Countless cultures have found it in the magnificence of nature and what can be called the divine gestures of the nature landscape. We looked to the majesty of snowcapped mountains, the glow of the full moon, the power of a magical waterfall, the endless sands of the Sahara Desert, the towering height of the tallest trees and the subtle essence of a lotus flower. We created remarkable buildings to the essence of what we felt to be sacred. What is sacred and what do cultures around the world consider sacred? What is sacred to a Muslim, a Tibetan monk, a Native American, a Christian elder, an atheist, a mountaineer, a poet or an artist?Chris Rainier has spent the last forty years in search of the sacred––from the peaks of Tibet to the icebergs of Antarctica, from the vibrant mysticism of India to the mysteries of the Silk Road, from the jungles of New Guinea to the druid stones of Scotland, and from the deserts of the Southwest United States to the rock art of aboriginal Australia and Africa. Rainier’s photographs masterfully capture the wonder and awe inherent to all these sites. Sacred presents photographs from this lifelong journey. The collection offers spiritually driven glimpses of ancient monuments and haunting landscapes from around the world––each echoing with the energy of timeless and sacred power places. RENOWN PHOTOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR: Chris Rainier is a documentary photographer and National Geographic explorer who is highly respected for his documentation of endangered cultures and traditional languages around the globe.AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Rainier was Ansel Adams last photo assistant and has contributed numerous photographs for the United Nations, UNESCO, Amnesty International, Conservation International, the Smithsonian Institution, CNN, BBC, NPR, National Geographic, TIME magazine, the New York Times, and LIFE magazine.CELEBRATED CONTRIBUTORS: Over twelve internationally recognized contributors discuss what sacred means to them and include British essayist and novelist Pico Iyer; ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker Wade Davis; and Pulitzer Prize winner and National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek.

Join former National Geographic Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer Terry Garcia and nature and cultural photographer Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Explorer, on a journey with some of the world’s most renowned and respected explorers, scientists, astronauts, visionaries, thinkers, and authors as they discuss and share their insights about what motivates them, what is left to explore, and why we should care in The Future of Exploration.Exploration is as old as humankind, but there are still surprises that await us. With technology opening doors that once seemed permanently closed, the twenty-first century will be the greatest age of exploration in our history.Accompanied with awe-inspiring photography, each contributor shares their personal achievements and insight into what the future of exploration looks like from their respective fields, the challenges we face, and possible solutions. Whether delving into the terrestrial, oceanic, or cosmic frontiers, embark on a journey into the uncharted future and be inspired yourself to be a part of the future of exploration.35+ EXPLORERS: The Future of Exploration features stories by legendary modern explorers in various industries, each with their own networks, fanbase, and social media accounts to promote the book. Contributors include Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Bob Ballard, Richard Branson, Louise Leakey, Zahi Hawass, Yvon Chouinard, Paula Kahumbu, Kris Tompkins, Kakenya Ntaiya, Wade Davis, Nemonte Nenquimo, Carolyn Porco, Krithi Karanth, Nainoa Thompson, Wasfia Nazreen, Samuel Ramsey, Sven Lindblad, and moreSTUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Enjoy breathtaking photographs captured around the globe, including deep sea, wildlife, and outer spaceEMBRACE THE UNKNOWN: Delve into the excitement of the unknown and learn about the new technology leading the way for explorationCURATED BY PROMINENT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS: Acclaimed National Geographic Explorers Terry Garcia and Chris Rainier share insights from their 40+ year careers exploring the world and interacting with the world's forerunners of exploration on earth, in space, and at sea.GIFT FOR THE ADVENTURER IN YOUR LIFE: The Future of Exploration is the perfect gift for adventurers and travelersPROCEEDS TO RESEARCH, EXPLORATION & CONSERVATION: Profits from The Future of Exploration will be donated to early career field scientists, explorers, and conservationists pursuing innovative projects across a wide range of disciplines

Celebrated photographer Chris Rainier has documented indigenous and endangered cultures worldwide. What began as a focus on the masks of New Guinea—where modernity threatened to erase ancient rituals and cultures—became an expansive journey to find and photograph traditional masks that has taken Rainier across six continents over the past thirty years.The result is this mesmerizing photographic collection of masks—some of them ancient, some newer, many hidden at the edges of the known world and rarely revealed to outsiders. Traditional masks are so often seen behind the glass of museum cabinets, divorced from their spiritual significance. But the masks in this collection are still being danced today, in countless cultures all over the world. Rainier conveys them pulsing with the rhythms of life, full of power and spiritual relevance.Through his stunning photography—at once mysterious and unguarded—Rainier takes us on a pilgrimage to experience masks and mask rituals: from those found at initiation rituals in Burkina Faso to Bön Buddhist masks long hidden in a Nepalese monastery in the high Himalayas, the raven and bear regalia of North American First Nation potlatches, and the terrifying, child-chasing Krampus masks of the Austrian Alps. Accompanying these striking images are a foreword by renowned essayist Pico Iyer, ethnographic notes from anthropologist Robert L. Welsch, and fascinating stories recounting Rainier’s journeys to distant lands to preserve and celebrate these objects of beauty and power and the cultures that produce them.

Countless cultures have found it in the magnificence of nature and what can be called the divine gestures of the nature landscape. We looked to the majesty of snowcapped mountains, the glow of the full moon, the power of a magical waterfall, the endless sands of the Sahara Desert, the towering height of the tallest trees and the subtle essence of a lotus flower. We created remarkable buildings to the essence of what we felt to be sacred. What is sacred and what do cultures around the world consider sacred? What is sacred to a Muslim, a Tibetan monk, a Native American, a Christian elder, an atheist, a mountaineer, a poet or an artist?Chris Rainier has spent the last forty years in search of the sacred––from the peaks of Tibet to the icebergs of Antarctica, from the vibrant mysticism of India to the mysteries of the Silk Road, from the jungles of New Guinea to the druid stones of Scotland, and from the deserts of the Southwest United States to the rock art of aboriginal Australia and Africa. Rainier’s photographs masterfully capture the wonder and awe inherent to all these sites. Sacred presents photographs from this lifelong journey. The collection offers spiritually driven glimpses of ancient monuments and haunting landscapes from around the world––each echoing with the energy of timeless and sacred power places. RENOWN PHOTOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR: Chris Rainier is a documentary photographer and National Geographic explorer who is highly respected for his documentation of endangered cultures and traditional languages around the globe.AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Rainier was Ansel Adams last photo assistant and has contributed numerous photographs for the United Nations, UNESCO, Amnesty International, Conservation International, the Smithsonian Institution, CNN, BBC, NPR, National Geographic, TIME magazine, the New York Times, and LIFE magazine.CELEBRATED CONTRIBUTORS: Over twelve internationally recognized contributors discuss what sacred means to them and include British essayist and novelist Pico Iyer; ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker Wade Davis; and Pulitzer Prize winner and National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek.

Join former National Geographic Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer Terry Garcia and nature and cultural photographer Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Explorer, on a journey with some of the world’s most renowned and respected explorers, scientists, astronauts, visionaries, thinkers, and authors as they discuss and share their insights about what motivates them, what is left to explore, and why we should care in The Future of Exploration.Exploration is as old as humankind, but there are still surprises that await us. With technology opening doors that once seemed permanently closed, the twenty-first century will be the greatest age of exploration in our history.Accompanied with awe-inspiring photography, each contributor shares their personal achievements and insight into what the future of exploration looks like from their respective fields, the challenges we face, and possible solutions. Whether delving into the terrestrial, oceanic, or cosmic frontiers, embark on a journey into the uncharted future and be inspired yourself to be a part of the future of exploration.35+ EXPLORERS: The Future of Exploration features stories by legendary modern explorers in various industries, each with their own networks, fanbase, and social media accounts to promote the book. Contributors include Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Bob Ballard, Richard Branson, Louise Leakey, Zahi Hawass, Yvon Chouinard, Paula Kahumbu, Kris Tompkins, Kakenya Ntaiya, Wade Davis, Nemonte Nenquimo, Carolyn Porco, Krithi Karanth, Nainoa Thompson, Wasfia Nazreen, Samuel Ramsey, Sven Lindblad, and moreSTUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Enjoy breathtaking photographs captured around the globe, including deep sea, wildlife, and outer spaceEMBRACE THE UNKNOWN: Delve into the excitement of the unknown and learn about the new technology leading the way for explorationCURATED BY PROMINENT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS: Acclaimed National Geographic Explorers Terry Garcia and Chris Rainier share insights from their 40+ year careers exploring the world and interacting with the world's forerunners of exploration on earth, in space, and at sea.GIFT FOR THE ADVENTURER IN YOUR LIFE: The Future of Exploration is the perfect gift for adventurers and travelersPROCEEDS TO RESEARCH, EXPLORATION & CONSERVATION: Profits from The Future of Exploration will be donated to early career field scientists, explorers, and conservationists pursuing innovative projects across a wide range of disciplines

Celebrated photographer Chris Rainier has documented indigenous and endangered cultures worldwide. What began as a focus on the masks of New Guinea—where modernity threatened to erase ancient rituals and cultures—became an expansive journey to find and photograph traditional masks that has taken Rainier across six continents over the past thirty years.The result is this mesmerizing photographic collection of masks—some of them ancient, some newer, many hidden at the edges of the known world and rarely revealed to outsiders. Traditional masks are so often seen behind the glass of museum cabinets, divorced from their spiritual significance. But the masks in this collection are still being danced today, in countless cultures all over the world. Rainier conveys them pulsing with the rhythms of life, full of power and spiritual relevance.Through his stunning photography—at once mysterious and unguarded—Rainier takes us on a pilgrimage to experience masks and mask rituals: from those found at initiation rituals in Burkina Faso to Bön Buddhist masks long hidden in a Nepalese monastery in the high Himalayas, the raven and bear regalia of North American First Nation potlatches, and the terrifying, child-chasing Krampus masks of the Austrian Alps. Accompanying these striking images are a foreword by renowned essayist Pico Iyer, ethnographic notes from anthropologist Robert L. Welsch, and fascinating stories recounting Rainier’s journeys to distant lands to preserve and celebrate these objects of beauty and power and the cultures that produce them.