Last Place on Earth (National Geographic)

Customer Reviews:

Stunning pictures.......2007-05-12

Mike Fay has done it again with this collection of amazing photos. Each picture tells a unique and compelling story that make you feel the real struggles in Gabon.

Great Book.......2007-04-16

Bought this book for my mother-in-law as a birthday present. She has traveled to Africa many times so it was perfect for her. She was thrilled with the book. The book is spectacular. We would recommend highly.

The most Impressive Book in my Library.......2007-03-08

Having been a member of The National Geographic Society since 1952 and with a library accumulated in that time, I have not seen before Last Place on Earth such a fine book so magnificently produced.

Incredible Adventure and Book.......2007-03-08

As a photographer and a journalist who has a passion for intense travel and the natural world, I think this is one of the most amazing books published in the past 20 years. Passionate, heartbreaking, and beautiful the world and work of Nick Nichols and Mike Fay shown in this book was eye opening. Highly reccomend. Only comment that maybe negative is the size a bulk of the book.

Retrospective.......2007-01-27

This is a beautifully bound book covering a wide range of areas in and about the jungles of Africa. The images are possible only for someone who spent as much time there as these two did, and the breathtaking work shows this condition. The mega-transect journal is a very nice companion to the photographs, and really helps to convey a mood and philosophy of their work. There passion is obvious.

The Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration)

Average customer rating:

A Ripping Good Yarn
Read the notes at the end of the book!
The Last Place On Earth
Well researched, penetrating, a tad biased
The last book on earth...twisted facts, and damn lies

The Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration)
Roland Huntford
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Polar Regions | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375754741
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Amazon.com

On December 14, 1911, the classical age of polar exploration ended when Norway's Roald Amundsen conquered the South Pole. His competitor for the prize, Britain's Robert Scott, arrived one month later--but died on the return with four of his men only 11 miles from their next cache of supplies. But it was Scott, ironically, who became the legend, Britain's heroic failure, "a monument to sheer ambition and bull-headed persistence. His achievement was to perpetuate the romantic myth of the explorer as martyr, and ... to glorify suffering and self-sacrifice as ends in themselves." The world promptly forgot about Amundsen.

Biographer Ronald Huntford's attempt to restore Amundsen to glory, first published in 1979 under the title Scott and Amundsen, has been thawed as part of the Modern Library Exploration series, captained by Jon Krakauer (of Into Thin Air fame). The Last Place on Earth is a complex and fascinating account of the race for this last great terrestrial goal, and it's pointedly geared toward demythologizing Scott. Though this was the age of the amateur explorer, Amundsen was a professional: he left little to chance, apprenticed with Eskimos, and obsessed over every detail. While Scott clung fast to the British rule of "No skis, no dogs," Amundsen understood that both were vital to survival, and they clearly won him the Pole.

Amundsen in Huntford's view is the "last great Viking" and Scott his bungling opposite: "stupid ... recklessly incompetent," and irresponsible in the extreme--failings that cost him and his teammates their lives. Yet for all of Scott's real or exaggerated faults, he understood far better than Amundsen the power of a well-crafted sentence. Scott's diaries were recovered and widely published, and if the world insisted on lionizing Scott, it was partly because he told a better story. Huntford's bias aside, it's clear that both Scott and Amundsen were valiant and deeply flawed. "Scott ... had set out to be an heroic example. Amundsen merely wanted to be first at the pole. Both had their prayers answered." --Svenja Soldovieri

Customer Reviews:

A Ripping Good Yarn.......2007-02-20

I saw a program on PBS about Amundsen and the Northwest Passage and decided I wanted to know more so I bought this book. Much has already been said and thus doesn't need repeating. If you hold to the hero status of Scott then you are apt to be severely disappointed. He does NOT fair well in the cold light of history. Amundsen comes across as someone who was at the peak of his game and was just better at this sort of thing.

One of the best books I've read in a LONG time. Well worth the time spent.

Read the notes at the end of the book!.......2007-02-18

There are simply too many errors in this book to state here. I can only suggest that the reader look at the notes at the end of the book. Huntford derives almost all of his negative comments from two or three people on Scott's expeditions. Why are so few of the comments collected from hundreds of men who loved and supported Scott. I'd hate to have my life judged before the world by the few people I've pissed off out of the many I've known. And just a note in passing---the Markham diary or jornal he keeps referring to? It's not a diary or journal; it is a collection of notes made by a very old Markham years after he encountered Scott on the street (prior to appointing Scott as leader on the first expedition).

Scott certainly made some serious judgement errors and prevaricated occassionally, but Huntford lies on almost every page of his book by omission and deception.

I have no complaints about his description of Amundsen; Amundsen was the better of the two explorers. In fact, Amundson was arguably the greatest of all polar explorers in the heroc age. Some of the best polar explorers appear almost amateurish by comparison.

The Last Place On Earth.......2007-01-12

For those who like to read history, this is very well researched.

Well researched, penetrating, a tad biased.......2006-12-07

I've finished reading both this and Fiennes "Race to the Pole". Huntford clearly spent an enormous amount of time digging through many expedition diaries and personal letter archives. He simply doesn't just quote them, but knits them together in a fine tapestry of interrelated decisions and events. This provides keen insights into the importance of planning, preparation, and attention to detail during operations.

Huntford carefully walks the reader through how Amundsen clearly understood the difficulties ahead of him, while Scott was content to draw hasty conclusions based on faulty testing, prejudice, and unwarranted opinions of the uninformed. Huntford also details the subtle and not-so-subtle difference in the leadership styles of both men, one who built a consensus, and the other who promulgated orders without allowing discussion or feedback.

My only complaints are 1) Huntford descended into the use of terms such as "weak, incompetent, and stupid" for Scott, which was unnecessary and detracted slightly from the rest of his scholarship, and 2) he avoided the use of much of the material that would have reflected positively on Scott, as found in Fiennes book, which is why I only gave this 4 stars.

The last book on earth...twisted facts, and damn lies .......2006-08-10

The central theme of this book, (i.e that Captain Scott was a blundering idiot) has been exposed as nonsense by a series of recent and well balanced books written by expolorers such as Ranulph Fiennes and Antarctic researchers such as Susan Solomon, rather than amateur critics. Read "The Worst journey in the World" if you want a proper account of the Terra Nova expedition. But if you really must buy "The Last Place on Earth" then also read Antarctic explorer Ranulph Fiennes "Captain Scott" which exposes it as a lie.

Average customer rating:

Satisfying to any Hobbit Fan
I haven't seen this book, but. . .
Very Disappointing
the perfect encore
Only for the diehard Tolkien and Baynes collectors

Bilbo's Last Song: At the Grey Havens
J.R.R. Tolkien
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395538106

Book Description

Tolkien’s poignant epilogue to The Lord of the Rings.

Bilbo’s Last Song is a poem written by Bilbo, hero adventurer of The Hobbit, before he leaves Middle Earth to take a ship to the Undying Lands beyond the sunset, at the end of The Lord of the Rings. The song is both a longing to set forth on his ultimate journey and a tender farewell to friends left behind.

Ship, my ship! I seek the west,
And fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last,
I see the Star above your mast!!

Stunningly illustrated by Pauline Baynes, a friend of Tolkien’s for many years, her magical, jewel-like paintings depict the journey that brings the ring bearers and the company of elves to The Grey Havens, and the ship that is waiting to take them on their final journey.

Publication will coincide with the release of the second Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers.

Customer Reviews:

Satisfying to any Hobbit Fan.......2005-08-03

This smile inducing poem-in-a-picture-book is a chance to return to Middle Earth for something new, shown to us by a loved and familiar character.

I haven't seen this book, but. . ........2004-12-03

I used to have the poem on a poster. In high school I wrote an essay comparing it with Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar"--discussing how they poems were alike and how different. I got an "A" on it, I remember. (Both poems use describe death as a journey over water. While Tennyson seems emotionally detached and passive, expressing only a wish or hope to see the pilot after crossing the bar, the narrator in JRRT's poem is looking forward to the journey.)

Very Disappointing.......2004-03-17

I wanted to purchase this book for my husband's birthday. I went looking for it at a local bookstore after discovering it here on amazon and reading the great reviews - we are both lovers of Tollkien's works. My first reaction was - 'gee, its tiny' - being only slightly bigger than a pocket size book. Then I looked more closely. A hardcover, yes, but nothing spectacular in quality. The pictures are sweet, light and airy, but I expected more. And as for the verse - I also expected there to be more. It is well written, but very brief. Four brief lines of verse on each right-hand page, while the page on the left was an illustration. I didn't stand there and count lines of text, but since there are maybe 24 pages in the book total, that would make it 12 pages of text or 48 short lines of verse in the whole book. It could have been printed on one or two pages and still been surrounded by lovely illustrations.
It's just not worth the money in my book - no pun intended.

the perfect encore.......2003-07-18

This book was one that I stumbled apon in [a local store] as I was browsing the Tolkien area as usual. Since it was a rather short read, I sat down at a table in the back of the store. By the time I reached the last page my heart ached, tears came to my eyes, a smile appeared on my face, and I knew I could never put it back on that shelf. I could truly sense the love Tolkien felt for his Hobbits, and all of their friends. It is the perfect encore to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I've enjoyed Bilbo's Last Song so many times since that day that I highly recommend this book to all true Tolkien fans. Ignore the price and buy this wonderful book!

Only for the diehard Tolkien and Baynes collectors.......2003-06-16

Okay, why only two stars?
It cannot be the author, nor the layout or illustrations. The poem itself is lovely, as are the bright illustrations by Tolkien's favourite illustrator - Pauline Baynes.
And that is exactly what one would find attractive in this book: the pictures. One can get the poem anywhere from the Internet and the book has no annotations or notes, apart from pointing each illustration to the according segments of Tolkien's books.
The illustrations would be the only reason, I can imagine, for a moderate Tolkien-enthusiast to buy this booklet. And there lies the problem: it's too expensive.
Sure it's a hardback, with paper most suitable for illustrations, and it is mighty hansom to leaf through. But it's a trifle too small for that price.
Worthy of publishing indeed, and perhaps it's even great to show your kids. But being a Tolkien-collector myself, buying and reading beyond an enthusiast's taste, I was disappointed by this.
I bought it via mail order, which is why I have it at all: would I have seen it in a bookstore, the ridiculous price would have made it stay put. See if you can get it second-hand.

This one gets three stars for the loveliness, minus one for the "all Tolkien-fans say moooh!" attitude.
Two.

Amazon.com

In this perceptive, chilling look at censorship and religious fanaticism, tenth-grader Todd and his family discover that their secure suburban community is no protection against obsessive, destructive ideas when Todd's little sister is brainwashed into hating and fearing Halloween. The compelling plot and Todd's likeable narrative help bring the complex issues home to young readers. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Book Description

Todd, 15, thinks life in the quality community of Walden Woods is perfect, until Laurel, his dream girl, comes to babysit for his sister and reveals the forces of fundamentalism and censorship at work in the town.

A provocative new novel by a highly honored author that speaks to today's issues of censorship and fundamentalism.

Customer Reviews:

Nowhere is Safe.......2007-07-01

Todd's family moved to this town because it seemed so safe. Life on Tranquility Lane was pretty close to perfect for him and his two sisters, Diana and Marnie. This year, though, just when Todd and Diana are getting settled into high school, things are changing.

First there has been some vandalism, and Todd's house was a target. All of their Halloween decorations were ruined. Several cars have been stolen and crashed by joyriders. And Todd's little sister Marnie is having terrible nightmares and seems really bothered by something.

Then there are some bad signs in the community. A group of local parents are fighting to have books banned in the schools. One of the parents is the mother of Marnie's babysitter, and Todd's family finds out that Marnie's babysitter is a fundamental Christian who has been telling Marnie scary stories about what will happen to her and her family if she does not join the religion. Is this safe little town so safe after all?

I liked that this town was portrayed as so normal, yet such bad things were happening in it. I also liked Todd's family. They functioned and solved problems very well together.

The Last Safe Place on Earth: A Must-Read for All.......2006-02-22

When I began reading this book, I was unsure if I would like it or not. But soon after beginning, I found myself caught up in the plotline. The way Peck so vividly describes the world we live in, as well as the false sense of security that many have, struck me. What was particularly fascinating was how he captured the attitudes of high schoolers, how they wish to be "cool", and the uncertainty many people experience below placid facades. This book is a must-read for anyone, young or old, male or female, "cool" or not.

I hated it.......2005-06-03

I HAD TO READ THIS BOOK FOR A PROJECT IN SCHOOL AND I THOOUGHT THE BOOK WAS REASLLY REALLY BAD. I LOVE READING BUT IF THIS WAS MY FIRST BOOK I READ I WOULD NEVER READ AGAIN! SO DON'T GET IT!

A Brilliant Author Who Happens to Write for Teens.......2004-05-18

The trouble with many young adult books is that they simply aren't well written and the characters are stagnant and interchangeable. This is far from the case in Richard Peck's "The Last Safe Place on Earth". In reading this book you can tell that Peck prefers to write for a young audience, as opposed to some of his peers who seem forced into that realm because adults won't tolerate their simplistic writing styles. "The Last Safe Place on Earth" never demeans its audience with sledgehammer plot points. The characters figure out what is happening in their small town alongside the reader, not a frustrating 20 pages later.

Peck's novel teems with interesting, multi-dimensional characters of all ages who snag the attention of the reader from the first page. In reading the book, I simultaneously felt I already knew the characters, and wanted to know them even better. The themes of censorship, troubled homes, and religious fanaticism impact the peaceful town. The ways each character deals with these events create a wonderful spread of heartful mirth and family bonding.

This should be required reading for adults and children........2003-12-29

Richard Peck has weaved a story that is well written, extremely interesting, believable and relevant.

Engagingly narrated in the first person by main character Todd Tobin, the book reveals the Tobins to be crafted as an All-American family. They are not perfect, however, in the vein of Leave it to Beaver or Ozzie and Harriet. This family has its flaws, questions its actions and makes mistakes. You can easily believe that they are based on a real family.

In addition to the excellent writing and characterization, the text touches on some alarmingly real and modern issues facing families today. One of the Tobin family helps organize an AIDS seminar which is virtually ignored by the conservative community. Todd's best friend has an alcoholic mother. The Tobin's babysitter is from a religious fanatic family and has corrupted the youngest daughter's mind in a way that borders on child abuse. Several members of the community are trying to ban books from the school library because they do not show Christianity in a superior position to other religions. Mr. Peck does not resolve all these issues and there aren't any easy answers, just like real life.

Book Description

Photographer Eric Meola masterfully blends portraits and landscapes in this exploration of the disappearing beauty of various cultures, customs, ceremonies, and wildlife in remote areas of the world. An abstract look at the surviving remains of unique physical and spiritual beauty, this book features photographs taken in countries such as Burma, New Guinea, Africa, India, the Galápagos Islands, Mongolia, India, and Tibet.

Customer Reviews:

A Singular View of the World.......2004-12-03

Creative people live for those rare moments, often called the `flow state', where time dissolves and a feeling of being totally absorbed in what you are doing takes over. That's what I feel when I spend time with this wonderful book by photographer Eric Meola.

In travels from Asia to Africa to India, Meola shows us images at times lyrical, at times startling, and always perceptive and respectful of his subjects. The sequencing of images throughout the book provide fascinating juxtapositions that add greatly to the overall experience of enjoying this book. In many cases, one almost feels that Meola was invisible while photographing people in many of the remote locations he traveled to.

Viewing Last Places on Earth provides a window on the incredible richness and diversity in our world. It's hard to think of a photographer who has a greater devotion to the medium and mastery of the process than Eric Meola, and it certainly shows in this exceptional book.

STUNNING!!!.......2004-11-09

I had the fortune of assisting Eric in the early 90's on at least six commercial shoots. Although he's been very well known in that world of imaging, IMHO, this is where his true passion is. His first book is FILLED with amazing travel images from front to back. I cannot say enough good things about the images and presentation. First class as expected from my mentor!

(...)

Judgement over the Dead: The Screenplay of the Last Place on Earth

Average customer rating:

Judgement over the Dead: The Screenplay of the Last Place on Earth
Trevor Griffiths
Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0805272771

Average customer rating:

The real richness of our planet
One of a kind...

Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places
Russell A. Mittermeier , Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier , Patricio Robles Gil , and John Pilgrim
Manufacturer: Conservation International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9686397698

Book Description

Conservation International's Hotspots placed that organization at the forefront of global conservation efforts. Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places continues the efforts made in that previous volume, combining nearly 500 breathtaking images of untamed lands and rare glimpses of the people who inhabit them with the most current scientific analyses of their endangered ecosystems.

To qualify as "wilderness," the areas included must have 70 percent or more of their original vegetation, cover at least 10,000 square kilometers, and have fewer than five people per square kilometer. Wilderness identifies 37 wilderness areas around the globe—including tropical rain forests, wetlands, deserts, and arctic tundra, from Amazonia to the Congo Forests of Central Africa to the complex of North American deserts—and presents the research of nearly 200 specialists carried out over two years by Conservation International's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science with support from its Global Conservation Fund. The result is a detailed document of the biological riches that can be found in each of the wilderness areas, with chapters that describe and illustrate them, highlight the human cultures unique to each area, and explain the threats to each region and the conservation measures in place.

The result of a collaboration among CEMEX, Conservation International, and Agrupación Sierra Madre, Wilderness will enjoy the same reputation as the earlier Conservation International books—a volume that presents vital information on the earth's biodiversity and a realistic program of conservation complemented by state-of-the-art photography.

Customer Reviews:

The real richness of our planet.......2006-11-06

An excellent book that I whish everybody in the world would be able to see and realize that the real richness we have in our lives is nature. Help protect the last wild places

One of a kind..........2004-01-04

The three massive books of this series ("Megadiversity", "Hotspots", and the latest, "Wilderness.") should be considered a "must have" for every person who is concerned about the future of life on Earth. The photographs of the natural world are many and without parallel - in huge format and by the world's greatest nature photographers (Gil, Lanting, Rowell, Wolfe, etc.). The accompanying text is by no means "lite" reading - indepth description of the threats currently facing earth's last remaining wild ecosystems and how Conservation Internation is addressing those threats.

"Wilderness" also pays special attention to the human cultures that are on the brink of extinction side-by-side with the lemurs, tigers, and tamarins.

It should be noted that these are, physically, some of the largest books I have ever seen. They weigh over 20 lbs and measure 12" by 14" - not something that is easily read in bed - but still handsome and absolutely stuffed with content.

Customer Reviews:

GOOD BOOK FOR THE YOUNG READER ON THE AMAZON.......2005-11-24

This book is aimed at giving a brief picture of the Amazon to a young reader. It focuses on a few aspects, such as: the indians living in the Amazon, the gold rush around the southern Amazon, the river and its dolphins, and the rubber boom and the railroad built to transport rubber.

The book is written as a travelogue, describing the author's trip chronologically. It is simplistic, of course, as any book for children should be, but it provides some vivid pictures of the region. About half of the pictures are very good, the rest should have been reconsidered.

My main criticism is that he associates the colonists as being evil doers destroying the forest; it is hardly ever an evil vs good fight. Anyways, I would recommend it especially to a family with children planning a trip to the Amazon as a way to wet the appetite.

the amazon review.......2005-04-29

This book is a beautifully illustrated, fun, and interesting book. The pictures are so amazing and it feels like I am really there, (or wish that I was there). This book is a educational book because it has maps that show where the author, Peter Lourie, went when he was exploring. It tells what cities are there, and also where the bodies of water are. This is a fun book because the author, Peter Lourie, gives wonderful writing like this:
Now as we left the tribal outpost and headed back the way we had come, we glided down river with the soft, slow, ancient current.
An interesting part was when the Indians put the poison in the water where the fish would swim and it would be easier to catch the fish.

This is why this book is the best!

book review.......2005-04-29

This book was a very interesting book. I thought it was really sad when Peter Lourie passed by the river side and there were little kids learning and it was their school. The children were sick and skinny. Peter Lourie explained that their parents were very poor and they didn't have any money to buy clothes or food. I thought it was really cool when they followed the guy that collected the latex. I thought it was interesting when he cut a V into the tree and the latex dripped into a cup. When I read that the gold was found in the river I thought how did the gold form. I don't know how it did but it was a pretty amazing thing. When Peter Lourie went to the Indians I thought it was really interesting the way they caught their fish they poisoned the water so the fish would go to shore and they would pick them up. If they were still able to move they would spear the fish. This book really taught me a lot I really consider you to read one of Peter Lourie's books!

MY SONS, 14 AND 12 LOVED READING THIS BOOK........1998-12-02

I have two step-sons, ages 14 and 12. They are not avid readersbut were fascinated by this book. We are planning a trip to Brazil andamong the books I suggested for them was this one. I picked it up at on a recent trip to New York. My kids found it a great adventure book and motivated them even more to want to visit brazil.

This Is The Best Book I Ever Seen.......1998-05-20

This is a good book because it gives a lot of detail of what is going on in it.

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