Heaven & Earth: Unseen By The Naked Eye (Photography) [Hardcover]

Katherine Roucoux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2002 | ISBN-10: 071484280X | ISBN-13: 978-0714842806

Through the lens of a microscope or the shaft of a telescope exists a universe of life and beauty that is unknown to many. Hidden from sight because of the restricted ability of the human eye, atoms, ice crystals, grains of pollen, snowflakes, butterfly wings, cloud formations, searing comets, and showers of stars are born, live and die. This text charts an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery through this infinite world that is science - from the smallest particles on the Earth's surface to tiny dots in galaxies that are light years away. Featuring the extensive range of matter contained in the cosmos, the book navigates a trajectory through an unfamiliar world and celebrates the beauty and boundless mysteries of Planet Earth and the universe. The images are presented in sequence according to scale and distance within distinct chapters. All the images are taken with some form of camera or instrument used to view these fragments of life and nature - microscope, X-ray, satellite, telescope, etc - and nothing can be seen with the naked eye. Presented as art, these beautiful but unfamiliar images are accompanied by extended captions. The captions explain what we are looking at, how small or far away it is, how it was photographed and where it can be found, as well as offering an interesting snippet of scientific information that enables us to associate with it on a human scale.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Amazing pictures, a fascinating text; a book of the utmost value.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

We are currently working on a leading science authority to write an introduction to the book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (September 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071484280X
• ISBN-13: 978-0714842806
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 10.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #749,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A feast for the eyes, November 16, 2003

By 

Eileen Rieback (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven & Earth: Unseen By The Naked Eye (Photography) (Hardcover)

Every year when the holiday shopping season rolls around, there is a glut of beautifully illustrated coffee table books on the market. But I have yet to see one this season that compares to the mind-boggling beauty of "Heaven & Earth". The photos in this magnificent collection run the gamut from the microscopic to the macrocosmic, presented in order of size. Like explorers of uncharted seas, we are able to discover the incredible detail hidden in the extremely small and to map the grand pattern in the extremely vast. We are also able to observe, as exemplified by the illustration on the cover, that there is often an eerie pattern of similarity revealed when viewing side-by-side things of vastly different scale. Not only is this book a feast for the eyes, but fuel for the intellect as well.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book, Buy the hardcover, May 14, 2005

By 

C. DiStefano "office_books" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven and Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye (Photography) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my wife, and the pictures are amazing. You really can't go wrong with something this fantastic. The biggest problem is the binding is garbage - hence the 4 stars - on the paperback. After looking through it ONCE, it is already falling apart. Worth the extra couple of bucks for the hardcover.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out Of This World, December 27, 2004

By 

K. McGuire (Diamond Bar, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven and Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye (Photography) (Paperback)

Received this book for Christmas, and the pictures are spectacular! This book is definitely a keeper. However, the paperback version has a problem with it's binding. My copy, the pages are already falling out ... but because this book is so great, I will be replacing it with the hard cover version.