Frank Hurley

The extraordinary life of the daring adventurer who defied ice and fire - war photographer, Antarctic explorer and adventurer - by Australia's No.1 bestselling historical biographer, featuring a foreword by Hurley's granddaughter

From the moment he ran away from school before his 13th birthday, Frank Hurley carved a path as one of the greatest adventurers of all time.

A visionary photographer and film-maker, Hurley journeyed to the farthest corners of the earth, capturing images of people and places few had ever seen. Time and again he risked his life, in both peace and war, to take pictures that would astonish the world.

Claiming to have travelled a million miles in his lifetime, Hurley traversed every continent. He made five perilous expeditions to Antarctica, sharing a hut with Douglas Mawson and a tent with Ernest Shackleton. He drove across Australia with Francis Birtles and flew with Ross and Keith Smith on part of the first-ever flight from England to Australia. He ventured deep into the uncharted jungles of New Guinea and Java.

Hurley stood on the front lines of history, capturing some of the most dramatic footage of the First and Second World Wars. He survived a plane crash in Athens during a world-record flight attempt, was shot at by Germans and Turks, and was once rescued from the belly of a dead whale.

A master storyteller, Hurley penned bestselling books about his adventures and dazzled audiences with photographic exhibitions and film screenings. As a cinematographer, he helped create some of Australia's most iconic early films.

Frank Hurley didn't just document history - he lived it and immortalised it - and this brilliant biography by Australia's bestselling historian vividly captures his extraordinary life. Hurley's granddaughter, Toni Hurley, has penned the foreword.