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Yellowstone and Grand Teton. For the casual traveler, these words evoke the wild grandeur of the Old West - the wide-open West of shark-tooth peaks, skyscraping geysers, snaking rivers, plunging waterfalls and lush pristine valleys, and of course free-roaming bison and wolf, elk and bear. For the better informed traveler, these words also evoke a complicated interconnection of wilderness and civilization, conservation and cultivation, preservation and exploitation, resource and reward: an iconic exemplar of the potentials and problems of sustaining wilderness in the 21st century.
An extraordinarily beautiful and informative new book, "Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks" poignantly portrays the exhilarating splendors of these two national parks and the daunting array of challenges confronting them.
The book begins with an excellent essay, by Charles R. Preston, which cogently reviews the history of the region and introduces the notion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, then succinctly summarizes the key issues that have shaped its evolution. Five succeeding chapters by Susan Kraft and Letitia Burns O'Connor focus on individual areas and attractions of Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs, the Geyser Basins, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, and Yellowstone Lake. O'Conner then describes the history and highlights of Grand Teton National Park. The edifying final chapter, "Elements of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," by Jim Robbins, uses the four elements -- fire, water, air and earth - to delineate the lessons of the region.
While these texts are all enlightening, the real glory of this book is the more than 275 photographs, many of them stunning, which brilliantly portray the diversity of the region's natural features and wild creatures. Prime among the book's visual treasures are 36 pages of three-foot-wide foldout photographs that exquisitely illustrate the region's expansive glories.
The pictures and essays in "Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks" are gifts to cherish - as are the national treasures they celebrate.
[Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks; text and photographs by various contributors; published by Universe Publishing, a division of Rizzoli International Publications, Inc; copyright 2007 Dana Levy and Letitia Burns O'Conner; hardcover, 132 pages; $45.]
The following Adventure Collection members offer trips to the Yellowstone and Grand Teton region: Backroads, Natural Habitat Adventures, NOLS, OARS, and Off the Beaten Path. -- written by Don George for Adventure Collection, donsplace.adventurecollection.com/bookshelf.php
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Experiencing Yellostone and Grand teton National Parks,
By
This review is from: Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Spectacular National Parks) (Hardcover)
If I could have only one book about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, I would choose "Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks." A striking, masterpiece of a book, its large format accommodates many panoramic photographs of outstanding compositional beauty and technical quality. The special features of five locations within Yellowstone, routes into Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Park are well documented with essays and photographs. No ordinary coffee-table book, " Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks" is exceptional for its substance. Well researched, the text is highly interesting and vividly written. Photographs, both historical and contemporary, are carefully selected to highlight, develop, and extend the written narrative. Of widely varying subject matter--vast landscapes, close-ups of thermal features, flora, and fauna among other aspects of the Ecosystem--photographs are remarkable for the number that are printed and for the rich documentation they provide. The significance of the Ecosystem for the relationship of humans and nature is made awesomely clear in this book. Photographs throughout the book make both the magnificent landscape and the presence of humans relating to the land immediate and tangible. This is a book for anyone who has seen Yellowstone or the Grand Teton National Parks and wants to re-experience the Parks in a deeper way. It is also a book for anyone who intends or hopes to experience the Parks and who wants to better understand their deep significance.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far more than a coffee-table book,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Spectacular National Parks) (Hardcover)
When I ordered "Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks," I expected it to deliver superb photographs of park vistas, and it does. What really impressed me, however, is that the author went the second mile with terrific wildlife photos and with text that is well-written and well-researched. The text includes much historical background as well as commentary on the ecosystem by people who know what they are talking about.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truely Spectacular,
This review is from: Spectacular Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Spectacular National Parks) (Hardcover)
The title of this book is fitting. Not only are the photos of the book wonderful and capture the many things offered by the parks, the book also provides wonderful information about the natural wonders.
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