Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia
by  Kevin Adams

I am listing both of these books together because they are of similar interest and top quality guidebooks on waterfalls, with their names telling the only difference. Both books are the best you will find on the waterfalls in these areas, and they are both full of information about the falls, and how to find them with the maps included. Information includes: directions, length of hikes to the falls, ratings of the falls, and even some history. There is a gallery of images in both books, and if you have any intention of going to these areas to photograph waterfalls, then you should not go without these guides.

Both soft cover books are about 6x9 inches, with 195 and 252 pages respectively, and both retail for US$16.95 – and are published by Menasha Ridge Press  at www.menasharidge.com       
I Rate both:  A+
(Reviewed March 2007)

A biography of one of the great American photographers, Walker Evans, this book uses his photographs to tell the story of his life.  The style of the writing is a very light narrative making it an easy and leisurely read, instead of a textbook.  The author begins every chapter, which is a section of Evans’ life, with a quote, bringing out Evans' personality.  Walker Evans photographed the people and places of New York City and other cities around the world using his unique narrative style.  Not only does this book illustrate the life of a photographic legend, but it tells a social history through his urban landscapes and portraits.  This would make a great edition to anyone interested in photography, history, or both.

This hardcover book has 64 pages and measures 10.6 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches. It is published by Roaring Brook Press,  and retails for $19.95
I rate it: A++ (EP)
(Reviewed June 2007)

Here is a new book totally about nothing but ocean waves. I have always loved photos of the beauty of waves breaking with all of their shapes and curves, and colors like you can’t believe, and this book is filled with exactly that. If you have ever lived at the beach in the past, as I did for half my life, this book will make you want to go back real fast. If not, it will make you want to pack up and move there. If it weren’t such a nice book, I would probably tear a lot of pages out to frame. It's a hardback with 100 images on 132, 9x10 pages, retailing for US$29.95. Published by Chronicle Books at www.chroniclebooks.com
I Rate it: A+  (Reviewed Aug. 2005)

I am having a hard time knowing what to say about this new book of California landscapes by one of the best photographers in the business. Saying that this is a book full of the best images in print, and that they are great, beautiful or anything else, is really like using language to try to describe what an ice cream sundae tastes like. I have seen many beautifully printed images before, but these go far beyond most of those. I can only think that California must wish it really looked this good, and I wish I could have every page of the book open at the same time. You WILL NOT find a better book for your photo library

This hardback book is about 12x12 inch, with 128 pages and retails for only US$39.95.  Distributed by BrownTrout at  www.browntrout.com      
I Rate it:  A++++  (Reviewed Oct. 2005)
 

This new picture book is filled with magnificent nature and landscape images from the state of Pennsylvania. If you already live there, you will love having this book in your library, and if you are planning a photo trip there, it will be a wealth of information on places to travel to. It is broken up into geographic sections of the state to better group what is found where, which makes it a lot easier for the reader to know where to find certain locations.  This is a large hard back book, over 12x12 inches in size and 153 pages.
The images are all of the best quality and the book retails for US$39.95. It is published by BrownTrout and can be ordered from www.browntrout.com
I Rate it: A++  (Reviewed Aug. 2005)

The cover image on this book will give you a good idea of the kind of great images are inside, and they just keep getting better with each page. All of the images are the final selection from over 17,000 entries in the 2005 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for both pro and amateur
photographers around the world. Even though not all of the images are animal shots, any wildlife photographer would still love this great book, because the other images are a good selection of nature images that are just as beautiful, and some even funny.

This hardback book is about 10x10 inches, with 159 pages, retails for US$45.00, and is distributed by Trafalgar Square at   www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com/     
I Rate it:  A+  (Reviewed April 2006)

When I requested this book to review I was thinking it was about something else, but I got something completely different and was very glad that I did. The title sort of tells you what it is about, but seeing as I have never seen another book like it, it was easy to be fooled. From cover to cover every image was taken through the window of one of the hundreds of flights that the author takes every year, and they include shots from over 30,000 feet down to landing level. Beautiful cloud formations, farm land patterns, mountain ranges, and high altitude sunsets, all so well taken and printed that you would never know that they were shot through a double thickness of scratched, and usually dirty plastic. This is a great book to add to any photo library, and one that is sure to be unlike any other ones you have.

This soft cover book is about 10x10 inches, with 148 pages, retails for US$39.99 - and is published by O’Reilly Media and can be checked out at www.oreilly.com
I Rate it: A+  (Reviewed June 2006)

Within The Stone,
by Bill Atkinson

Within The Stone is a new photo book that is probably like nothing you have ever seen before, but one you will likely never forget. Made up entirely of close-up images of polished stone slices that create some of the most beautiful abstract shapes you can imagine. They are a perfect example of how nature makes man’s attempt at art more than a little feeble. The cover image will give you a good idea of what I mean, but it does not come close to what I consider the best ones in this book. I’m talking about images that look nothing like stone. One image looks like a river of red-hot lava, and another is like the most beautiful blue set of three small waterfalls along a riverbank of fire. If the whole book weren’t so well done I’d very likely tear many of the pages out just to frame them for my walls. I am very partial to abstracts, but anyone would like all of these images because they are so impressive. This large 12x12 inch hard back book has 179 pages, with 72 color images, and retails for ONLY US$39.95.  It is published by BrownTrout Publishers and can be ordered from: www.browntrout.com      
I rate it:  A+++  (Reviewed April 2005)

The word "wolf" usually stirs two emotions - fear or admiration, and almost always total misunderstanding. For those who admire this beautiful animal, this book will be a library treasure. It fully explores the relationship between man and wolf and how it evolved throughout history, from being seen as creator by native tribes, to devil by pioneers. It is filled with images of the personal lives of wolf packs, which have social orders and family bonding as strong a man's. It is both beautiful and inspiring.

 This hardback book is about 9x11 inches, with 176 pages, retails for US$34.95 - and is published by Firefly Books at    www.fireflybooks.com       
I Rate it:  A++  (Reviewed Jan. 2006)