Theme Parks Books

Those of us who have hiked or climbed Mt. Rainier know that the beauty of the experience doesn't always come out in our photos. O'Hara has captured that beauty in over a hundred shots we all wish we had taken.

Water tanks, constructed for the purpose of supplying water through a gravity driven system for businesses, buildings, neighborhoods, and communities, were once ubiquitous components of an industrial past, but are now rapidly disappearing as crumbling, obsolete relics as technologies and the city have continued to evolve. For the past twenty years, Larry W. Green is a Chicago artist who has been photographing and sketching water-tanks in and around Chicago, Illinois. Now compiled and presented to the public in "Water Tanks Of Chicago: A Vanishing Urban Legacy", Green showcases and captions 37 of those images he has preserved or recreated. The purpose in publishing his work was to inform and alert the public to the need to preserve those (often crumbling) monuments to a yesteryear Chicago for their esthetic and historical significance. A superb presentation, "Water Tanks Of Chicago" is very highly recommended and could well serve as a template or example for photographically preserving similar landmark constructions in other American communities wanting to treasure and preserve their historic past in a rapidly changing present for the sake of future generations.

When I was eleven, our family drove with a camper on a half-ton truck to Yellowstone from Southern California. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I haven't been back in all of these years because so many people say that it's not as great. Having seen the wonderful photographs in the book makes me think that I didn't see the best the first time.

Most of the two million annual visitors to Yellowstone come in July or August, and the roads are pretty crowded. I remember the begging bears best of all, but was also thrilled by the geysers and streams. An unexpected treat was to see the magnificent Grand Tetons on the way into Yellowstone.

Erwin and Peggy Bauer live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, not far from Yellowstone. As a result, they can come in all seasons and know where to leave the road to see things that almost no one ever sees. I suspect that you could visit Yellowstone 50 times and not capture nearly all of the wonderful vistas, wildlife and wildflower images in this gorgeous book.

Many of the color images evoked the feeling of the Hudson Valley school in their spiritual reverence for nature, such as Tower Creek on page four, Castle Geyser erupting at sunset on page 9, Grotto Geyser on pages 12-13, a bison at daybreak on page 14, Firehole River in winter on page 24, Mammoth Hot Springs under a threatening sky on pages 28-29, Castle Geyser erupting to blot out the sun on page 32, early autumn beside a roadside pond on page 35, Mammoth Hot Springs on page 36, a bull elk at daybreak on page 38, the Snake River during a smoky sunset in 1988 on page 56, a fawn in June on page 58, aspens along the Snake River in autumn on page 60, Oxbow Pond in Grand Teton Park on pages 64-65. And those are less than half of the truly inspiring images in the book.

The essays were equally impressive for helping even a first-time visitor plan the right trip, for the right length of time. Here are the essays:

The World's First National Park; The Yellowstone Landscape; The Wildlife of Yellowstone; The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; Experiencing Yellowstone; The Fires of Yellowstone; The Rivers of Yellowstone; Winter in Yellowstone; and The Future of Yellowstone.

The facts were fascinating, from the dangerous pursuit of Burgess to capture Howell before he wiped out all of the remaining bison in the park, to the reintroduction of wolves into the park, to the problems of overgrazing caused by mistaken Federal policies, to the dangers of exotic species to the native species in the park.

Although I'm not much of a photographer, I think I could take the directions in the book and produce the best photographs of my life. The authors make it easy for even a neophyte to capture the best of Yellowstone.

Most of those who enjoy natural photography are drawn to either the startling black-and-white photographs of Ansel Adams or to subdued natural images in color. I found these images captured the spirit of Ansel Adams in color that captured the moment well rather than over-romanticizing what is being displayed.

After you finish this wonderful book, start making your notes and plans to visit and photograph Yellowstone . . . sometime before or after the crowds come next year. If you can, find an eleven-year-old to take along!

What a great book about one of our greatest National Parks. The major section consists of a series of 100 photographs presented in a Then & Now format: photos taken in the 1880's are compared with exact shots (same angle, location, etc.) taken roughly 100 years later. All of the photos depict various views of Yellowstone N.P. Comparisons are amazing: sometimes differences are subtle, other times very dramatic. (All are black & white.) It's amazing that the exact locations could be found, and the author declares that sometimes it was very difficult, requiring much detective work. The results are stunning. There are also chapters dealing with Yellowstone's geology, climate, vegetation, and the effect of human presence in the park. The book is truly monumental, worthy of its subject matter. Highly recommended.

I purchased this book for my father for his birthday. Every year he does a road trip to Yellowstone on his motorcycle. He says the pictures portray the park very well and he loves the book. You can't go wrong with the price either!

Yellowstone: Photographs Of A Fly-Fishing Landscape by John Juracek is a simply awe-inspiring selection of beautiful, full-color photographs of a fisherman enjoying great and memorable fly-fishing locales in the Yellowstone National Park during day, sunset, night, and throughout all the seasons of the year. Yellowstone is entirely devoted to the photographs; the only text sections are a brief introduction, and simple captions naming the locale of each photograph - from Firehole River to Henry's Fork, Idaho. A superb giftbook for fly-fishers who treasure memories of wilderness beauty, Yellowstone is a thoroughly impressive volume of the photographer's art and could well serve as an example for similar projects by other aspiring nature photographers to emulate.

This CD-ROM has Whitney's _The Yosemite Book_ (1869). There were only 250 copies made, because the photographs were hand-printed and tipped in. The photographs are by Carleton E. Watkins, a famous early photographer of Yosemite. Also included are 2 maps published with the book, one is a map of Yosemite Valley, and the other is a map of the Sierra Nevada around Yosemite. The book is available as both images and text and can be printed out for easier reading. Other material includes unpublished maps, including one of the Tuolumnee Grove, and an excellent introduction by Yosemite Historian Jim Snyder. Highly recommended for Yosemite, Geology, and History buffs.

Some of Amsel Adams' most stunning photographs are of Yosemite National Park, a place very close to the artist's heart. This extraordinary tear-out postcard book includes over 60 exquisite photographs of glacial lakes and craggy peaks, cascading waterfalls, lone trees and woodland streams.

Keep the book intact as a glorious mini-album, or send the cards as aesthetic greetings to friends. This also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer - the holidays are coming up!
JANA

The photography is excellent, and the essays lend so much to the beauty of this special place. This is not the typical Yosemite photo's which makes the book even more spectacular.

As I write this, I have just returned from Zion National Park and I can tell the reader this book is a favorite around Zion for good reason. Zion has long elicited a sense of awe and sanctuary from Native Americans as well as the Mormons and other explorers who have known this part of Utah. Leach's book starts with an almost invocation.

Zion is on the western edge of what is known as the Grand Circle. Within 250 miles are 12 national parks, 14 national monuments, 17 wilderness areas, and more. Mesa Verde, Four Corners, Monument National Park, and the Grand Canyon are all a part of the Grand Circle.

Zion is 229 square miles of high, forested plateaus, deep, narrow, desert canyons, rock towers, and mesas. Zion Canyon is a spectacle to behold. There the Virgin River and its tributaries have gorged through the sandstone to create canyon walls that rise 2000 feet or more.

Geologically nine different strata of rock can be see at Zion. The basement rock began to take shape 260 million years ago in the shallow Permian Ocean which covered the western portion of the supercontinent Pangaea. 175 million years ago, increasing heat and aridity led to the formation of a Sahara-like desert that covered 150,000 square miles of the West.

Leach rounds out her book with sections on the flora and fauna of Zion. There are 289 different species of birds that can be found at Zion as well as 75 mammal species and 32 reptile species. Finally there are a few notes on lodging, camping, road conditions, other regional sites to see, more information and other suggested reading.

I recommend taking a waterproof camera and some gear to hike at least a part of the Virgin Narrows. The water gets chest high on the average person, but the sites will make it all an experience to remember forever.