Okavango: Africa's Last Eden [Paperback]

Frans Lanting (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

Now in a stunning paperback edition, Okavango: Africa's Last Eden captures the magnificent animals of the Kalahari Desert and their fragile environment in a highly praised collection of 125 extraordinary photographs, taken during a year-long expedition by award-winning National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting. The vast Okavango wetlands support a diversity of wildlife unparalleled anywhere in Africa. Hippos, crocodiles, zebras, impalas, giraffes, lions, and some of the continent's last wild elephant herds are but a few of the creatures that find sustenance in the seasonal ebb and flow of fresh water across Botswana's arid plain. With striking, full-color images and an insightful text, this award-winning volume will captivate nature lovers, environmentalists, and photography enthusiasts alike.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Most Westerners, thanks to television documentaries and numerous books, have some inkling of the appalling destruction of Africa's many ecosystems and the animal species that live in them. Fewer are aware of the work being done in several African nations to preserve these ecosystems. The noted travel photographer Frans Lanting takes us into one protected area, the Okavango River, which begins in the mountains of Angola and ends a thousand miles later in the very heart of Botswana's Kalahari Desert, "the great thirstland." Lanting's photographs are stunning, capturing lionesses in mid hunt, ibises on the wing, and elephants preparing to charge. A trained ecologist, he also takes care to describe how the river interacts with the dry lands that surround it. Lanting's book belongs in the libraries of both Africa buffs and river aficionados. --Gregory McNamee

From Library Journal

The Okavango is an enormous seasonal wetland in the midst of the Kalahari Desert. As Lanting warns, it's another precious habitat teetering on the edge. Though it has long been left to the wildlife because of the tsetse fly problem, recent fly control success has governments pondering whether cattle grazing and other developments should be allowed. Yet damming, draining, and road building would severely alter the natural cycles of water and wildlife migrations. In documenting the cycles of the Okavango, Lanting's photographic skills are seemingly boundless. His viewpoints, lighting, backgrounds, and composition are unparalleled. From vast aerial shots to closeups of lionesses lapping water, each extraordinary photo conveys life and power and feeling. Both in the brief chapter narratives and in each photo caption, Lanting's superb prose is equally absorbing. Highly recommended for public libraries, Africa collections, and photography collections.
- Nancy Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st edition edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811811824
• ISBN-13: 978-0811811828
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > History > Africa > Botswana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frans Lanting sees Botswana with a keen eye., February 5, 1999

By 

Frederic S. Waugh "Helping those who love tra... (Southport, CT 06890 USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Okavango Africa's Last Eden (Hardcover)

Mr. Lanting is a unique and wonderful photographer who is a great help to all of us. His photos capture the wildlife of the Okavango as they are -- not postcard photos. He has a respect and reverence of this fragile ecosystem (unlike none other in the world) and all that lives and dies there that is captured in this book. Botswana is a special country with a unique ecosystem in the Delta that you should travel to. I've had the good fortune to experience Africa eight times, Botswana twice. I will return many times to the Delta as there is so much there to experience and each time its fresh. Let Mr. Lantings photos pursuade you to go.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning and original wildlife phtography, October 14, 1998

By 

Pal Jensen (Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Okavango Africa's Last Eden (Hardcover)

This book makes me suspect that Frans Lanting is not only the worlds greatest wildlife photographer but also the greatest bird photographers, crocodile photographer, elephant photographer etc. As usual, his photography is far from the species type of photography often seen. Lanting connects with the subject and transform the experience into art. In addition, he is not afraid to break the rules and make it work. The book is a must in any nature photographers library.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning photography and wonderful narrative, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Okavango: Africa's Last Eden (Paperback)

This is a terrific book to learn more about this region. I can't recommend the book enough. The photography is stunning and the narrative is just right. I only wish it didn't end.