Customer Reviews

Life: A Journey Through Time

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author worked many years on this book. The pictures are simply amazing and cover the seven continents and 4.5 billions years. The author followed a mixed scientific/artistic approach and documented some selected life evolution lilestones through his pictures. For example, the very first picture representing the Big Bang is a zooming-in movement on the center of petrified wood in Arizona. The visual effect is great and to the point. The texts of the pictures (on separate pages - to make sure the pictures can be fully appreciated) is also very well crafted with a nice touch of poetry.

The book contains a fair number of references.

The binding of the book is also made with quality in mind. I don't suspect the pages will detach from the binding like some other similar books of this size.

Overall, I am really impressed. Actually, I wonder how they can make books of such quality at this price point. I paid lower quality books at twice the price. A bargain.

(This review is for the french version of this book, printed in Italy)

Apart from displaying superb pictures, Frans Lanting's book is a stirring philosophical essay on our planet and life contained within it. This is not just another coffee table book, but one that has to be read and looked at repeatedly, and made a present of to one's close friends and relatives.

Great photography! Also an interesting geologic history. A great dollar value to get all these great pictures in a large format book for such a reasonable price.

Having followed Lanting's photo career since the origin of Nature Photographers of North America, we anxiously awaited his Life book and were not disappointed. Here is represented the beginnings of earth, after the Big Bang, and the geological results.

Franz Lanting has an eye that can see everything from a different viewpoint. He is a Master of photography, and looking at his photographs can teach a college course in viewing the world.

If you are not familiar with Franz Lanting's work this is an amazing first book to buy. It is full of stunning photos of a close approximation of the earth as it once was.

As has been said it makes a great coffee table book but is also a great addition to any library. For all the nature and photography enthusiasts out there, here is a great intro!

This is a wonderful book! The photographs are simply stunning and the layout of the book is great. This is an excellent sample of Lanting's work.

...and being a photography buff I own many!

Fantastic large format images of geological formations, wildlife and other subjects. Really a beautiful, all-encompassing look at the world we live in. This book, plus Earth from Above from Jan Arthus-Bertrand will give you a complete (and very weighty) collection of images that tell the story of the planet we live on, and our affect on said planet. You will never tire of looking through either book. And just a warning: tell the kids and guests must they wash and dry their hands before looking through this one or you're going to be upset later when you thumb through and find greasy finger prints marring the darker printed pages... oil does show up very obviously on this paper finish and it won't come off, so you've been warned.

Either way, highly recommended.

While the book doesn't quite live up to the awesomeness of Lanting's Life exhibit at the Carnegie Natural History / Art Museum in Pittsburgh it is still pretty awesome.

THE SIZE, DESIGN AND PHOTOS MAKE THIS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS IN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHIC MATTERS