Andes [Hardcover]

Mario Vargas Llosa (Author), Pablo Corral Vega (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

Andes is introduced with a personal essay by renowned Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa grew up in these mountains and knows them intimately. His reminiscences and insights for Andes are inspired by the powerful photography of the gifted Pablo Corral Vega. Corral Vega began his mountain journey on January 1, 1995 planning to travel the cordillera from south to north in order to experience in all its dimensions the childhood companion that had kindled his imagination. More than a journey undertaken for adventure, his was a quest for identity. Through his photography Corral Vega presents the Andes and South America as a continent of geographic extremes and he introduces the reader to the diverse peoples who live by the grace of, or despite, the mountain ranges that make up the Andes chain. Throughout the book personal journal entries by Corral Vega enlarge the meaning of his photographs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792264304
• ISBN-13: 978-0792264309
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 11.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Peru
  • #62 in Books > Travel > Latin America > South America > Peru

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes your breath away!, June 11, 2002

By 

Robin Schmidt "Reader" (madison, wi United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Andes (Hardcover)

This is a series of breathtaking photos of the Andes range from the Caribbean to Patagonia. There are stunning photos of the mountains and heart-wrenching photos of earthquake survivors as well as many photos of everyday life. Mario Vargas Llosa, the famous Peruvian author, contributes "inventions" imagining subjects thoughts, feelings, attitudes and stories. This National Geographic book, photographed by Pablo Corral Vega, makes a wonderful tour of the majestic mountains and haunting coutryside of the Andes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I expected from National Geographic......., November 30, 2007

By 

Brian Kerecz (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Andes (Hardcover)

From the book description: "In 1995, Pablo Corral Vega began a journey that would take him the entire length of the Andes, the 5,000-mile chain of mountain ranges that extend from Patagonia to the shores of the Caribbean"

Andes, published by National Geographic Insight, is not quite what I had expected. Most of the pictures contained throughout the book are of people and/or urban areas, not of the Andes themselves. I purchased this book for a glimpse into the Andes and the people of the Andes from the perspective of Pablo Corral Vega as he had grown up there, spending his childhood in Ecuador. But apparently his return trip for this book did not take him too far from the road, as most of the pictures are urban photos, not what I had expected.

He also attempts to add an artsy flair to many of his photos, but falls short most of the time in my opinion. For example, on page 103 there is a very colorful picture of people with their backs turned to watch an inauguration ceremony, but in the forefront of the picture there is an out-of-focus dog with a chain showing. This could have been a great picture, but it is not! And two pages before that there is a picture in Olmeda supposedly during a festival. Well, the picture show a green tarp or something similar and two people standing against it. It looks like nothing close to resembling a fiesta. At best, I think it can be stated that the pictures are disjointed. I have been to South America, and although I have never grown up there or spent any considerable time there, I honestly believe I could have put together nicer pictures of the Andes and the people who live there from my trips there.

In short, this is a nice book (but certainly not for the cover price of $50), if only for the fact that there are few coffee table books on the Andes. But it is a disappointment in the fact that I had expected much more from National Geographic.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PEOPLE of the ANDES, July 2, 2002

By 

Peter Manale "petman2001" (LOWELL, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Andes (Hardcover)

As would be expected from a publication by National Geographic, this book has beautiful pictures covering all regions of the Andes Mountains. Buyers should take note, however, that this book focuses more heavily on portraits of the people in these South American countries than on panoramic vistas of the Andes Mountains themselves (review the cover of this book to see the main focus). Also, too many blank pages for my tastes and budget. Otherwise, an exquisite book.