Life, the spectacular companion volume to the new Discovery Channel/BBC series, tells a majestic and compelling story of survival and of the amazing behaviors animals and plants adopt to stay alive and pass their genes to a new generation. Beautifully written and illustrated with more than 300 high-definition color photographs, Life focuses on the most exciting examples of the millions of species to demonstrate the harrowing and very different challenges that all living things must overcome to prevail and to procreate. In 60 concise and captivating vignettes, intriguingly grouped in categories like Extraordinary Sea Creatures, Fabulous Fish, Irrepressible Plants, Hot-blooded Hunters, and Intellectual Primates, the authors provide the most up-to-date science. Each chapter parallels an episode of the television series, making the book a must-have addition to any interested viewer's library. From the familiar to the rare--polar bears, Japanese snow macaques, monarch butterflies, and fish-catching bats, a mega-roost of 10 million fruit bats in Zambia, capuchin monkeys that use stone tools, marine life beneath and upon the ice of Antarctica, and tiny goby fish that climb Hawaiian waterfalls--this sumptuous volume brims with information and unforgettable images of the spectacular, the dangerous, and the bizarre.
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"Stunning!"--Alaska Airlines Mag / Horizontal Air Mag
"Even the most casual reader will be awed by the beauty, complexity, and ingenuity of nature as celebrated here." STARRED REVIEW--Library Journal
"If you are looking for a wonderful gift for the animal lover on your list, this book is it."--San Francisco Book Review
"In 60 concise and captivating vignettes . . . the authors provide the most up-to-date science."--Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
About the Author
Martha Holmes, producer for the BBC television production of Life, completed her doctorate in marine biology at the University of York. Michael Gunton, executive editor of Life, is a zoologist who received his training at Cambridge University.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful companion to the documentary
July 15 2010
By Houston
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Life: Extraordinary Animals, Extreme Behavior is one of only a handful of coffee-table books that I have ever enjoyed. I have found few books that strike the right balance between quality photographs and readability; Life does that beautifully.
As anyone who has seen the BBC documentary Life (narrated by David Attenborough) [Blu-ray] can attest, the imagery is stunning, and that holds true in the book. Featuring a mix of shots, from "portraits" to action to landscape, they are all amazing. In addition, the print quality is excellent, unlike some other books I've seen.
The book is divided into chapters along the same lines as the DVD. In my opinion, it is the narrative that sets Life apart from other similar books. Incredibly informative, it balances on that delicate line between too simple and overwhelming. Each chapter begins with smaller photos and a few pages of information, often a summary of the narrative from the film, (the version narrated by David Attenborough, not Oprah). Each of the larger photos in the chapter are then accompanied by a short paragraph explaining the who, what, where, and why. Finally, the index is particularly useful in finding specific photos because the organization is based more on behavior than animal type.
Anyone interested in nature, animals, or photography will enjoy this book.
As anyone who has seen the BBC documentary Life (narrated by David Attenborough) [Blu-ray] can attest, the imagery is stunning, and that holds true in the book. Featuring a mix of shots, from "portraits" to action to landscape, they are all amazing. In addition, the print quality is excellent, unlike some other books I've seen.
The book is divided into chapters along the same lines as the DVD. In my opinion, it is the narrative that sets Life apart from other similar books. Incredibly informative, it balances on that delicate line between too simple and overwhelming. Each chapter begins with smaller photos and a few pages of information, often a summary of the narrative from the film, (the version narrated by David Attenborough, not Oprah). Each of the larger photos in the chapter are then accompanied by a short paragraph explaining the who, what, where, and why. Finally, the index is particularly useful in finding specific photos because the organization is based more on behavior than animal type.
Anyone interested in nature, animals, or photography will enjoy this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life
Jan 23 2011
By Spider Monkey
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
`Life' is the companion book to the BBC series of the same name and like the series it has amazing images and outstanding facts that will leave you amazed at the diversity and splendour of nature. Covering the same ground as the series this book is broken into various chapters focusing on various animals and habitats. These chapters are Introduction, Location Map, Extraordinary Sea Creatures, Fabulous Fish, Irrepressible Plants, Insect Ingenuity, Frogs, Serpents and Dragons, Brilliant Birds, Winning Mammals, Hot Blooded Hunters and Intellectual Primates. The photography is simply breath taking and make this worth the purchase price alone, before you factor in the informative and clear writing. The BBC makes exceptional nature documentaries and this was no exception and if you were a fan of the series then I can heartily recommend this book and if you have an interest in natural history and haven't yet seen the show then this would still make wonderful reading. Due to it's large hardback format this would make a great coffee table book, but to be honest you could just as easily enjoy this from cover to cover or dip in and out of it as the mood takes you. I can see this being a book I will come back to at various times in the future and will enjoy flicking through the images within it's pages. Stunning and fascinating, what more could you want?
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Horizons
Feb 10 2013
By Alec Schrader
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This volume is full of beautiful photographs and amazing information about some lesser known species and their bizarre behavior and/or characteristics.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
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