National Geographic: The Photographs

This stunning volume was the gift book of the year when it first published, and the images that grace its pages remain iconic. From the famous Afghan girl whose haunting green eyes stare out from the book's cover, and her poignant story that captured the world's interest, to award-winning photography culled from the Society's vast archives, The Photographs offers readers an inside look at National Geographic and a sharp-eyed view of the world. The book showcases the skill and imagination of such notable Geographic photographers as David Doubilet, William Albert Allard, Sam Abell, Jim Stanfield, Jodi Cobb, Jim Brandenburg, David Alan Harvey, and many more. They share their techniques, as well as personal and colorful anecdotes about individual images and their adventures in the field--sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, always vividly compelling. Author Leah Bendavid-Val writes about the photographers' achievements from technical, journalistic, and artistic perspectives. Five chapters cover core National Geographic themes--wildlife on land and water; cultures in the United States and around the world; and science, from astronomy to archaeology to the human senses. The photographs in each chapter capture rare moments in nature and the lives of animals, along with defining events in the lives of people everywhere. This exquisite collection is as elegant as it is timeless.

Author: Leah Bendavid-Val
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Published: 09/16/2008
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.47lbs
Size: 8.60h x 6.70w x 1.01d
ISBN: 9781426202919
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Vanity Fair 09/01/2008 pg. 230
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2009 pg. 295

About the Author
Leah Bendavid-Val, Director of Photography Publishing for National Geographic Books, is the author of Propaganda & Dreams; Changing Reality; National Geographic: The Photographs; Stories on Paper & Glass, and most recently Song Without Words: The Photographs and Diaries of Countess Sophia Tolstoy. She has curated photography exhibitions for museums worldwide.