Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before

Endangered Species Update, Oct-Dec, 2006 by Jennifer Muladore

Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before * By Alastair Fothergill 312 pages, 400 illustrations Publication Date: March 25, 2007 University of California Press and BBC Worldwide Americas

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Right from the title page, Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before presents dazzling photography with exquisite detail. From sweeping landscape views to intense close-ups, every page contains something the average reader really has never seen before. This companion book to the Discovery Channel /BBC's Planet Earth television series lacks nothing but sound in making an impact on the viewer.

In addition to the vivid still shots that mirror the content of the television series, the accompanying text gives detailed descriptions of the many special ecosystems in the world. The first chapter starts at the beginning the formation of our planet and the unique conditions necessary to sustain life. The author states, "We live on the 'Goldilocks' planet because, just like the porridge in the fairy tale, Earth is neither too hot nor too cold but 'just right' for life." The importance of each unique place or species is expressed in every paragraph, giving the feeling that we are very lucky to have all these amazing things existing all around us.

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Each following chapter focuses on a different area of the earth in terms of a large-scale ecosystem type, laying out scientific statistics and information in a conversational tone that makes the reader feel as if he or she is actually hiking in the high mountain altitudes or freezing in the poles. While some of the science might be a little dense for the casual reader, the anecdotal descriptions of sensations the reader might feel in each place (like getting stuck in a narrow cave passage or the silence of a deep-ocean submarine) are enough to keep everyone engaged.

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Along with lengthy captions, some specific sites, organisms, and other interesting items are featured with their own narratives of a page or two. Throughout the main text, short descriptions of unique animals are interspersed with the stories of amazing human discoveries and contrasted with devastating tales of the negative effects of humans on the landscape. The connections between plants and animals, predators and prey, living and nonliving are all woven together in a poetic narrative. The book accommodates different reading styles--one can read the entire thing, flip through to short sections, or just look at the pictures, and it is the kind of book where even on rereading new information pops out.

In the forward by acclaimed naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, Planet Earth's sets up the relationship between the unbelievable amount of beauty on our planet our responsibility as human stewards of the Earth to keep what is left from being destroyed. While the title tells you that Planet Earth is going to be an impressive book of photography, the message within the text compels the reader to look at him- or herself differently as well. Within every section of the book there is at least one sentence describing how humans have (mostly negatively) affected the fascinating landscapes and ecosystems. However, the one thing lacking in the book is a section at the end to tie it all together and provide a call to action that the average reader will hear. Though the purpose of this book is ostensibly to show people the many wonders on our planet, the authors took it a step further by continuously mentioning the hand humans have had in hurting these wonders, thus giving themselves the responsibility of directing readers" guilt towards reversing the negative human impacts. They lacked follow-through on the powerful opening words of David Attenborough by not including even a short conclusion that might harness the power of the images they showed us for more than 300 pages. This is not to say that the images aren't enough on their own, or that the foreword doesn't make people think--only that the authors missed an opportunity to reach many readers whose minds were opened and help them come more quickly to the realization that the Earth needs our help. They should have had this amazing journey end with the similar thoughts to those that opened it, coming full circle and reflecting back.

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Overall, Planet Earth is a gorgeous book that will astonish readers from all walks of life. The retail price of $39.95 is a very reasonable price for the amount of enjoyment that everyone from young children to experienced scientists will get from looking at the photos and reading the text. I would recommend it to anyone, especially alongside the television series, whose action and audio will make the book's photos come alive.

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* All photographs in this review are reprinted from Planet Earth, by Alastair Fothergill, co-published by the University of California Press and BBC Worldwide Americas and appear here courtesy of the publishers.

Jennifer Muladore (1)