Penguin Planet: Their World, Our World

by Kevin Schafer

Overview

Penguin Planet is a celebration of all things penguin. Author and photographer Kevin Schafer made it his mission to see and photograph every remaining penguin species in the wild, and the first edition was the result of that journey. This new edition combines even more exceptional photography with colorful personal essays and up-to-date information on a most remarkable and utterly unique group of birds.

In this extraordinary collection, Schafer not only discusses how penguins live but also captures them on camera, while dispelling many popular misconceptions. (Did you know that most penguin species never encounter ice and snow in their lifetimes?) In addition, Schafer examines important and timely topics, including the effects of global climate change and how these unlikely birds are faring in an increasingly human-altered world. Penguin Planet is a necessity for penguin lovers everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589797925
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	11/16/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	73 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kevin Schafer is a full-time professional natural history photographer and writer whose work has appeared in many magazines, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon, and NaturalHistory. Kevin was also the 1997 recipient of the BBC Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species and was named the 2007 Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photographers Association. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, artist and author Martha Hill.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. An Unlikely Bird
Chapter 2. Built To Last
Chapter 3. Life In a Crowd
Chapter 4. A Changing World
Appendices:
Where To See Penguins
Range and Status
Photographer’s Notes
Suggested Reading and Organizations

Editorial Reviews

Now in an eye-catching second edition with even more striking, full-color photography as well as up-to-date information, Penguin Planet: Their World, Our World is a captivating softcover coffee table book pairing on-location photography with insightful essays about the harsh daily lives of penguins. Showcasing a multitude of species at all stages of life, Penguin Planet tells of the natural history that prompted penguin evolution (only a lack of land-based predators made their reproduction cycle possible), the hazards they endure from natural predators to the depredations of man, their extreme perseverance when raising chicks (some species literally go for months without food while incubating eggs), and much more. The next best thing to traveling to the southern hemisphere to observe wild penguins in person, Penguin Planet is highly recommended!

Midwest Book Review

This book is a beautiful record for any of us who have been touched by these remarkable birds.

Sven-Olof Lindblad

Reading Penguin Planet is like being the sole passenger onboard an expedition vessel with Kevin Schafer. His passion, obsession, and eloquence become yours. With him as guide, a passing flirtation with the species will surely turn to love at first sight. After I finally closed this book, I kept intoning the names of my new best friends—from Rockhoppers to Gentoos, Chinstraps to Macaronis. Penguin Planet is a must expedition for all lovers of the wild.

John Heminway

Penguin Planet is a bold and stunning expression of beauty and adventure. Schafer, an exceptionally talented photographer and writer, takes us along on his explorations around the southern oceans in search of the world's penguins. Hold on, it's a great ride. From the squabbling chaos of the breeding colonies to the open seas, we travel with Schafer in image and narrative to join these graceful and determined swimmers in their orbit of life. While we savor the dramatic visual moments in the lives of penguins, we also reflect over the wisdom Schafer imparts. This book is also not without wit and humor, and the ease of Schafer's presentation and the honesty and originality of his work is certainly reflected. Here, in spectacular fashion, he has gifted us a compelling and necessary bridge between ourselves and nature—as we traverse this path, we do so with pleasure and awe.

Tony Angell