cover image Sch-Mountain Light

Sch-Mountain Light

Galen A. Rowell. Random House (NY), $40 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-87156-761-1

The viewer's first reaction to these photographs (part of a traveling exhibit) is awethey are sheer magic. Rowell, author of In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods and Mountains of the Middle Kingdom, is perhaps the leading photojournalist of our time; he is arguably the foremost wilderness photographer. The text is partly autobiographical but focuses on Rowell's perception of photography as art and his technique of taking pictures. Accompanying each photograph of mountains in China, California, Alaska, Pakistan, Tibet, etc., is a brief essay describing how it was composed and shot (including technical data). This is a gem, the perfect gift for camera buffs, nature lovers, virtually anybody. 20,000 first printing; $35,000 ad/promo; Nature Book Society Book Club featured alternate; author tour. (October 9)