For more than one hundred years, the National Geographic Society has brought "the world and all that is in it to millions worldwide. Through its unparalleled research, exploration, publications, and photography, the organization and its magazine have, in many ways, defined how we see the world. Now Robert Poole's 'Explorers House' gives a vibrant, behind-the-scenes look at 'National Geographic', from its start in 1888 to its evolution into one of the most esteemed and iconic American institutions.
The story of the 'National Geographic' is a family story of a media dynasty to rival the Sulzbergers or Luces. The Grosvenors, along with Alexander Graham Bell, who was linked to the family by marriage, created the institution's photography-based monthly, and the family has been on the masthead since the McKinley administration. Content to stay in the shadows, however, they have remained modestly obscured from public view while their media empire has grown to reach some forty million readers and viewers each month.