RANKIN
PUBLISHERS Robert Rankin's
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Email info@rankin.com.au Ph. (07) 3376 9115
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BOOK REVIEWS
Six years ago I was given a copy of Robert Rankin's Classic
Wild Walks of Australia - it was a life-changing experience because it tapped into a
desire to explore wild places, to be free and physical in nature. I thumbed through the
book night after night dreaming of the wondrous places that Rankin revered and I had yet
to explore. It was the inspiration for much of my early bushwalking in my new-found home
of Tasmania and it continues today to be a book that refreshes my dreams.
I was not disappointed with Rankin's most recent publication. He is one of the country's
most prolific photographers but he is also a man who thinks not just about the perfect
picture but more deeply about his connection to the bush. Beyond the Horizon
is special because Rankin reveals a large part of himself not only through the colour
images but through the text. His stories of walking and running through the bush are
enthralling tales.
The theme of this book is mountains and specifically what it is that draws him to
mountains - the high and remote peaks of tropical Hinchinbrook Island in Queensland to
Tasmania's wild Western Arthur Range and the Snowy Mountains and icy Victorian Alps.
Rankin details his travels like a sophisticated diary. He also traces the history of
exploration in these areas which gives the book added depth.
Louise North, The Sunday Tasmanian November 17, 2002
HOBART
[Rankin] realised that you don't necessarily have to get to the Andes or Himalayas for an
adventure and the sense of achievement which comes with it. But Rankin's Zen-like passion
puts him into elite company. Add his skill and patience at high quality landscape
photography and you're onto something.
Most of us can quite confidently say we'll never negoiate the Thumb rock stack near the
summit of Mt Bowen, at the highest altitudes of North Queensland's Hinchinbrook Island.
But with his book Beyond the Horizon, Rankin transports us there. His marvellous
photographs and descriptions of trips take us up to his favourite wild places. He has
pushed his luck with minimal survival precautions in snowy country as far south as
Tasmania, and in the process captured some stunning images on film. There's even a CD in
the package which includes his student days bushwalking club climb up Mt Bowen and more
studies of wild places. For good measure, Rankin throws in some interesting,
well-researched social history.
Philip Hammond, The Courier Mail, Saturday 6 December 2003
BRISBANE
With its full-page colour photographs of Australia's rugged peaks and mountain landscapes,
Beyond the Horizon looks, at first glance glance, like a standard
coffee-table book in which the text is secondary to the glossy pictures. But as Robert
Rankin begins to describe his lightning runs (yes, he runs) through his most loved wild
places - Hinchinbrook Island, Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Barney in south-east Queensland, and
the Western Arthur Range in Tasmania - the intensity of his encounters transforms the way
we view the images of this landscape. Complementing his own story is documentation of
early inhabitants, explorers and climbers of these regions. The result is an engrossing,
intimate foray into the Australian alpine (sic) wilderness.
The Age, Saturday July 13, 2002
MELBOURNE
. . . part the author’s personal bush reminiscences; part coffee-table,
wilderness-photo extravaganza and part (Aboriginal, early European and bushwalking)
history. In effect, Beyond the Horizon is three books in one. Beyond the Horizon . . goes
beyond the ordinary. . .
Wild Magazine, September 2002
MELBOURNE
This beautifully produced casebound book is the latest offering from Rankin. . . Anyone
interested in our wild places will enjoy this well-researched book for its value as a
reference and, more importantly, because it will serve to inspire those of us who
don’t get "out there" enough to keep dreaming and planning.
Outdoor Australia Magazine, September 2002
SYDNEY
CLASSIC WILD WALKS OF AUSTRALIA
Robert Rankin's latest book sets a new standard in bushwalking publications, bringing together high-class photographs, maps and concise but complete guides for a selection of the best walks in each state. An experienced bushwalker arriving for the first time in one of our major cities can, with the aid of this book, go on a first-class walk the following day. Note, however, that the bushwalker should be experienced.
The 93 large colour photographs testify to the author's dedication, flair and perfectionism in photography. Clearly the scenery is to him an overwhelmingly important aspect of bushwalking and his pictures put the point across most persuasively, making this a superb coffee-table book. But it is much more than that.
Twenty-five of Australia's best walking areas have been covered. A simple but adequate map is given for each, together with a difficulty rating, standard times for each section, reference to relevant maps and books, instructions on how to get there, detailed walking notes, information on camp sites and huts, and comprehensive descriptions of the geology, geography, botany and weather.
The scope and quality of the information is such that you can hardly go wrong. Yet despite the concentrated nature of its contents, the book makes easy and enjoyable reading. Robert Rankin's style flows smoothly and soon gets you on the track with him.
The walks he describes have been selected for their classic nature and wild surroundings. It follows that seven of the 25 areas covered are in Tasmania and two are in the mainland snow country.
The book weighs as much as two or three days' bushwalking food. Because of this, and the risk of damaging such a beautiful thing, you would not want to take it on a walk, but you might need the maps and notes in it. The author-publisher foresaw this problem and, on page 4, beneath the usual warning against unauthorized reproduction, he grants permission to photocopy maps and walking notes for personal use in the field.
Australian Geographic No. 19 July - September 1990
Journal of the Australian Geographic Society
PO Box 321 TERREY HILLS NSW 2084
Wilderness Light continues the Rankin tradition of quality photographic publishing at a reasonable price - printed superbly in Australia as well.
On my subjective assessment of photos (whether I wish I had taken them myself!), Rankin's 44 images rate very well, with several absolute stunners. The few weaker images are excusable as they illustrate points from the text.
More than just a pretty face, this book is a treatise on landscape photography. Rankin clearly explains the principles of composition and lighting at some length, and steers away from suffocating discussions of techno-trivia like silver halides and aperture priority. His assessment of what is important in making good pictures is very wlecome, since I believe the emphasis on ever more bells and whistles to be the path of fools, and particularly misguided in photography. As in the ancient practice of alchemy, the transformation of base metal into gold happens mainly within the practitioner.
Rankin's solid discussion of aesthetic theory will enlighten people such as myself who only know what they like in a photo without knowing why. There are also brief exposes on the fundamental technical considerations of film, exposure, filtration and optics. It is good to see a successful photographer happy to share some tricks of the trade rather than maintaining the mystique. Though having said this, not all is revealed.
Whole libraries of photographic whirrs and clicks are available for technical buffs; Wilderness Light offers instead a thoughful grounding in the fundamentals.
Out There Magazine, Issue 3 Winter 1994
Paddy Pallin Pty Ltd, Unit 14F Hordern Place, Camperdown NSW 2050.