National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals Hardcover – Illustrated, March 7, 2017

Absolutely gorgeous images of animals, often endangered from around the world.Two more books are planned, now with funding from National Geographic.

The photography in this book is utterly amazing and it is a must have for you or the animal lover in your life!

Another terrific installment of the Photo Ark books... Lovely photos grace every single page. I find myself thinking through it randomly , though by now I've seen it hundreds of times cover-to-cover.

The initial concept for this book is genius! I purchased the book after watching a video about the work of the photographer, Joel Sartore, and his National Geographic crew in the process of amassing the photos for the Photo Ark project. (Google & learn more!) That short film prompted my purchase.The book is stunningly beautiful and thoroughly fascinating! Anyone of any age will enjoy thumbing through these magnificent photos and reading about the various species over and over again. In each picture, the colors are vivid and the details of each animal are crisp and clear. The up-close visual of each animal allows the reader to clearly see and be mesmerized by textures and tiny details that could otherwise be easily overlooked. I have a great appreciation for this body of work by photographer, Joel Sartore, and an even deeper sense of wonder and awe of the animal kingdom. I highly recommend this book as well as the companion volumes. They are terrific gifts in addition to being wonderfully entertaining.

This is one of a series of photographic books of animals.The photographer, Joel Sartore, has taken up the task to photograph all of the animals of the world. Because of the many extinctions of animals he wanted to document before they are gone. It is an incredible task and the photographs are stunning. I believe that this book is the first in the series.it is a treasure. I plan on collecting the entire series. Just amazing.

My first copy of this book was a gift from friends. When I opened it, I could not put it down until I had at least briefly seen every image, even though I had visitors. Each image of many diverse animals was compelling. The “animal portraits” were created against black or white backgrounds, eliminating all distractions from the animals themselves. Sartore knew he could not photograph such a wide range in the wild even if he had several lifetimes. With a goal to document animals alive on earth, and with many in decline and/or facing extinction, he knew the best chance would come from photographing animals in captivity and in breeding programs. That does not mean the photography was easy! As a photographer, I appreciated a series of vignettes scattered through the volume on “Making the Photographs.” The images alone are reason enough to buy the book.The collection of images was meant to convey messages about the fragility, beauty, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. It does that powerfully. I appreciated the interspersed vignettes on “Heroes” scattered throughout the volume.A few reviewers stated that the paper and printing of the book were not of the quality they expected. Personally, I was both amazed and grateful that this beautiful book was available at a price many people could afford. A true art book would be beyond the reach of many people, which would defeat Sartore’s purpose in creating the book. I’m quite satisfied with the quality of this volume.I have now purchased this book as a gift for friends, who I know will share it and discuss it with their grandchildren. The next generation will painlessly learn about biodiversity and our responsibilities as caretakers of our Earth.A wonderfully conceived and beautiful effort everyone can enjoy.

Either of these Joel Satore books would make excellent gifts for kids and adults alike. Some of the animals will be or are on endangered species lists already. It’s a privilege to see them. Price range is about $20 per book.

Beautiful hardback photo of animals across the earth, sea and sky.This is for my 7 year old granite study for her art projects.I saw it in my Dr. office and immediately ordered it, 4 days later we were studying the array of amazing detailed photo