Through the Eyes of the Gods: An Aerial Vision of Africa
This remarkable vision of Africa from the air invites the reader to view this large and varied continent as if an invited guest on a private plane, with a dialogue between the photographer and the viewer. Aerial photography enables the viewer to experience places that are virtually impossible to experience from the ground- terrain that cannot be reached via any other means (whether it is remote stretches of desert, marshy deltas, or other inaccessible habitats or regions). The images in...
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This remarkable vision of Africa from the air invites the reader to view this large and varied continent as if an invited guest on a private plane, with a dialogue between the photographer and the viewer. Aerial photography enables the viewer to experience places that are virtually impossible to experience from the ground- terrain that cannot be reached via any other means (whether it is remote stretches of desert, marshy deltas, or other inaccessible habitats or regions). The images in Through the Eyes of the Gods are reproduced as large double page spreads of 22" by 15," enabling the viewer to absorb the abstract qualities of the images and become absorbed in them. While the images are uniquely beautiful, many also show the fascinating effects of large-scale environmental change on the landscape. From the air, viewers can appreciate the timelessness of the landscape and understand that, if properly preserved, it can remain unspoiled for future generations. The book is organized around themes that include herds, loners (large individual mammals like elephants and hippos), man and man's impact, water, desert, pathways, and ancient sites. The text essays punctuate the photos, with each exploring themes important to understanding Africa, like the importance of water to the continent, or of man's impact on the land. "Photographer's Notes" also appear throughout the book, intro-ducing the photographer's voice in pieces written by Bobby Haas about his adventures in the field. Destinations included are: Southern Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana Western Africa: Senegal, Gambia, Morocco, Canary Islands Northern Africa: Ethiopia, Djibouti Eastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania Coastal Africa: Northern and Southern Indian OceanAbout the AuthorROBERT B. HAAS is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. Since 1983, the author has been Chairman of the Board and founder of a private investment firm in Dallas, Texas. Through the Eyes is his fifth photographic book on Africa. The author and his works have been featured in numerous publications and in two segments of the internationally syndicated CNN Business Unusual. He lives in Dallas, TX.KUKI GALLMANN is the Italian-born author, poet, conservationist, and founder of The Gallmann Memorial Foundation (GMF). Kuki Gallmann moved to Kenya over 30 years ago and settled in Ol Ari Nyiro in Laikipia, a 100,000-acre estate on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. After the tragic loss of both her husband and her young son, her deep love for Africa was transformed into a burning resolve to save its wilderness, wildlife, and culture. She became an environmental activist for Africa and was awarded the Order of the Golden Ark by HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in 1989. Gallmann's autobiography, I Dreamed of Africa (Viking, Penguin), became a world bestseller and was published in 21 languages. The book was made into a major feature film by Columbia Pictures, starring Kim Basinger. She has written four other books, including African Nights, Night of the Lions, and Elephants in My Orchard. She lives on Ol Ari Nyiro ranch in Kenya with her daughter and nine dogs. Library Journal Haas (A Vision of Africa) has a classic National Geographic eye for natural light, color, location, topography, wildlife, and indigenous populations. In his fifth photographic book on Africa, which coincides with exhibitions in Dallas, New York, and Washington, DC, through January 2006, he takes that eye aloft in a helicopter, elevating his camera while retaining ground-bound detail. These photographs often look like layered fabrics, folded and crimped and in beautiful tones. However, Haas's brief commentary-12 essays based on his journal entries that accompany some of the images-and his visuals, populated by running animals or tiny people going about life in interesting geometrics of villages or plains, present a lofty, "cleansed" vision of the continent, a few hundred feet removed from the villages decimated by corrupt government, AIDS, famine, civil war, and bottomless poverty. By visual excellence and intent, Haas's book is superb, but in the context of a nearly ruined continent maybe too broken to fix, it is situated above the fray. Recommended for larger photographic collections. [Proceeds from the sale of this book will go toward funding National Geographic's research, conservation, and exploration efforts.-Ed.]-David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
\ Library JournalHaas (A Vision of Africa) has a classic National Geographic eye for natural light, color, location, topography, wildlife, and indigenous populations. In his fifth photographic book on Africa, which coincides with exhibitions in Dallas, New York, and Washington, DC, through January 2006, he takes that eye aloft in a helicopter, elevating his camera while retaining ground-bound detail. These photographs often look like layered fabrics, folded and crimped and in beautiful tones. However, Haas's brief commentary-12 essays based on his journal entries that accompany some of the images-and his visuals, populated by running animals or tiny people going about life in interesting geometrics of villages or plains, present a lofty, "cleansed" vision of the continent, a few hundred feet removed from the villages decimated by corrupt government, AIDS, famine, civil war, and bottomless poverty. By visual excellence and intent, Haas's book is superb, but in the context of a nearly ruined continent maybe too broken to fix, it is situated above the fray. Recommended for larger photographic collections. [Proceeds from the sale of this book will go toward funding National Geographic's research, conservation, and exploration efforts.-Ed.]-David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\ \
