Author: GEORGE, H.B.:
Title: The Oberland and its glaciers, explored and illustrated with ice-axe and camera, ... photographic illustrations by Ernest EDWARDS.
Description: London, Allan W. Bennett, 1866, in-4°, 1 leaf 'half-title' + XII (incl. ill. titlepage) + 243 p., including the notes by the photographer (p. 237-243), illustrated with 1 frontispice + one double-page lithogr. map of the Bernese Oberland. (Lithogr. Day) with 28 original photographs of which 17 in text, including the circular picture on the title-page + 11 inserted plates , overall a clean copy, fine publisher's blue gilt and blind-tooled cloth binding (represents the equipment for photography and for glacier-exploration), small obstructions to top and bottom-spine, corners bumped, gilt edges. A very good copy, (binder's ticket of Westley's to rear'). ¶ First edition (first issue). First work on the Bernese Oberland that was illustrated with original photographs, at the same time one of the first photographically illustrated books of alpine literature. No less than 28 partly full-page photographs, important as well for their scientific interest representing the exact situation of glaciers at the time: - Upper ice-fall of the Ober Grindelwald glacier. - The Rhône glacier. - The Jungfrau Joch. - The Ober-Aletsch glacier from the Sparrenhorn, a glacier table, etc. etc. This must be the first issue, the difference between the 1st and the 2nd issue can be seen on the various different views in one and the other volume. Especially on page 59. In this volume there is a man standing with a shovel next to a pile of dirt with text: 'a dirt cone'. In the second issue the man is lacking (he probably walked away), and so on page 202 (a totally different view) even the round image on the title-page is different. The images on pages 25, 59 , 62, 143 , 154, 202, and 227 are different, however the printed titles under the photographs remain identical for the 2 issues. The tipped in original photographs are in this issue very contrastful, and there are almost no stains. George, editor of the Alpine Journal and a noted historian, was one of the English pioneers of the Golden Age of mountaineering. He was a friend of Tyndall and made the first ascent of the Great Viescherhorn as well as the first ascent of the Jungfrau from the side of the Wengeralp. Ernest Edwards (1837-1903) was portrait photographer in London and one of the very first alpine landscape photographers. He seems to have been the first to practice collotype printing from several plates and in more than one colour, a process which he patented in England in December 1869. He added a seven-page report "Notes by the Photographer" at the end, which contains information about the work and equipment of a contemporary photographer in the mountains. Please notify before visiting to see a book. Prices are excl. VAT/TVA (only Switzerland) & postage. Eder, History of photography, p. 619; Gernsheim, Geschichte der Photographie, p. 351 (excellent shots); Lemagny, Histoire de la photographie p. 41; Grolier Club Exhibition, The true lense, n° 74; Waeber BSL III/143; Neate G13; Perret 1884.

Keywords: voyages Suisse-Al Berner Oberland, Bern, Berne exploration Alpes glaciers montagne album-photo science geologie photographie alpinism, mountaineering alpinisme Edwards, Ernest (phot)