Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles [Hardcover]

Poul Beckmann (Author), Ruth Kaspin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2007

Presents a collection of gogeous beetles, magnified multiple times their size and photographed in colour.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This unique collection of beetle photographs reveals an intriguing combination of art and science.''This is a refreshing and creative photographic study.'Amateur Photographer, 23 June 2007'... a great book for those interested in colour combinations and is far from being simply a coffee table book for entomologists.'Creative Review, August 2007'... Beckman's magnificent photographs scale up these incredible creatures to a size where we can truly appreciate what an astounding feat they are of natural engineering.Gay Times, July 2007

About the Author

Poul Beckmann's career as a printer and photographer spans thirty years and his wide-ranging professional endeavors include graphic design, jewelry design and manufacture, and computer graphics. He lives in California.

Ruth Kaspin is a painter working in both traditional and digital media as well as jewelry design. She lives in California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 111 pages
• Publisher: Prestel Pub (May 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791337777
• ISBN-13: 978-3791337777
• Product Dimensions: 13.6 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stunning ,up close photos!, May 10, 2007

By 

Kevin Z. Kovacs "zoltan" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles (Hardcover)

I have a few books on beetles. Including the first Living Jewel.

I am speechless. The photos make it seam like you are a relative size

to the beetles. All the subtle nuances of texture and pattern captured in the photos is a

true gift from the gods. This is an amazingly beautiful book! Hats off to Poul Beckmann

and Prestel.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the "finest examples of nature photgraphy" described., August 19, 2009

By 

D. Harkins (Mesquite, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles (Hardcover)

The beetles themselves are brilliant and beautiful, no doubt. But this book does not meet the description of nature photography, which is what I was interested in when I ordered it. All photos were taken in a studio on a white background. The results are, as you might expect, very sterile and not at all natural. The photographer could have just as easily been taking photos of automotive parts or teacups. The ONLY natural thing about the photographs are the beetles themselves. While this photographic technique would be perfect for a field guide, the book does not serve that purpose either. Despite the hype, it is simply a coffee table book of studio photographs of beetles. The publisher should enable the feature "search inside the book" so that people can understand what they're getting instead of relying on the mis-representative written description. In the meantime, potential buyers should be aware that the cover is actually very representative of ALL of the photos in the book. Essentially what you are getting is page after page of "beetle on a white background," not exactly what I would consider "the finest examples of nature photography." I am giving it the benefit of a mediocre three stars because it's not that it's necessarily poorly done. For what it IS, it's done fairly well. It's just not at all the nature photography claimed in the product description.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nature's Fabulous Gems, December 26, 2008

By 

L. B. Gillespie (Flower Mound, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles (Hardcover)

After visiting the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans a while back and seeing their beetles and butterflies exhibit, I just had to have a book with photos of some of these little gems. The book does not disappoint. The photos are exquisite!