In the Lion's Den [Hardcover]

Mitsuaki Iwago (Author)

Book Description

The most exciting photographic portrait of lions ever assembled, In the Lion's Den presents nearly 100 breathtaking photographs of the day-to-day lives of these magnificent wild felines of East Africa's fabled Serengeti plain. Internationally renowned wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago's incredible close-up images convey both the majestic beauty of the lions and the harsh realities of their natural habitat. 98 color photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Iwago (Mitsuaki Iwago's Kangaroos, Chronicle, 1994) uses photographs to tell of his visit to the African plain and his stay among the lions there. Clear and distinct photos describe the life history of the pride, including the hunt, usually undertaken by the pride's females. Other aspects of the lions' lives are shown as well: reproduction, litter care, training of the young, territory and pride protection by the male, feeding, and resting. The text is limited to a short introduction and single-sentence captions for each photograph. Through extended stays on the Serengeti, Iwago has concluded that, despite the appellation "king of the jungle," lions actually "live among a variety of savanna inhabitants and are merely links in an extremely complex chain of existence." No other book on the market closely parallels this one. Highly recommended for all general collections.?Mary J. Nickum, Bozeman, Mont.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Human fascination with lions is long-standing and won't diminish as long as photographers keep making images of them as powerful, memorable, and beautiful as Iwago's. There is almost nothing between these covers that is not image; the introduction is barely more than four pages, the captions never exceed three lines, and the typefaces of both are small (sharp, though). No one should complain, even though the subject matter--hunting, feeding, mating, playing, resting, and showing off those marvelous fangs--is familiar past the point of mere cliche. There are some surprises: a male killing another in a fight, some females contentedly mudbathing, wide-eyed lions being very careful around some elephants. Again and again, Iwago provides an especially fine image, sometimes because of framing and composition, sometimes because of an animal's expression, most strikingly because of his practice of infusing the expected golden tones of a picture with violet. Ray Olson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 118 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First US Edition edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811812294
• ISBN-13: 978-0811812290
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,555,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book for all lion lovers., January 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Lion's Den (Hardcover)

This is a very informative book about lions. The book has lots of pictures. There are some pictures that contain blood in it. Though it's only because it shows a lion killing its prey. As a lion lover I really enjoyed this book. I've been trying to locate a book like this one. There are also cute pictures of lion cubs playing around. Overall it's a very nice and informative picture book about the "King of the Beasts".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Iwago brilliance but with poor text and printing, October 20, 2004

By 

Bruce Doran (Canberra, A.C.T. Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Lion's Den (Paperback)

I have always thought that Mitsuaki Iwago's nature photography is unsurpassed. His ability to capture images that are original is uncanny. For anyone interested in the Serengeti-Ngorongoro ecosystem, or African Wildlife in general, "In the Lion's Den" is definitely worth buying. However, the superb photographs are let down by poor printing and limitations in the text accompanying the images. The captions rarely relate well to the images and, in some cases, appear to be incorrect. For example, several pages in the middle of the book show stunning photographs of two male lions fighting. The final photograph in the sequence shows a male lion roaring with a caption indicating that the victor remains in a high state of tension. However, the lion pictured has no blood on its muzzle, whereas the preceding photographs show the bloodied victor biting through the scull of its opponent.

Despite the limitations, I would still recommend this book on the basis of the photographs alone. However, for those also hoping for informative writing on lion behaviour, this book would prove to be disappointing. Another thing I noticed was that the printing quality was poor compared to his other books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real World, September 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Lion's Den (Paperback)

Iwago has brought to us breathtaking photos of the Lion....in their world.........the glory and the defeat of this most powerful animal clearly portrayed. I am always awed by Iwago's ability as a photographer......he has a special gift for capturing animals on film and In The Lion's Den is solid evidence of his talent !!