Canyons of the Southwest: A Tour of the Great Canyon Country from Colorado to Northern Mexico [Paperback]

John Annerino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

The canyons of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico contain some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. John Annerino's pictorial celebration of this visually rich region is a handsome memento for those who have heard the wind whistling in these haunting canyons, and a beckoning invitation for those who have not yet made the journey.

Annerino has spent much of his adult life exploring this territory—as wilderness runner, adventurer, and photojournalist—and combines his firsthand knowledge with his expertise as a nature photographer and author to create an intimate portrait of these timeless places. Accompanying the photographs are informative essays describing the region's geological and human history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book provides unbelievably beautiful pictures and stories about gorgeous places in the wilderness."
-- Houston Post

"John Annerino presents a stunning pictorial celebration of the land and the people, past and present, in Canyons of the Southwest....capturing Native American inhabitants and the stunning landscapes they call home."
-- Outdoor & Travel Photography

"Some of the most spectacular color photography you will ever see anywhere hits your eye with a soft and magnificent touch in Canyons of the Southwest, by John Annerino, published by Sierra Club Books."
-- The Book World

"Canyons of the Southwest is done so eloquently by John Annerino, I was moved. Listen to the text . . . The photographs are even more eloquent--spectacular, sensitive, and beautiful. He captures the canyons in photo image and word."
-- The Arizona Republic

"Comprised of some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world, the Southwest is a mythical place not readily revealed. The essays and breathtaking photography create mesmerizing windows from which to view some of the region's most spectacular natural wonders."
-- Phoenix Magazine

"Canyons of the Southwest offers John Annerino's reverent and ravishing photographs of the 'haunting steepness' between the Four Corners states, Sonora and Chihuahua." — Washington Post

"The stunning color photographs—views of lunar-looking landscapes, stupendous chasms, towering rock formations and abandoned cliff dwellings painted gold by the sun—truly capture the beauty and drama of these natural wonders."
—Publishers Weekly

"A stunning coffee-table book. . . . The accompanying essays are authoritative and upbeat." — Booklist

"Geologically venerable, resonant with human history, stunningly beautiful, these are certainly among our most imposing and seductive natural environments. Annerino's paean to them is handsome and thoughtful." —Los Angeles Times

From the Author

Book Builders West Awards: Outstanding Photography & Design
* View images from this photo collection at johnannerinophotography.com
* Read the author's illustrated biography at johnannerino.com
* Get updates about the author's published work at Author Central
* Order now from Amazon
* Autographed and inscribed copies available at johnannerinobooks.com

Images from this collection featured in:
* Arizona: A Photographic Tribute, Centennial Edition
* Desert Light, two single-artist Browntrout calendars 
* Geomundo, Latin America
* México Desconocido 
* New York Times, Travel
* Travel & Leisure Magazine

   "Canyons of the Southwest, by John Annerino, Sierra Club Books. Geogolically venerable, resonant with human history, stunningly beautiful, the canyons Annerino photographs are certainly among our most imposing and seductive natural environments. His paen to them is elegant and thoughtful."   
 -- The Denver Post

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; 1st University of Arizona Press paperbound ed edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816520925
• ISBN-13: 978-0816520923
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,636,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John is pleased to share the exciting news two of his new photography and literature books were published on January 24, 2012: the "Land if Enchantment's" 100 Year Centennial Edition, New Mexico: A Photographic Tribute; and the "Grand Canyon State's" 100 Year Centennial Edition, Arizona: A Photographic Tribute. His third new book, The Virgin of Guadalupe: Art and Legend, will be published by Gibbs Smith on March 1, 2012. His landmark photograph commemorating the World Trade Center was recently published in the 2011, 10th Anniversary editions of the New York Times No. 1 bestselling books, LIFE One Nation, America Remembers September 11, 2001, and LIFE In the Land of the Free. The iconic image and others can be viewed online at www.johnannerinophotography.com. John Annerino's indelible photographs were published previously in the New York Times No. 1 bestselling book, America 24/7: 24 Hours, 7 Days, Extraordinary Images of One American Week, and the Grand Canyon state sequel Arizona 24/7: Amazing Photographs of an Extraordinary State. John is the author and photographer of many books, among them 17 distinguished photographic essays and thirty-two single-artist calendars, including Wild & Scenic Arizona, Wild & Scenic New Mexico, La Virgen de Guadalupe, and the award winning books Indian Country, Desert Light, Grand Canyon Wild, Vanishing Borderlands, Canyons of the Southwest, The Wild Country of Mexico, and Roughstock: The Toughest Events in Rodeo, (acclaimed by the Rodeo Hall of Fame). John's credits include Arizona Highways Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, LIFE, Newsweek, People, Scientific American, Time, Travel & Leisure, and many prestigious clients worldwide. In his quest to explore the renowned landscapes and secret places of the Great Southwest and Old Mexico with a camera and pen over last 25 years, John has climbed its hallowed mountains, rafted its wild and scenic rivers, journeyed on foot through its mystical chasms, and crossed its alluring deserts. He has photographed and come to know the region's Native peoples and ceremonies, Western cowboys and traditions, and Spanish heritage and celebrations. John Annerino is a member of The Authors Guild, New York. Visit his illustrated bio online at www.johnannerino.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A soft and magnificent touch., November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Canyons of the Southwest (Hardcover)

Those Mighty Canyons. Some of the most beautiful photography you will ever see anywhere hits your eye with a soft and magnificent touch in "Canyons of the Southwest" by John Annerino. The book covers some of the most rugged terrain on the face of the earth: the combined American Southwest and the Mexican Northwest. The photographs show a real grasp of what the camera can do under the hands of a skilled photographer with these mighty places on the North American continent. The book is approximately half text and half pictures. A telling blend, showing not only how these massive canyons were formed, but also gives an interesting treatise on the plant and animal life of the region. "Canyons of the Southwest" is a memorable record of one of the world's most spectacular regions. It is cited as a tale of living history and well it should be. -Neshoba Democrat

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling photographs., November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Canyons of the Southwest (Hardcover)

Foremost are the photographs. I would call Annerino's canyon portraits the best of a really good lot, even over big-time large-format photographers. While the large-format works are stunning artistic studies of light and color shot with impossibly huge f-stops, Annerino's canyon photographs give expression to the phrase "wearing one's heart on the sleeve." His photos have an active passion that others lack. Anyone who knows him will say he is among the "hardmen' to tackle the Southwestern mountains and canyons, but that he is definitely the most sincere in his passion for place. Perhaps, because of this he lacks a calculated commercial view of the places he photographs. His images also record his own passion, creating compelling and unique photographs. More than any other contemporary outdoor photographer, Annerino's photos mirror his love of the land's people. In the text, Annerino portrays canyonlands people as part of what makes the places special. He has a deep affection for past and present native peoples, but unlike some Anglo North Americans, Annerino isn't a lost 20th century soul. Rather, he seems to have a straightfoward and genuine admiration for native people, and has learned a great deal about them. His research on each canyon's history is impressive. Annerino writes with an immensity commensurate with his subject. His style is old-fashioned, evoking an older, more grandiose era of writing of explorers like Powell and Pattie. While many modern writers seem bent on infusing themselves into as much of the story as possible, Annerino's style is not so full of himself as full of the intensity of his canyon experiences...Annerino is at his best when he writes about Mexico, especially the Big Bend passage where he talks about the injustices served the Mexican across the river at the hands of our national park there. An optimist who sees great things in the canyons, Annerino neither ignores nor dwells on the obvious problems facing the West like pollution and development. And fortunately, CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST is not a treasure map guidebook to these areas. -Desert Skies

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intimate portrait, with stunning color photographs., November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Canyons of the Southwest (Hardcover)

John Annerino's pictorial celebration of the canyons of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is a handsome momento for those who have heard the wind whistling in these haunting canyons, and a beckoning invitation for those who have not yet made the journey. Annerino has spent much of his adult life exploring this territory -- as a wilderness runner, adventurer, and photojournalist -- and here combines his firsthand knowledge with his expertise as a nature photographer and author to create an intimate portrait of some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. Scores of stunning full-color photographs make plain the basis for the region's appeal. From the centuries-old Anasazi ruins to the breathtaking buttes of Monument Valley, from the Narrows of Zion National Park to the barrancas (canyons) of the frontier of Mexico, CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST is a memorable record of one of the earth's most spectacular bioregions.