California Wild: Preserving the Spirit and Beauty of Our Land

Rating:
Summary: California's Wilderness Areas Portrayed and Defended
Review: A portion of the proceeds from purchasing this book is being donated to help preserve California's wilderness areas.

If you ask people who don't know California well about the state, they usually describe beautiful beaches, surfing, sailing, tourist attractions like Disneyland and Universal Studios, gorgeous bridges around San Francisco, and famous resorts. What those places all have in common is that there are lots of people to be found there.

Since Ansel Adams began his photography in California, there's been another California that people cherish and want to protect -- the places where there are no people and the wild beauty provides a respite from "civilization." California Wild is an update of that vision, provided in a series of helpful essays about why and where wilderness areas are important in California and many stunning color photographs to help you appreciate what you probably haven't seen before.

Unfortunately, wilderness is constantly in retreat in California and elsewhere. For some areas, these photographs will be the only way to experience wilderness as that recession continues. For those who love the wilderness but don't know where to find it, this book will also be a helpful guide for future trips to and within California. For those who cherish the wilderness, it's also a good idea to share the book with others to increase the legion of those who are defending wilderness areas.

To me, the photographs are the best part of the book. Here are some of my favorites:

Sand verbena against a background of the Santa Rosa Mountains (page 3)

Shifting sands in the Mojave Desert (page 7)

Klamath River (page 9)

Hitchcock Lakes (page 10)

Hat Creek (page 16)

McClure's Beach on Point Reyes (page 18)

Mount Shasta (page 23 and 26)

Smith stream (page 36)

Yosemite Falls (page 59)

El Capitan, Cloud's Rest and Half Dome (pages 60-61)

Mono Lake (page 65)

Oregon Tree (page 75)

Valley oaks (page 96)

Poppies and lupine in Antelope Valley (page 103)

Yucca and Mendanhall Ridge (pages 106-107)

Sycamores (page 110)

Death Valley (pages 112, 115, and 119)

White Mountains (pages 120-121)

Desert blooms (pages 126-127)

Aspens in Lundy Canyon (page 130)

Stanislaus River (page 138)

Desert sunset (page 140).

I hope this book will give the peace and tranquility you desire.




Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Incredible
Review: California Wild can be summed up with two words - incredibly beautiful. Tim Palmer takes the reader on a trip through the wide variety of geology, botany, and animal life of California in this absolutely gorgeous book. The writing is excellent and makes the reader feel they are a part of the wonderful wilds of California. These are some of the most awe-inspiring works of photography to grace the pages of any nature book. California Wild is highly recommended both for the writing style that invites the reader to be a part of a guided tour of the wilds and for the incredible photography.