Books ask us to create images to accompany the words.
This encourages our imagination. But, in Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki Expedition, photos of the actual raft used to cross the Pacific help us to understand the epic nature of the journey. By showing us the balsa logs lashed with hemp ropes that comprised the raft, they show how close the adventurers are living to the surface of water: we are given a visceral understanding of how the raft would have felt under their feet and fingers. The book is tale of physical endeavour, but also an example of having the courage of one’s convictions.