Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs [Hardcover]

David Leaser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is a visual masterpiece filled with spectacular images of palm trees from around the world. From the formal gardens of Versailles to a lush tropical rainforest in the South Pacific, you'll enjoy the vast diversity of palms that inhabit our planet.

• Beautiful hardcover binding with more than 130 photos.

• Filled with images of rarely photographed species.

• An ideal gift for landscapers, gardeners and palm lovers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs" has captured the universal appeal of palms through beautiful photographs. -- Paul Craft, President, International Palm Society

"Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs" is a sumptuously illustrated book that should inspire many to use palms in landscaping -- Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, London

Overall, this is a great book that I think will appeal to a wide audience, lovers of palms or not. -- Donald R. Hodel, Environmental Horticulturalist, University of California

About the Author

David Leaser is a longtime member of the International Palm Society and the International Plant Propagators Society. His interest in palm trees inspired him to visit some of the most beautiful palm gardens in the world, where he began to photograph their collections. By showing palm trees in the landscape, Leaser has created a book that will appeal to all lovers of the tropics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Westwood Pacific Pub (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595880100
• ISBN-13: 978-1595880109
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Leaser creates dramatic images of landscapes and botanicals. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals, and he has authored four books, including two photographic monographs. Leaser's "Tropical Gardens of Hawaii" and "Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs" have received critical acclaim; the latter was also featured at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego.

Leaser has also written two additional books on palm care. "Growing Palm Trees in Hawaii" is an easy to read guide for palm lovers in the tropics. "Betrock's Essential Guide to Palms" is a complete guide to selecting, growing and maintaining palms. The book includes a unique landscaper section that makes it easy to quickly find the right palm for your location.

Upon seeing his work, Dr. John Dransfield, senior officer at London's Royal Botanical Garden (Kew Gardens) praised David's photographic monograph. "Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is a beautiful, sumptuously illustrated book. Altogether a treat to look at."

David began taking photos at a young age. He received a Polaroid Swinger camera from his parents at age six, and he has been taking photographs ever since. . After completing the photographic essay, "Tropical Gardens of Hawaii," Leaser spent a day at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in California. The Huntington was featuring an exhibit of paintings from Frederic Church, arguably the most successful 19th century American artist. Church's realistic images of the Andes and Amazon inspired Leaser to travel to South America and retrace his footsteps.

In the Amazon, David studied the details of the small flowers on the rainforest floor. Each small flower contained its own ecosystem for the small insects and reptiles of the Amazon. In the Amazon, he had an epiphany: why not show viewers the most intricate, intimate workings of these tiny flowers?

Upon returning to his studio in Los Angeles, David spent the next few months collecting exotic flowers from around the world to pose as subjects for his new work. Orchids from Asia, bromeliads from the Amazon, gingers from Polynesia . . .

Unfortunately, technology hadn't caught up with his vision. He wasn't able to capture the extremely fine detail he wanted to show. After months spent researching, David developed his own process, now being called the dettagli process because it captures detail like you've never seen before. You can literally see grains of pollen on the stamens of a hibiscus in the Nightflowers collection. And every flaw in these flowers demonstrates that every beauty has its imperfections.

David is dedicating himself to creating a collection of botanical images that will show viewers the miracle of nature. He believes, after studying his Nightflowers series, viewers will never look at flowers in the same way again.

Visit David Leaser's website at http://davidleaser.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful gift for palm lovers, March 25, 2007

By 

Reuven Zasler (Karmiel, Galilee Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs (Hardcover)

While "Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs" does not contain the detailed information that experts and amateur enthusiasts would refer to for guidance or research, it is an esthetic jewel of a book whose magnificent photos render it the perfect "coffee table" item for palm lovers everywhere.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Beautiful Book, June 1, 2007

By 

szqsk8 (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs (Hardcover)

I read about this book in a local newspaper and was dying to get my hands on it and I was not disappointed. I love palm trees and living in California (southern) we enjoy seeing many types. If you are looking for a reference book or field guide this is not it. It is a gem of a coffee table book that everyone who has sat on my couch has been tempted to thumb through.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful pictures--very informative., February 17, 2007

By 

Lilly Lover (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs (Hardcover)

We really like this book. It has a lot of the different types of palm trees in it with beautiful pictures and good, dscriptive information.