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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
World's beauty vs. some of the factual realities, January 15, 2002
This review is from: Earth from Above: 365 Days (Hardcover)
This unusual book lets you select your worldview by looking either to the left or to the right. The images on the left-hand pages are shockingly beautiful views of the surface of the earth from about 100 feet above. Images are often more abstract and graphic than one would expect. The right side pages are only text, often telling the stories of poverty, overpopulation and environmental contamination. Both are legitimate views of the same place. For me, and I expect for many readers, the message is clear: address the issues presented in the text or loose the beautiful world of the photographs. The photographic and printing quality are unusual good for a book of this limited price. The format is fairly small, but large enough to enjoy. Unfortunately the binding is on the short edge of this 2 plus inch thick book, making handling difficult and possibly leading to early binding failure. I have given this book as a gift a number of times and it has been well received.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brethtaking photography!, October 25, 2002
This review is from: Earth from Above: 365 Days (Hardcover)
I originally saw Yann Arthus-Bertrand's work in the May 2002 issue of "Reporters without Borders". It contained 79 of his photos (approx 8 1/2 X 11 with great print quality and paper I might add - what a deal for ...). I then immediately looked to see if he had released any of his work in a book. This book is absolutley breathtaking! I haven't even gotten half way through this book yet, but feel that I have a new appreciation for the earth. He accompanies each photo with a description. Unfortunately Mr. Jensen doesn't read too well, otherwise he would have noticed that the author makes statements about the harmful things that ALL COUNTRIES are doing to the planet, nor did he realize the fact that most of the photos are outside of the U.S.! This is a shame! Everyone should have a copy of this book, if not for the stunning photography, for the lessons we can all learn by seeing the terrible destruction we are doing to our planet! This book is a must! I have given this book as a gift several times and everyone has loved it!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Political or not - it's stunning., April 15, 2002
This review is from: Earth from Above: 365 Days (Hardcover)
I'd flicked through this in the bookshop and resisted shelling out so much money on just one book, but my wife bought it for my birthday. Stunning photography, one can imagine that some of the scenes were especially staged for the shot (obviously not!), and some of the shots are so bizarre that one has to double-take to make sure one is seeing right.
The author's eye for beauty and form can even find it in rubbish, pollution and slums, very often it is the angle of the light which transforms the picture from an ordinary shot, into something startling, as in the evening view of Haghia Sofia in Istanbul, with the rest of the city in shadow - just awesome! The text is opposite the photo - so you are not constantly having to refer to an appendix - with an apposite quote to help you appreciate the beauty (or not) of the composition. Highly recommended.
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