Back when there were 59 National Parks (2 have been added since then), this book represented a commendable effort to illustrate all of them. However, it would not be my first choice for a book on this subject, since other books offer better contents and value.
It is remarkable that Andrew Thomas, living in Australia, was able to visit all the National Parks on vacations, considering that Ian Shive, the self-proclaimed "leading chronicler of America's National Parks" was missing so many of the National Parks in his three books, including in his latest "The National Parks: An American Legacy".
Thanks to the equal treatment given to all the National Parks, many readers are sure to discover National Parks they did not know. Considering his constraints, Thomas did a good job photographing the National Parks. He makes a noticeable effort to include original shots, however their choice often do not depict a given national park at its best, maybe the drawback of nature photography expeditions from abroad. Unfortunately, while the photography is quite good, the writing is uninspiring.
The National Parks have so much beauty and diversity that trying to give a representative account of all of them in such a relatively short book is a merciless task. For most of the National Parks, Thomas (or his Canadian publisher?) has allowed himself only a single double-page spread. How do you portray Yosemite with only two pages?
In order to fit several views into a spread, the layout includes a mosaic of smaller shots of unusual dimensions (vertical panoramic, horizontal panoramic, square). That layout is repeated for each park, with the monotony of the format only broken by a few rare panoramic images that cover a double-page spread. The problem is that for this layout to work well and not feel disjointed, the images would have to harmonize with each other, which is exceedingly difficult if at the same time one wants varied images to depict a park.
There are already quite a few photography books about the National Parks. If the relatively small page count would have resulted in a significantly more affordable book, there would have been a niche for this book. However, at a list price of $45 for 168 pages, this book is not a good value at all. For instance, "The National Parks: An Illustrated History" lists for $50 with 384 pages. "Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks" lists for $65 with 480 pages. You do the math. Besides their higher quality, The larger page count of those books allow for much richer contents and spacious presentation that does better justice to its subject and therefore would be preferable choices if you are going to buy only one book about the National Parks.
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