifestyle: In-depth profiles of trappers, prospectors, and pioneers living off the grid in places like Eagle, Alaska.

Significance

Alaska: Images of the Country is widely recognized as a landmark environmental photo book. By matching Rowell's ability to capture dramatic natural light with McPhee's empathetic, detail-rich narrative style, the book offers a complete portrait of Alaska during a pivotal transitional era in its modern history.

"My goal is to communicate the life force of the landscape... to capture the ephemeral moments that transcend the specific place." — Galen Rowell