Synopses & Reviews
Since its original publication in 1999, Yann Arthus-Bertrandand#8217;s Earth From Above has been a touchstone for the environmental movement throughout the world, selling more than 3 million copies in all languages. The result of a five-year journey across five continents and 60 countries, this spectacular portrait of our planet is also an iconic reminder of its fragility.
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In this anniversary edition, Arthus-Bertrand and one dozen experts on current environmental issues look back upon the past decadeand#8217;s progress. With more than 100 striking new images and nine new essays, including frank discussions of climate change and the growing energy crisis throughout the world, Arthus-Bertrand poignantly juxtaposes Earthand#8217;s raw beauty with the evidence of humanityand#8217;s negative impact upon our home.
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Synopsis
Celebrated exploration photographer George Steinmetz takes his art to a new level in
Desert Air, the first comprehensive photographic collection of the worldand#8217;s and#8220;extreme deserts,and#8221; which receive less than four inches of precipitation per year. Steinmetz has spent 15 years on this epic body of work, capturing remarkable and surreally beautiful visions of deserts, from Chinaand#8217;s great Gobi Desert to the Sahara in northern Africa to Death Valley in California. Much more than a visual journey, these images are enriched by the exciting stories behind Steinmetzand#8217;s adventures in some of the worldand#8217;s most difficult and challenging areasand#8212;from smuggling his paraglider into Libya to getting arrested for spying in Iran, to crashing into a tree in western China.
Desert Air reveals extraordinary desert ecosystems that together form a kind of disparate family of coevolved landscapes; similar, yet each unique in its own way.
To preview some of these incredible images, watch the book trailer on Vimeo:and#12288;http://vimeo.com/50387081
Synopsis
Aerial photographer George Steinmetz, shooting from a motorized paraglider, has created an unparalleled portrait of
Rub' al-Khali, or "the Empty Quarter," the largest and most likely the hottest sand desert in the world. Although only a fraction of the size of its giant neighbor, the Sahara, the Empty Quarter's punishing terrain has rarely been captured on film, and never from such a striking perspective.
Old maps, satellite images, and a dose of Arabian hospitality enabled Steinmetz to travel where few have ventured. He reveals in his photographs a true wilderness, without a single permanent human habitation or known point of water, preserved by its harsh climate and extreme remoteness, as well as a fascinating tradition of a hardy people living at its edges. For experienced travelers or explorers and for those who have never heard of the Empty Quarter, entering the heart of the Arabian Desert is truly the ultimate experience.
About the Author
George Steinmetz has spent the last 25 years photographing remote corners of the world for National Geographic and GEO magazines. His awards include two first prizes from World Press Photo, as well as awards and citations from Pictures of the Year, Overseas Press Club, and the Eisenstadt Awards. He lives in New Jersey.