Iceland's Raw Beauty is Captured in a New Assouline Book

"Iceland has a way of swallowing expectations and dispersing them as a fine mist over its lava rock fields, moss-covered valleys, and black-sand shores. Since people began arriving at this glacier-topped island in the ninth century, there has been one constant: the weather rules all. Then, surviving was far from certain, and a single storm could take out a life-saving food source for the settlers who raised farms and livestock along the perimeter of the country."

"With nearly 20 visits to the Land of Fire and Ice filling my own memories, I've married deep research into the country's past with my impressions of the current in a tome for Assouline, called Iceland Epic. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that your expectations are never enough-there's always a spontaneous summer snow, flash of Northern Lights, or elusive Arctic fox sighting right around the corner."

"For more tips on planning a trip to Iceland: One of my favorite elements of Iceland is how the people who call it home embody their surrounding environments. There is no fighting with the weather, it's a part of who they are. Many artists have captured this in paintings, photography, and design-photographer Anna Isabella Christensen (above left) is one of these people. Her work offers a human silhouette"

Iceland's weather governs daily life and shaped early settlement conditions, where storms could destroy vital food sources for coastal farms and livestock. The landscape combines glaciers, lava fields, mossy valleys, and black-sand shores, producing waterfalls, volcanic craters, eruptions, and hot springs that attract global travelers. Unpredictable forecasts create both inconvenience and opportunity, encouraging outdoor activity despite changing conditions and offering chances to see summer snow, Northern Lights, or Arctic foxes. Local people integrate the environment into their identity rather than resisting it. Artists and photographers document human interaction with the landscape, reflecting a culture attuned to weather and wild terrain.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler