The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots" (Outside Books) [Paperback]

Outside Magazine (Editor), Hampton Sides (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Outside Books | Publication Date: November 4, 2002

The most hilarious, whimsical moments captured on film, from twenty-five years of living Outside.

Short of near disaster or the sublime, what are our most memorable outdoor moments made of? The totally surprising, sometimes bizarre oddball moments that catch our psyches off guard and strike our funny bones to the core. Call it the wild side factor. The editors of Outside proudly present outstanding images gleaned from 300 issues of their back-page "Parting Shots" photo feature. It's their way of celebrating the pratfalls and singular coincidences of an outdoor life—the comic circumstances of relatively tame mammals (us) spending more and more time closer and closer to large, wild animals. These images are a rare chance to look into the wide world outside and laugh at both ourselves and that infinitely wondrous, entertaining three-ring circus we call the universe. 67 four-color photographs

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A perfect companion volume to Outside's recent silver-anniversary anthology, Outside 25, this collection of 67 images from the magazine's signature photo feature, the Parting Shot, will charm the polypropylene socks off adventure seekers and animal lovers alike. Products of both technical acumen and perfect serendipity, these photographs are the best of nearly two and a half decades of the magazine's popular "caboose slot." Though snapped by an impressive roster of nature photographers in places all over the world, the images can be loosely categorized by subject: there are cute furry or fuzzy things (a baby penguin cozily squashed between his parents); visual ironies (a squawking bird perched on a loudspeaker); people flying, either intentionally or not, through the air (a surfer tossed high by waves, skydivers plummeting through the ether); and "take that, human!" moments (a man falling off a raft, a lion munching on a video camera). Of course, some shots are simply interesting or beautiful-nothing to shake a walking stick at. But it's the wonderful, whimsical moments in which people and nature collide (sometimes literally) that truly delight.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Hampton Sides, contributing editor of Outside and editor of "The Wild File," is also the author of Ghost Soldiers. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 25 Anv edition (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393323986
• ISBN-13: 978-0393323986
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mostly human, December 31, 2003

By 

a reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots" (Outside Books) (Paperback)

Althou there are some "silly" animal shots, most are humans, especially skier and other atheletes. Don't buy it for the animal lover.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures, and funny too, January 2, 2003

By 

Ann Baron "vociferous reader" (Westland, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots" (Outside Books) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my brother for Christmas. After he opened it, it went around the whole house and everyone loved the pictures. This is a great coffee table book and one that can be enjoyed over and over.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pefect for a Coffee table, November 15, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots" (Outside Books) (Paperback)

If you know anyone who loves a new coffee table book every once in a while, or simply loves photography, this is a great gift! It portrays so many natural ironies that make your mind wonder and wander...so who couldn't appreciate it!?