Product Description

Published to coincide with the International Polar Year, Vanishing World is an unprecedented visual record of life in the Arctic. Five years in the making, this book is both a celebration of the wildlife that inhabits this harsh and unforgiving climate and a cautionary tale of global warming. Rising temperatures have put areas such as the Artic at risk and the livelihoods of the animals that live there are increasingly threatened.

Set against a dramatic landscape of ice floes and ragged mountains, readers will see the polar bears, foxes, seals, walruses, and reindeers who now struggle to live in this vulnerable climate. Images of a polar bear mother as she takes her newborns out for their first hunt, a seal pup only hours old, the spectacle of the polar night, and the majesty of the glaciers and pack ice are a reminder of what is at risk.

Mireille de la Lez’s stunning photographs are accompanied by text that explains the precarious nature of life in this dramatic climate. No one who sees the images of this vanishing world will be unmoved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #227987 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 264 pages

About the Author
Nature photographer Mireille de la Lez and cowriter Fredrik Granath have spent years working in the high Arctic and specialize in photography and films of the polar regions. They live in Stockholm, Sweden.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and important
This book and its stunning photographs show us a beautiful world that is rapidly changing. "Vanishing World" is not only a tribute to the Arctic wildlife - we meet polar bears, foxes, seals, walrus, birds and whales - but also a fascinating tale of global warming. Words can not describe this extraordinary book. It is clearly the result of enormous patience and commitment, and deserves all the praise it is getting in the press. At a first glance, it is a magnificent coffee table book, but what this is more than anything else, is an urgent appeal to engage. "Vanishing World" is an impressive achievement, and probably the most beautiful nature book in years. Nearly unreal.

A stunning book
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this astounding work of art. From the start to the end, this book is amazingly beautiful. I must admit that I did not read the texts because I did not feel the need to. This is photography at its best: so gorgeous that it is almost too much to bear. An extraordinary tribute to something we may lose soon.

A Moving Immersion into the an Amazing Environment
This is not an academic study of the Arctic but an artistic celebration. I was struck how this book pulled me in and made me feel like I had a real understanding for the lonely beauty of the with so little use of words. The book is predominately full spread photos with just a dozen pages of rather poetic prose that describes the annual cycle of the Arctic. It gives an intimate feel for the region that made me feel like I understood what life is like there. Although to be honest, it is a pretty removed understanding, I never felt like it was -50 with a punishing wind was cutting to my bones.

The photos are without captions and only loosely related to the brief text. This was frustrating at times when I had questions, but after a while, it helped the sense of discovery. Exploration of new environments doesn't come with instant answers.

Toward the end of the book there are a few more pages of text, one section dedicated to the environmental issues that face the arctic which seemed a little unsatisfactory. It abruptly loses the poetic feel of the earlier text and takes on a academic voice. It didn't seem to fit, although the photos that follow are made poignant by these pages, especially the photo of the free swimming polar bear.

The final section is a few pages about the author and photographer which are great. There is some talk of equipment, some anecdotes, so philosophizing about isolation, but it was all welcome. I am amazed at their project, they have put together a wonderful book here. Truly beautiful.