What do you think?
Rate this book
Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places
In a world ever more congested and polluted with both toxins and noise, award-winning photographer Pete McBride takes readers on a once-in-a-lifetime escape to find places of peace and quiet--a pole-to-pole, continent-by-continent quest for the soul.
We tend to think of silence as the absence of sound, but it is actually the void where we can hear the sublime notes of nature. Here, photographer Pete McBride reveals the wonders of these hushed places in spectacular imagery--from the thin-air flanks of Mount Everest to the depths of the Grand Canyon, from the high-altitude vistas of the Atacama to the African savannah, and from the Antarctic Peninsula to the flowing waters of the Ganges and Nile.
These places remind us of the magic of being "truly away" and how such places are vanishing. Often showing beauty from vantages where no other photographer has ever stood, this is a seven-continent visual tour of global quietude--and the power in nature's own sounds--that will both inspire and calm.
We tend to think of silence as the absence of sound, but it is actually the void where we can hear the sublime notes of nature. Here, photographer Pete McBride reveals the wonders of these hushed places in spectacular imagery--from the thin-air flanks of Mount Everest to the depths of the Grand Canyon, from the high-altitude vistas of the Atacama to the African savannah, and from the Antarctic Peninsula to the flowing waters of the Ganges and Nile.
These places remind us of the magic of being "truly away" and how such places are vanishing. Often showing beauty from vantages where no other photographer has ever stood, this is a seven-continent visual tour of global quietude--and the power in nature's own sounds--that will both inspire and calm.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published September 28, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 9, 2021
This book is beautiful. It made me ache. So beautiful and so sad. A celebration of the beauty found in the absence of man-made noise around the world. A record of the Anthropocene and a stark reminder that there is a terrible difference between a natural silence and a dead one. Listen. Listen. Listen.
August 1, 2022
Short and sweet musings/meditations on remote places that are not only quiet but stunningly beautiful. Gorgeous pictures. Organized by continent.
June 3, 2022
Emotional. Spectacular!
August 26, 2025
An outstanding collectiion of photographs that are exquisitely quiet.
April 8, 2022
Beautiful photography. I love McBride’s work and that’s why I bought this in the first place. I guess I’m not an equal fan of his writing. The privilege he fails to acknowledge- the places he choses to include- the lack of self discovery and going to places other people say are incredible sort of dampened his art for me. I sort of wish I’d never read his words and just experienced his photos. I think also being a landscape photographer in North America I was also disappointed that less obvious choices weren’t included- the less famous tend to be far more silent.
July 31, 2023
After reading and taking in the beautiful pics of this book I took a hike in a nature reserve close to my home. I heeded the author's message and focused on listening as I walked. After completing the 2 hour hike I emerged completely refreshed and rejuvenated. It's rare that I can immediately apply an author's message but this is one of those rare times.
November 21, 2023
3.5/5
The photographs captured in this book are immensely beautiful. All the accounts of the journeys detailed along with the photos were interesting. The importance of preserving these spaces is highlighted well. Definitely worth checking out!
The photographs captured in this book are immensely beautiful. All the accounts of the journeys detailed along with the photos were interesting. The importance of preserving these spaces is highlighted well. Definitely worth checking out!
May 14, 2024
First, the positive: conceptually excellent with some nice full-page photos and excellent book design. Fine for both environmentalist's coffee tables and rich people posing as environmentalist's coffee tables. (I fall into the former category, btw, and am currently sans coffee table...)
My personal curmudgeonly take:
The photos: If a photo is part being in the right place and part knowing how to take a photo, the majority of these are the former... meaning... anyone that has the time and money to jet set around the world visiting exotic locations could've easily taken the majority of these photos themselves with their phone. These don't hold a candle to someone like David Doubilet, whose photos 'speak'. These don't speak, at least to me they didn't. That said, some of them are fabulous and beatiful... but a few too many are also washed out and look borderline unprofessional. Very mixed bag on the photos.
The concept: Great concept. Frankly, it doesn't come through in the text or photos. It's a great idea, and one that inspired me. I'm sad to report it didn't make it into the actual book.
The text: to be fair, I knew I'd be on the fence with the text, I always am with this type of book. Here's a guy telling us how important it is to keep people away from killer whales after telling us how he's swimming with killer whales... how sad it is that the environment is so screwed while he flies around the world with his bigfoot sized carbon footprint. I get it, these are quibbles that are pretty much unavoidable, but they were on my mind. There's also an element of extreme privilege that's hard to swallow with books of this type. Call it a personal character flaw of mine: I can't help but find it hard to 'learn' from someone that's basically on vacation as a job. Oh well, like I said, my problem. I'm working on it.
If you are a normal person, you'll love this book.
My personal curmudgeonly take:
The photos: If a photo is part being in the right place and part knowing how to take a photo, the majority of these are the former... meaning... anyone that has the time and money to jet set around the world visiting exotic locations could've easily taken the majority of these photos themselves with their phone. These don't hold a candle to someone like David Doubilet, whose photos 'speak'. These don't speak, at least to me they didn't. That said, some of them are fabulous and beatiful... but a few too many are also washed out and look borderline unprofessional. Very mixed bag on the photos.
The concept: Great concept. Frankly, it doesn't come through in the text or photos. It's a great idea, and one that inspired me. I'm sad to report it didn't make it into the actual book.
The text: to be fair, I knew I'd be on the fence with the text, I always am with this type of book. Here's a guy telling us how important it is to keep people away from killer whales after telling us how he's swimming with killer whales... how sad it is that the environment is so screwed while he flies around the world with his bigfoot sized carbon footprint. I get it, these are quibbles that are pretty much unavoidable, but they were on my mind. There's also an element of extreme privilege that's hard to swallow with books of this type. Call it a personal character flaw of mine: I can't help but find it hard to 'learn' from someone that's basically on vacation as a job. Oh well, like I said, my problem. I'm working on it.
If you are a normal person, you'll love this book.
January 23, 2025
In "A Walk in the Park," Pete McBride's photos on a trek through the Grand Canyon were used much too small, often in black and white, and far too infrequently. Pete Fedarko, McBride's friend, companion on the canyon hike and author of "A Walk in the Park" mentioned several times that the photographer always had his camera in hand, shooting even as they climbed the steep canyon cliffs or repelled down a granite wall.
I went looking for more of McBride's work and found a satisfying selection in this mid-size book.
Assignments for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazine have taken him to remote locations around the world, and the shots he's brought back are art gallery quality.
By shooting constantly he captures that moment when a sheep jumps a mountain stream in India and an iceberg cracks apart off Antartica, when the setting sun amplifies the waves of the dunes in the African desert and when the first light of sunrise reveals the landscape of Utah's Canyonlands National Park through the frame of one of its natural arches.
Of course McBride has an artistic eye.
What he adds in this 225-page book are the sounds one hears when at these corners of the globe, And, most importantly, the need for quiet — for silence — in order to be able to hear them.
I went looking for more of McBride's work and found a satisfying selection in this mid-size book.
Assignments for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazine have taken him to remote locations around the world, and the shots he's brought back are art gallery quality.
By shooting constantly he captures that moment when a sheep jumps a mountain stream in India and an iceberg cracks apart off Antartica, when the setting sun amplifies the waves of the dunes in the African desert and when the first light of sunrise reveals the landscape of Utah's Canyonlands National Park through the frame of one of its natural arches.
Of course McBride has an artistic eye.
What he adds in this 225-page book are the sounds one hears when at these corners of the globe, And, most importantly, the need for quiet — for silence — in order to be able to hear them.
July 16, 2023
A beautiful book!! I have always loved the outdoors and the beauty and the silence. All of which are becoming lost in one way or another. While this book stirs a desire in me to see these places firsthand, I will not go on a far flung adventure because I prefer to not leave my footprint. There are far too many “heavy” footprints being left on our treasured wilderness worldwide. Stumbling across beautiful quietude is my preference. It sneaks up on you and causes you to pause and simply be present. Thank you for this lovely book and the essays on experiences from the past compared to more recent.
October 23, 2022
A wonderful compilation of pictures and musings from Pete McBride's travels to the quietest places on earth. His stunning photographic skills really empower one to think what it is to hear natural silence, and heed the warnings of what humans are doing to these beautiful places.
What a life of travel McBride has had. His experiences of having an electric eel slither past him in chest deep water and an orca ping him with sonar is just the tip of what he relays through his stories in this book. Loved it.
What a life of travel McBride has had. His experiences of having an electric eel slither past him in chest deep water and an orca ping him with sonar is just the tip of what he relays through his stories in this book. Loved it.
July 23, 2023
I had the opportunity to listen to Pete speak about his adventures at my work and wanted to read his accompanying book. His photography is absolutely amazing and I enjoyed being able to read his stories and see his incredible work. I never really think about silence when it comes to nature. I really enjoyed this book!
February 19, 2022
This was a beautiful book. I especially liked the part where he was swimming with the Orcas. You can see more of his work on his website petemcbride.com (not peter though!). His book also had a QR code where you could listen to the sounds he recorded while making this collection.
February 18, 2025
I didn't given this book a fair shake. I borrowed it after watching Pete McBride's National Geographic Grand Canyon documentary. I loved the bit of writing that I read in Seeing Silence. It adds a great dimension to the photography.
January 26, 2026
This book transports you to amazingly quiet places around the globe. Pete does a great job of capturing the essence of a place and all its attendant woes without being preachy. I’m ready to visit more of them!
March 27, 2023
Gorgeous photography and thoughtful captions
September 15, 2024
Pete McBride is a master photographer and storyteller. This work is deeply thoughtful, informative and beautiful!
June 3, 2025
Fantastic photos
September 16, 2025
A beautiful photobook and musings by the author on the nature of silence in nature itself and the reality of the decreasing number of these spaces around us.
December 8, 2025
Stunningly beautiful book. I love McBride's homage to silence, and only wish I didn't have tinnitus, and could experience it more. The author's life and subsequent photography is truly amazing.
February 13, 2025
This is basically a coffee table book of beautiful landscape photography but it is also a meditation on the nature of silence and what is lost as more and more of the world is shaped for human use.
November 17, 2022
I loved the gorgeous photography. Although I thought perhaps the writing was too long, I did appreciate his commentary and facts on the vanishing silence of our world.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews