Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Serengeti National Park stretches for endless miles across the wilds of East Africa..." (more)
Key Phrases: Serengeti Plain

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Serengeti National Park covers an area the size of Connecticut across the wilds of East Africa. Within its boundaries, millions of animals live and die, as they have for thousands of years. Consisting of about 300 photographs, this book presents one year on the African plain. Iwago's photographs capture the essence of a sometimes brutal, sometimes idyllic, always fascinating life. It is hard to believe that many of the species shown in this vital book face extinction as humans crowd ever closer. For libraries wishing to supplement their African wildlife collection, this book is an excellent choice. Randy Dykhuis, Grace A. Dow Memorial Lib., Midland, Mich.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Serengeti is a sweeping book, handsomely produced, and a volume that no nature lover should be without. The Chicago Tribune

It is hard to imagine wildlife photographs getting better than these. New York Times Book Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 3.rd Edition. edition (June 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877014329
• ISBN-13: 978-0877014324
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #374,435 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #22 in	Books > Travel > Africa > Tanzania
  #45 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel > Africa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous representation of the beauty one really sees, September 8, 2000

By	Peter R. Fischer (LA LA Land, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain (Hardcover)

Having just returned from Kenya and Tanzania and as an aspiring photographer myself, I was anxious to get my own film developed. I did and had some good shots, but was dissappointed because only a few of my shots conveyed what I felt when I was actually in Africa. Only a little bit of what I captured on film was something I could use to show people when they asked me how my trip was. Out of my own photographs, only 3 or 4 really conveyed the emotions and awe I felt in viewing the African wildlife and landscape.

This book is a completely different story. Every single photograph conveys all of the beauty and awe-inspiring nature that is Africa. I can look at these photos and say "this is exactly what Africa is like." These photos are so beautiful that just by looking at them I begin to feel some of what I felt standing on the plains myself at dawn watching a family of lions no more than 100 yards away. Iwago's use of composition, light, and technique clearly convey life on the Serengetti. Everything from the absolute power of the lion to the complete goofiness of the Wildebeast is conveyed wonderfully in this book.

If you have any of the same interests I do in wildlife and Africa go on safari. If you can't do that, at least do yourself the favor of picking up this book.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding portfolio of the greatest wildlife photographer!, October 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain (Hardcover)

This book is a wonderful tribute to nature's beauty. The photographs are outstanding and only someone who loves nature could have taken them. A great panorama of the great Serengeti through its two seasons. Thank you Mr. Iwago.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Circle of Life in East Africa Documented in Stunning Photographs, August 28, 2006

By	Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain (Hardcover)

Pay heed to the subtitle of this book - "Natural Order on the African Plain" - as it does not shy away from images that may not show up in a children's book. I'm so glad this tome is still in publication, as it is a beautifully photographed document of life and death on the Serengeti Plain that stretches across Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. Photographer Mitsuaki Iwago has captured the vibrancy of the mythic wildlife of this expansive area, in particular, the scope of the Great Migration, when over a million wildebeest and zebra travel hundreds of miles in search of water.

Iwago has a wondrous eye for detail, whether it's an uninterrupted pattern of zebras with their heads bowed to drink up from a watering hole or a gaggle of hungry hawks gnawing on the dead carcass of a lion. My personal favorites are any pictures showing adult animals and their children and the ones showing the Masai villagers living so naturally amid the wildlife. Even the eye-wincing scenes of death make for vivid reminders of how essential the cycle of life is on the plain. I have been lucky enough to have been on safari on the Masai Mara, which is the northern part of the plain, and the images in Iwago's book perfectly evoke my experiences on the range rover as we looked at life happen. This is a great coffee-table book at the right size not to be overwhelming.