Customer Reviews

Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Such beautiful work is a treasure and an education all at once. It's a rare treat to be able to see in such intimate detail those creatures who have lived and may perish without our ever having known them except for the work done here. This book, and the entire body of the Liittschwager/Middleton collaboration is a must-have for every conservationist, every school.

I've lived in Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, where many of these photos were taken, for several months while working as a marine ecologist, so I've seen a large portion of these organisms, marine and terrestrial. Yet, despite the thousands of hours I've spent in the water there, Middleton and Liittschwager managed to find and photograph many organisms I've never seen before. Their photographs are unique because they mostly have a white background, so the organism is more starkly highlighted. Personally and as a marine ecologist, I think it's important to see the habitat and the other organisms that the organism may interact with, plus it's more interesting; however, that is what most fish or invertebrate books do and what any person with a camera or dive camera can do - Middleton and Liittschwager's technique is unique, much more difficult to accomplish, and therefore very special. Definitely a gorgeous book to keep on your coffee table - and a great way to see the organisms of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. One of my favorites is the group of images of one albatross growing up - from an egg to looking like an adult - I've always wanted to do that myself. This book will especially be a treasure for those lucky few who will visit Midway in the coming years as the new visitor program begins. I highly recommend it for those who have seen the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and those who haven't but want to.

Secondly, somehow this book was not packed very well. Others before me have commented on this, and I agree. I've ordered lots of things from Amazon and never seen this before; however, for an expensive book with glossy covers that you don't want to get scratched, it really wasn't packed very well. However, my copy was not damaged in any way, so no worries. I just think Amazon should talk to whoever is packing these books!!

Like the other reviewer, my book was improperly shipped, this time in a box too large so it sloshed around on its journey, getting dinged in the process.

However, the book itself is magnificent. It is a gorgeous, comprehensive collection of images detailing the flora and fauna of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. This thriving Archipelago is beautiful in every sense of the word, and the intimate portraits that Middleton and LIttschwager have painstakenly produced of these creatures are superb. This is a jewel of a book, for photographic as well as conservationist reasons.

The northwest Hawaiian islands, stretching all the way to Midway are rarely visited because of their remoteness and fragility. This beautiful book gives a comprehensive tour of the area. The coffee table format allows the strange lands and creatures to be seen at their best. The authors' skill and dedication to their topic shows clearly in both photos and text. Recommended for all nature lovers.

This is a magnificent book, with unique photgographs of sea creatures on white backgrounds. It would have made a splendid gift, except for the unfortunate fact that it was shipped in a box hardly bigger than itself and had obviously been dropped and crushed. Every page was dented, but it was too late to return it and get a new copy. One wonders why tiny objects are so often shipped in a box many times larger than themselves, but books like this one are tossed casually into the mail with no real protection at all.

Archipelago presents not only to-be-expected unbelievably beautiful photos of the marine life of the Outer Hawaiian Islands of a first-rate coffee table book, but also details the natural and human-assisted biological recovery processes. The real value of the book rests in the documentation of how important biological refuges are to the world's species and how far we still need to go to help correct our destructive activities. Buy it for the photos but be sure to read the text! Well worth the price.

The most fabulous color photographs of sealife, plantlife, birds, and nature that you will ever see. The photography is astounding and more than worth the price of the book. The background explaining and showing how the different subjects were obtained, photographed and placed back in their original habitat demonstates the utmost care with which this project was undertaken. Though one may never be able to visit these remote island sanctuaries, this book allows the viewer to witness everything in it's natural glory through it's pages. A truly remarkable book and highly recommended.

amazing photos of sea life! i love this book - haven't bothered reading anything - i'm just amazed with the photos!

this book is beautiful and impressive in every way.
It inspires me to protect the planet and all its creatures.

Not a book about underwater creatures. I know they sell this bundled with 'The Deep', but this is a very different book than the cover would have you believe. I would say half of the book is text, birds, flowers, grasses, etc. Just a heads up.