Okavango: Sea of Land, Land of Water

Born in summer rain in the mountains of Angola, the Okavango River flows into northwestern Botswana, where, after 1000 kilometers, it invades the Kalahari Desert, creating one of the world's great wetlands. Here is a vast and verdant delta of tree-fringed islands and secret waterways with beds of papyrus, hippo grass and water lilies. The abundance of water limits human occupancy; the delta, a 10,000-square-mile game preserve, teems with wildlife. The brief text includes a history of exploration (David Livingstone was among the first), a description of the topography and portraits of the local people. British photographers Johnson and Bannister have captured in 200 color photos a fabulous and timeless world, one of Earth's last wildernesses. (July)