West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands

Rating:
Summary: A resplendent volume.
Review: "West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands" is an absolutely resplendent volume. Nature photographer and biologist Jim Clark masterfully captures the colors, features, and animal life in the wildest and most remote region in the Appalachian Mountains. Clark takes us through four seasons in the Alleghenies. His 100 full-color pictures are as winningly composed as they are iridescently rendered. Clark is one of those rare photographers who can truly give you a sense of grandeur in his work. In "New River Bridge, Fayette County," he doesn't just capture the forminable span of the bridge. He includes the giant (yet tiny!) boulders in the river below, so that you can get an almost stunning sense of the reach and height of this engineering marvel. But Clark is just as adept with smaller scenes. Witness "Maple Leaves in a Stream" and the almost paint-like "Reflections, Branch of the Potomac River, Grant County." And Clark's prose is nearly as penetrating as his photographs. Of a winterstorm, he writes: "The first thing I notice about the snowstorm is how still it is. Nothing is moving; the only sound I hear is the wind whispering through the trees." Don't miss this rich and captivating work.

Rating:
Summary: A resplendent volume.
Review: "West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands" is an absolutely resplendent volume. Nature photographer and biologist Jim Clark masterfully captures the colors, features, and animal life in the wildest and most remote region in the Appalachian Mountains. Clark takes us through four seasons in the Alleghenies. His 100 full-color pictures are as winningly composed as they are iridescently rendered. Clark is one of those rare photographers who can truly give you a sense of grandeur in his work. In "New River Bridge, Fayette County," he doesn't just capture the forminable span of the bridge. He includes the giant (yet tiny!) boulders in the river below, so that you can get an almost stunning sense of the reach and height of this engineering marvel. But Clark is just as adept with smaller scenes. Witness "Maple Leaves in a Stream" and the almost paint-like "Reflections, Branch of the Potomac River, Grant County." And Clark's prose is nearly as penetrating as his photographs. Of a winterstorm, he writes: "The first thing I notice about the snowstorm is how still it is. Nothing is moving; the only sound I hear is the wind whispering through the trees." Don't miss this rich and captivating work.

Rating:
Summary: If you love Appalachian natural history, get this book!
Review: I first met Jim Clark at Cacapon Institute's RiverFest '95. I invited him to do his natural history slide show, Highland Overture. I heard he was good, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect the impact his show had on me. When the lights came back on, I found myself among others wiping away tears. Jim's slide show, set to music, brought me back to my childhood when I took the time to experience the beauty of the more detailed, subtle intricacies of nature, from the box turtle's eye, the wings of a butterfly, to the magnificent view from atop a West Virginia mountain. His book continues to do nothing less than that, and better yet, I can pick up the book and view Jim's images whenever I want!

Naturalist and native West Virginian, Jim captures the natural history of our area in a way that will touch your heart. Unlike photographer, Arnot Hyde, who in his book depicts West Virginia as cities and buildings, Jim's book portrays what to me is the essence of the state - its vistas, streams, plants, animals and insects.

Jim begins his book in the spring and gently walks you through the seasons. His writing style is descriptive and captivating. It's full of fascinating history and pours nicely from Jim's heart. In his introduction we learn about the encounters and hardships of early settlers, and the devastation wreaked on these mountains by the invention of the Shay steam locomotive. As we move through the text we learn bison and elk graced our forests. And we learn about species that continue to abound in special places throughout these hills. As autumn unfolds from the colors on the pages, Jim teaches us about geological formations and the premier heights from which to appreciate these colors throughout the Highlands. Finally we find ourselves in winter. We feel its beauty and we learn what bothers Jim when he thinks about the future of West Virginia and the hopes he sees rising from the work of groups like Cacapon Institute.

Jim closes by stating that "the mountains instilled in me a tremendous strength to endure whatever obstacles were placed in my path, and they forged in my heart a passion for life". I don't think there is a person who has experienced the trails, meadows, and mountaintops of this state who hasn't been touched by their experience here in some profound way. Jim captures this state in its grandness, beauty and wonderment and his writings will help you appreciate that each of us plays a part in protecting this beautiful land. His book belongs on the coffee table of every person who's ever marveled at a West Virginia sunset, appreciated a falling leaf, squinted at a drop of water on a spider web, or felt the joy of a clean river.

Rating:
Summary: The photography in this book is amazing!
Review: I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my father, sight unseen, based on the description here at amazon.com. After he opened this gift, I had a chance to see it. I could not have been more pleased. The photography is amazing. It truly depicts the beauty of West Virginia. I liked the book so much that I have now ordered a copy for myself, which will be on display in my home in Washington, D.C.

Rating:
Summary: Inspirational combination of words and photography
Review: If you have any interest in photography, natural history or West Virginia then this book is a welcome addition to you library. Jim has a unique ability to capture in words and images the experience of actually being in the Allegheny Highlands. I know because after I read the book it inspired me to go there.

The images are very well done from an artistic perspective. The words in Jim's own hand make the book an experience to enjoy again and again.