Landscapes of the Spirit [Hardcover]

William Neill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

In this extraordinary volume, photographer William Neill reveals a clarity of vision and depth of emotional expression rare among landscape photographers. Drawn from nearly fifteen years of work, the seventy-two images collected here -- awe-inspiring panoramas, sublime vistas, meditative close-ups -- summon up an almost mystical sense of serenity and peace. Whether its Big Sur at twilight or the abstract pattern of lichen on a Maine tree trunk, Neill captures like no one else the grandeur, mystery, and revitalizing beauty of the natural world -- and invites us to embark on a journey of spiritual renewal.

To complement each of the book's four portfolios, Neill has selected prose and poetry by well-known writers -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rachel Carson, Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams, among others -- that underscore the healing power of our bond with nature. For anyone who wants to reexperience the inner peace and strength that communion with the natural world can bring, Landscapes of the Spirit will be the photography book of the year.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 119 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch Pr; 1st edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821223380
• ISBN-13: 978-0821223383
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Art Landscape Photography at its best, January 15, 2001

By 

Arup Biswas (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Landscapes of the Spirit (Hardcover)

Have you ever wondered why we don't find color photographs of today as emotion-evoking as the black and white photographs of the great masters like Ansel Adams or Edward Weston? Come and see this book, you will find photographs that will noursih your soul and raise your spirit. Photographs that will speak to yourself. Photographs that you can look at again and again and you will discover newer meanings each time. William Neill, one of the best color photographers of the day, has the mastery of color of Joel Meyerowitz, the love for wildness of Eliot Porter and the sensitivity of Edward Weston. This book is a compilation of 72 of the best color images of the photographer taken during the span of fifeteen years. All the photographs were taken using a 4x5 view camera and has exquisite image detail. At the end of the book, Neill briefly describes each image with background information and technical details. Buy this book and if possible visit one of the galleries like Ansel Adams gallery to view the big size fine art prints of William Neill for even more appreciation. I guarantee after reading this book, you will look at our wild treasures in a new way.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Color my world: The abstract beauty of nature, April 15, 2000

By 

Rebecca Woll (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Landscapes of the Spirit (Hardcover)

Entering the abstract and impressionistic world of photographer, William Neill, is a must for all landscape/nature photography nuts! He brings you "up close and personal" to autumn leaves on fire and moss that redefines the color "green",daring you to reach out and touch each and every colorful canvas. I guarantee that if you love landscape photography, but are looking for a book that pushes the boundaries of this genre, look no further...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patience and the Eye, June 25, 2010

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Landscapes of the Spirit (Hardcover)

William Neill has traveled across the United States from Maine to Hawaii in every season of the year, and no matter where he pauses in his travels his eye (through his camera lens) is able to find the beauty that too often is taken for granted by most travelers' experiences. Neill has a talent for composing images that are works of art in and of themselves, but his true talent is finding that time of light, that presence of twilight, the mystery of fog, the joy of sunrises and sunsets that imbue his subject matter with what can only be defined as the spiritual essence.

Whether Neill is capturing closeups of carpeted flowers, shadows of trees nature has aligned, or his exceptional understanding of the chemistry between land and water that he studies from the breaking of water and clouds along the seashore or the majesty of lakes surrounded by mountains and heightened by cloud-bearing sunset memories, each photograph in this auspicious book inspires awe at the beauty of nature. William Neill is much more than a photographer and artist, he is a shaman willing to help us find the perfection that quietly surrounds us if we only pause long enough to reflect. This fine book is a journey and we are fortunate to have Neill as a gentle guide. Grady Harp, June 10