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Elements: In Pursuit of the Wild
• The first book from internationally acclaimed Rucksack Magazine, whose bi-annual themed journals feature stories, photographs, and interviews on wilderness, travel, adventure, and escapism • Presents predominantly new material which has not been published in the journals or online "I have to say that Rucksack Magazine immediately earned a spot as one of my all time favorite travel related magazines out there." - runhumans.com Elements In Pursuit of the Wild, is a powerful and moving visual journey of discovery created by the editors of Rucksack Magazine. In this compilation are stories, interviews, and stunning photographs that highlight locations where we are overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. These wild places embody peace and tranquility, and exploring them requires courage, a sense of adventure, and an intrepid curiosity about the world. Locations featured in this book include the Faroe Islands, the northwest Pacific, Scandinavia, and Scotland, among other places. The majority of the material in this book is previously unpublished, online or in print.
- GenresPhotography
240 pages, Hardcover
Published January 5, 2021
2 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 12, 2025
In many ways, a beautiful book, but not without its inadequacies. My score is entirely due to some wonderful photography, and even then, I found the focus of the book too precise to fulfill its stated purpose. I thought about giving the book 2 stars, but that felt too mean spirited for a book with such creativity. I have some issues:
1) The book expresses a dualism between humans and nature. At one point, the book refers to humans as "guests on this earth," at another point it refers to spaces that should remain "unexplored and undisturbed." No serious form of inquiry, whether scientific, philosophical, or theological, would support such a dualism. Humans do not handle our responsibility towards this earth well, and I wish that would change, but this does not change the fact that we are a part of nature, rather than distinct from it. We were formed and born of nature, and are one with it. The dualism is actually harmful, because it removes us one step from nature and then embeds within people this sense that we have less responsibility towards it. Humans are not guests on earth, but integral parts of its ecosystem.
2. Aesthetically, the book is focused on a particular ethos. If this narrow aesthetic was the goal, it'd be fine, but the book situates itself - too ambitiously - as one that depicts "the earth" in all its elements. There is one place in the book that hints that it's focused on only a few locations (Scotland, Faroe Islands, Pacific Northwest, mainly), but I was disappointed by really how one-track the presentation was, and how little diversity was featured in the landscapes and color palettes. The photos were beautiful, but for a book about the four elements of the earth, they weren't nearly diverse enough.
3. The book also featured several shots from some of the same locations. Between repeat locations, and a lack of diversity, the book felt, by the end, far too redundant.
4. The book featured writing, but most of it was unmemorable. It was all too vague. If the written sections had been far clearer about the locations, they might have been better, but too often they referred to "the village," "the mountain," etc., without telling the reader where these little vignettes were taking place. They felt too esoteric and disconnected from the visual content of the book. Eventually, they felt overwritten, and by the end, I stopped reading them.
5. The book doesn't actually tell you WHERE these photos were taken. One spot vaguely mentions a couple of wide geographic regions, but when looking at photos, I want to know exactly what I'm looking at. A simple credit, in the corner, would suffice ("mountain in the Scottish Highlands," etc., at the very least).
Some of the photos were atmospheric and beautiful, but in the end, because of the format of the book, I felt too disconnected from the content. Not a bad book, but I'm disappointed that I paid $50 for it.
1) The book expresses a dualism between humans and nature. At one point, the book refers to humans as "guests on this earth," at another point it refers to spaces that should remain "unexplored and undisturbed." No serious form of inquiry, whether scientific, philosophical, or theological, would support such a dualism. Humans do not handle our responsibility towards this earth well, and I wish that would change, but this does not change the fact that we are a part of nature, rather than distinct from it. We were formed and born of nature, and are one with it. The dualism is actually harmful, because it removes us one step from nature and then embeds within people this sense that we have less responsibility towards it. Humans are not guests on earth, but integral parts of its ecosystem.
2. Aesthetically, the book is focused on a particular ethos. If this narrow aesthetic was the goal, it'd be fine, but the book situates itself - too ambitiously - as one that depicts "the earth" in all its elements. There is one place in the book that hints that it's focused on only a few locations (Scotland, Faroe Islands, Pacific Northwest, mainly), but I was disappointed by really how one-track the presentation was, and how little diversity was featured in the landscapes and color palettes. The photos were beautiful, but for a book about the four elements of the earth, they weren't nearly diverse enough.
3. The book also featured several shots from some of the same locations. Between repeat locations, and a lack of diversity, the book felt, by the end, far too redundant.
4. The book featured writing, but most of it was unmemorable. It was all too vague. If the written sections had been far clearer about the locations, they might have been better, but too often they referred to "the village," "the mountain," etc., without telling the reader where these little vignettes were taking place. They felt too esoteric and disconnected from the visual content of the book. Eventually, they felt overwritten, and by the end, I stopped reading them.
5. The book doesn't actually tell you WHERE these photos were taken. One spot vaguely mentions a couple of wide geographic regions, but when looking at photos, I want to know exactly what I'm looking at. A simple credit, in the corner, would suffice ("mountain in the Scottish Highlands," etc., at the very least).
Some of the photos were atmospheric and beautiful, but in the end, because of the format of the book, I felt too disconnected from the content. Not a bad book, but I'm disappointed that I paid $50 for it.
January 26, 2021
I was very excited to see what Rucksack's first book had in store having enjoyed their printed magazine for so long now - it did not disappoint. Stunning photography with beautiful words to match, it really is a brilliant piece of work. If this marks the start of more hardback publications from Rucksack I'm very excited for what will follow such a beautiful book as Elements.
January 26, 2021
A beautiful coffee table book with dark moody imagery and thoughtful words and stories. Highly recommended!!
January 26, 2021
A piece of coffee table magic - images that transport you to somewhere else, and moving narratives portraying the world we all exist in, but one which is somehow different, somehow greater.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews