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. Summary: Alaska: Images of the Country (1981) is a celebrated collaboration between world-renowned wilderness photographer Galen Rowell and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John McPhee. Published by Sierra Club Books in 1982 and reprinted by Promontory in 1985, the volume serves as a visual and narrative eulogy for the rugged, disappearing beauty of America's last frontier. The Collaboration The book is unique in its structure, pairing Rowell’s vivid, high-altitude photography with excerpts from McPhee’s seminal 1977 work, Coming into the Country. Visual Selection: Rowell provides 112 full-color photographs from over 10,000 images captured during nine separate expeditions to the Yukon and Alaska. Narrative Synergy: Rather than just illustrating the text, Rowell’s images provide a parallel emotional experience. McPhee’s prose offers a journalistic, detailed look at the people and geography, while Rowell provides a "participatory" view of the landscape’s grandeur. Rowell’s "Dynamic Landscape" The book highlights Rowell’s signature style, which he famously termed the "dynamic landscape." * Chasing the Light: Rowell was known for his athletic approach, often running miles to catch "magic hour" lighting or unique atmospheric conditions. His photos emphasize deep color saturation and dramatic backlighting. Scale and Presence: His images capture the sheer scale of the Alaskan wilderness—glaciers, tundra, and the Brooks Range—often using wide-angle lenses to make the viewer feel immersed in the scene. Key Themes The Conflict of Progress: Following McPhee's lead, the book explores the tension between Alaska’s identity as a pristine wilderness and its reality as a resource-rich land subject to industrial and political pressure. Human Connection: Unlike many nature books that exclude people, this volume includes portraits of Alaskans (homesteaders, pilots, and indigenous people), reflecting the human struggle to coexist with an unforgiving environment. Significance Alaska: Images of the Country solidified Galen Rowell’s reputation as the successor to Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter. It is considered a landmark in conservation photography, moving away from static, "composed" views toward a more energetic, modern vision of the natural world. "My goal is to communicate the life force of the landscape... to capture the ephemeral moments that transcend the specific place." — Galen Rowell