Book Description
The Middle of Nowhere fosters the spirit of exploration and travel. It's about appreciation and seeking out adventure in all travel experiences, whether in the remote regions of Russia or the chaotic streets of Shanghai. The 80 first-person accounts weave a story about the journeys as much as the destinations. This book is a reminder to even the most seasoned adventurer, there's a lifetime of experiences to discover.
Customer Reviews:
Travel Writers Seek Personal Solitude in 55 Diverse Locales Stunningly Photographed.......2007-04-30
As part of their eclectic series of coffee table books, Lonely Planet has produced a fascinating collection of essays and world-class photos strung around the theme of personal solitude and exploration. Fifty-five locales are covered by thirty-eight travel writers, most of whom succeed in evoking a sense of adventure that remarkably remains possible despite the intervention of technology and the all-encompassing Web. Most of the contributions fit the traditional image of isolated locales and exotic cultures, but some feel far more within reach, for example, Janet Brunckhorst's amusing dissection of Las Vegas and Andrew Dean Nystrom's account of the remote Thorofare region in Yellowstone National Park. The common thread among these accounts is that such adventures can take many forms and not necessarily require a backpack and a passport.
There are a few accounts that bring fresh twists to familiar landmarks such as Daniel Robinson's remembrance of visiting Angkor Wat in 1989 when the civil war was raging between the Phnom Penh government and the genocidal Khmer Rouge. Or there is Gregor Clark's nighttime exploration of Machu Picchu when the ruins took on a ghost-like pall. Colorful stories abound in places far less famous such as Lasseter's Cave in the middle of the Australian outback and the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. We are given descriptions of places as far-flung as Babuskina in the outer reaches of Siberia, the depths of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, and the harsh volcanic landscape of El Hierro, the most remote of the Canary Islands.
All the continents are covered, and even the moon is included at the end in a semi-tongue-in-cheek manner. The book ends with a reference guide for each location, giving navigational information, specifically how one would get about; its geography and geology; its history with man; its proximity to civilization; the must-haves before embarking on a trip there; and what works of art the area has inspired. If not quite in the same league as The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World or The Cities Book: A Journey Through The Best Cities In The World for sheer breadth, this book will appeal to those with a particularly incessant and pioneering wanderlust.
Entertaining and informative........2007-02-03
You find yourself looking at this book and not being able to put it down. It offers unique views and perspectives on the world we live in. Typical of the Lonely Planet series, it is well done. Frankly, this book should be left on the coffee table for visiting friends that you truly do want to entertain with an interesting read.
Customer Reviews:
lust for travel.......2007-01-23
Beautiful pictures - each page is juxtaposed visually with opposite picture on a page intertwined with a subtle theme- eg. desert sand with yellow ridge stripes is opposite of a shot of zebra - both pictures have a theme of contrasting stripes. A aesthetic wonder to behold. I just bought National Georaphic Wide Angle book and was utterly disappointed. Very nice production and excellent value buy.
Brilliant.......2005-12-22
This book like many picture/coffee table books has brilliant, mesmorizing photos. The book however has one lovely difference, it often has comparitive/contrasting photos on opposite pages. For example, a photo of women sitting together at an italian celebration and has a photo on the opposite side of asian women at a celebration. Providing you with the opportiunity to play what is similar, what is different. Intersperced into the photos are magnificent photos that cover two pages.
Book Description
Award-winning landscape photographer Peter Eastway shares his wealth of knowledge to help you find and capture memorable landscape images. This is the perfect guide for everyone with a special interest in landscape photography who wants to take their pictures to the next level.
• Packed with tips and techniques for taking great landscape photos in a wide range of situations
• Comprehensively illustrated with examples of what to do and how to do it
• Technical and creative know-how imprated in succinct, easy-to-understand language
• Images shot with film and digital cameras
• Comprehensive advice on digital post-production techniques
• Ideas and methods for displaying your photographs
Customer Reviews:
Recommended.......2005-10-23
This book starts out by introducing basic concepts such as exposure, composition, lightning and how this effects landscape photographs. It then continues with an in-depth description of how to approach various landscapes and weather conditions. The text is clearly written and each concept emphasized with illustrative examples. The book can be followed by novices, but the large amount of tips and tricks should definitely attract more experienced photographers. Also nice about this book, is that the description of camera gear is done in a very general way, omitting examples of todays hardware (outdated tomorrow). Reading this book has strengthened my technical background and given me a lot of ideas that I'm eager to try out. I have no trouble recommending it.
Book Description
RICHARD I'ANSON is the author of Travel Photography, the first book in this series. His photographs have been published worldwide in magazines including Wanderlust, Escape and Conde Nast Traveller. His work also appears in more than 300 Lonely Planet titles.
o Cityscapes and aerials, architecture and interiors, public art and life on the streets
o Taking both classic and original views of much-photographed icons
o Exposure, composition and making the best use of natural and artificial light
o What to take, when to go, preparing shot lists and finding the best vantage points
Customer Reviews:
Great book for Urban Travel Photography!!!.......2006-11-28
In my opinion, this is a wonderful guide book for an Urban Travel photographer. The section on what to take is the most useful and it tells you what kind of subjects an urban travel photographer (as opposed to wildlife travel photographer or landscape travel photographer) should look out for.
[...]
I do not profess that that my photographs are great, but I feel that this book has helped me tremendously during my trip.
Contrary to what the previous reviewer mentioned, I do not find statements like this to be useless:
"Successful images have a point of interest"
"Skyscrapers are often covered in glass, which provides reflectons of the buildings around them"
"Fountains are often the centerpiece of city squares or traffic islands."
These are words that set a thinking photographer's mind to think - you can see the result of these words at my photo-site.
All in all, I am very happy to have read this book before my trip. It couldn't have been any better.
What a waste.......2006-07-22
I was looking for a book that might offer sound advice on shooting architecture and they seem surprisingly rare. When my search on Amazon turned up this book, it seemed a fair bet that urban travel photography would include shooting buildings so I gave it a try.
The first chapter covers equipment and the depth of coverage is limited to telling you that there are SLRs, advanced digital cameras, and rangefinders. The author is also kind enough to tell you that there are zoom lenses, prime lenses, and that some are telephoto while others are wide angle. He does not tell you which of these might come in most handy in an urban environment. He does not discuss the pros and cons of lighter, smaller, but slower lenses compared to the bigger, heavier, but also faster lenses that cost a lot more money. He doesn't really tell you much of anything beyond acknowledging the existence of basic equipment. If any of the above is news to you, then this book will be a real treasure trove but most will find it so elementary as to be utterly useless.
Unfortunately, the chapter on equipment is exactly like all of the following chapters in the book. I have culled a small sample of the amazing revelations this book has to offer.
"Successful images have a point of interest"
"Skyscrapers are often covered in glass, which provides reflectons of the buildings around them"
"Fountains are often the centerpiece of city squares or traffic islands."
These gems are a small sample but there are many similar "tips" to be found. There is a chapter that covers all aspects of photographic technique including exposure, composition, depth of field, and light in 14 pages that is mostly photographs. You can imagine the depth of coverage this allows for the various topics.
It's almost hysterically funny that the book is published in digest size, presumably so that you can carry it in a hip pocket. What's lacking is any information or advice that you would actually find useful to bring with you.
The book's one asset is that it is filled with various travel photos and some of them are quite nice. Unfortunately, the digest size of the book prevents them from being seen to their fullest potential.
Since there were no reviews at the time I bought this, I've "taken one for the team" and am posting this so you won't have to waste your money like I did.
Book Description
ANDY ROUSE is renown for his noval and evocative images that convey the experience of getting up close and personal with some of the greatest and potentially most dangerous creatures in the world.
o Birds and sea life, nocturnal animals, on safari and at the zoo
o Approaching wildlife ethically (and safely!)
o Capturing close-ups and portraits, group and habitat shots
o Exposure, focal length and making the best use of natural light
o What to take and where to go, including wlidlife `hot spots' such as Africa and Borneo
Customer Reviews:
Useful, concise.......2007-03-10
As the previous reviewer says, this may not add anything over other books, but I found it a good read. Lots of tips on what to bring, how to shoot, and how to look beyond the obvious shot and make something interesting. It's also small enough to squeeze into a bag and take it with you. Also has tips for digital and film photographers.
My friend owns a copy and I'm thinking of getting my own. The photographs are fantastic and gave me plenty of ideas.
SAME OLD INFO.......2007-01-10
I wish the font size would have been bigger. Most information has been written about in other books.
Average customer rating:
- A Neat and Concise Work
- Joe Cummings and Great Photography
- a must for Asian art lovers
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Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection (Lonely Planet Pictorial)
Joe Cummings
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
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Buddhist Art and Architecture (World of Art)
ASIN: 1864501200 |
Amazon.com
When the Buddha was dying, he instructed his followers to cremate his body and enclose his remains inside four separate monuments or "stupa-mounds." These manmade "axial mountains" became the prototype for the monuments that are so beautifully presented in Joe Cummings's Buddhist Stupas in Asia. Each spread features full-color illustrations or photographs, depicting the varying shapes, designs, and scale of this holy architecture. "People in all the different cultures that have discovered Buddhism seem to have gone crazy with joy, building stupas by the millions," writes Cummings, whose other Lonely Planet titles cover Thailand and Bangkok. "[They are] more than funeral reliquaries. They are memorials, rather, to the immanent possibility of freedom from suffering for all beings." Ten pages of transparent architectural overlays explain how the sacred meets function. This is entertaining learning at its best--a book that's loaded with knowledge, yet packaged with visual appeal. - -Gail Hudson
Book Description
Transcending architecture and archaeology, the stupa is the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings - a harmonising of the physical with the spiritual. It remains one of the oldest and most persistent religious symbols still in everyday use. This beautifully illustrated, full-colour hardback explores the spread of stupa building across India and Asia, encapsulating the lasting appeal and allure of stupas to travellers, scholars and those interested in architecture and religion. Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection is a lavish exploration of this religious and architectural icon of Asia and India.
- more than 250 beautiful photographs
- ten pages of transparent architectural overlays depicting plans and elevations of major stupas
- exhaustive coverage of 13 countries: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Java, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam
- learned and authoritative narration to explain the symbolism, rituals and mystic power associated with these monuments, great and small
- detailed investigations of the world's most significant Buddhist sites, from Angkor in Cambodia to Borobudur in Java, the largest Buddhist monument in the world
Customer Reviews:
A Neat and Concise Work.......2002-10-06
Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection by Bill Wassman (Photographer), et al, offers a sweeping and broad overview of the epitome of Asian Buddhist architecture. The photographs are good and the succinct commentary is informative enough. This is not a book for hardcore history buffs though, as the very short accompanying analysis would not suffice; nevertheless, in most cases the photographs more than compensate by offering quality glimpses of a divine form of architecture. One drawback: some of the photographs are too small for the subject to be really appreciated (some are as small as approx. 3cm x 3cm!). All in all: an enjoyable mind-trip through the very essence of Buddhist architecture.
Joe Cummings and Great Photography.......2002-01-04
This book covers Buddhist architecture across its known history, from its origins in Northern India through Southeast Asia to Indonesia, to Nepal and Tibet, into China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The emphasis is clearly on architecture, but it covers the relevant backgrounds in Buddhist art and philosophy as well. If you want a book about Buddhist cultures or thought, this is not it. But if you want a book about Buddhist architecture, this is a great beginning. It is well-written, well-designed, and the photography is excellent. I wish it were much longer and went into much greater depth... but then it would be much more expensive!
I received this book as a surprise gift, and I think it makes a great gift: it's the kind of thing someone would want and enjoy, but would not buy for themselves.
The author, Joe Cummings, also writes the Lonely Planet guidebooks for Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma), and they are excellent. I've been to all three places, and so I've seen many of the stupas covered in this book, and his guides have helped me more than most do.
a must for Asian art lovers.......2001-10-18
When I opened this book in the bookstore, I was knocked out by the photos, which cover stupas all the way from Taxila, Pakistan, to Tokyo, Japan. The stupa photography is particularly strong in the chapters on India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Tibet. An entire chapter is devoted to Borobudur and satellite stupas in central Java.
Dipping into the text at home, I was pleasantly surprised by how authoritative and complete the coverage of this complex topic was. Not only does the author do an excellent job of explaining the symbolism of stupas in various Buddhist cultures, he also links it to the history of Buddhism throughout Asia, no small task. Although I'm a longtime amateur student of Buddhism and Asian art history myself, I found much new material to ponder.
I was most impressed by the way Mr Cummings has carried out original research as well as reporting on the research of other scholars who came before him. This is something I didn't expect from a hardcover pictorial such as this. Kudos to Lonely Planet for publishing a seriously good book.
Book Description
Internationally renowned photographer Michael Coyne shares over 25 years of experience photographing people around the world in a guide that will help you find and capture the portraits you've always wanted. This is the perfect guide for everyone with a special interest in people photography who wants to take their pictures to the next level.
• Packed with tips and techniques for taking great portraits in a wide range of situations
• Comprehensively illustrated with examples of what to do and how to do it
• A guide to photo etiquette
• Technical and creative know-how imparted in succinct, easy-to-understand language
• Strong travel focus expressed in images from around the world
• Images shot with film and digital cameras
Customer Reviews:
Wow what a book.......2005-11-20
There I was thinking I knew about taking photograhs, but I learnt such a lot, and the sample pictures demonstrate with great clarity what the focus should and can be.
As a result I am now looking for more books from Michael Coyne.
some useful tips..........2005-09-21
I bought the lonely planet travel photography guide a few years ago and absolutely loved it! I learned a lot of the basics and really improved my "photo taking" skills. Therefore I was very excited when i found out about the publication of this book. However this people photography guide was disappointing. It provides some useful tips on taking photographs of people but the photos inside the book are not particularly inspiring. Some are good but many are just so-so. (whether one likes a photo or not is very subjective, in my view, but the photos inside this book are really not that exciting. may be i was expecting more from an expert in the field)
Book Description
The Cambridge Photographic Guide to the Planets includes a broad selection of the latest images of the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids of the Earth's Solar System. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to the planetary system, its origin and its evolution, physicist Frederick Taylor devotes each chapter to a different planet or Solar System body, with a thorough presentation of its moons and rings, and incorporates images from planetary missions and explanatory captions. Having worked with NASA and the European Space Agency on missions to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Titan, Taylor offers an unusually experienced perspective in this comprehensive reference. Frederic W. Taylor is Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist in the Earth and Space Sciences Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. His research interests include the physics of planetary atmospheres; experimental methods for studying atmospheres; and the theory of atmospheric radiation and atmospheric molecular spectroscopy.
Customer Reviews:
For anyone wanting to learn more about celestial objects.......2002-05-11
The Cambridge Photographic Guide To The Planets by Fred Taylor (Halley Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology) is a truly gorgeous book filled from cover to cover with full color astronomical photographs taken of planets, moons, and other heavenly bodies in our solar system. The descriptive text is scholarly, yet completely accessible to non-specialist general readers of a wide variety of educational backgrounds. The Cambridge Photographic Guide To The Planets is a splendid volume for anyone wanting to learn more about the celestial objects that are neighbor to Mother Earth, and would make a prized and appreciated addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library astronomy collection.
Average customer rating:
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Australia (Lonely Planet Pictorial)
Richard l'Anson
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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| Australia & South Pacific
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ASIN: 1741790565 |
Books:
- The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine (Star Trek (Trade/hardcover))
- The NASA Atlas of the Solar System
- The Phenomenon of Life: The Nature of Order, Book 1 An Essay of the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order, Book 1)
- The Physical Universe
- The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery
- The Structure of Magic II: A Book About Communication and Change (Book 2)
- The Transit of Venus
- Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
- Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them
- Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types That Determine How We Live, Love, and Work
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