New NG Book- SUBLIME NATURE: Photographs at Awe and Inspire

WASHINGTON (March 4, 2014)-Just in time for Earth Day comes a new book from National Geographic that captures and celebrates nature's many moods. The latest addition to National Geographic's line of best-selling photography volumes, SUBLIME NATURE: Photographs That Awe and Inspire (National Geographic Books; ISBN: 978-1-4262-1301-4; April 1, 2014; hardcover; $35) is an exquisite collection of 125 images by award-winning National Geographic photographers. Compiled by conservationist and photojournalist Cristina Mittermeier, who also contributes a series of essays, the book showcases nature in all its splendor, from forests and flowers to waterways and wildlife.

My hope is that the images and essays in the book will inspire a closer connection with the nature that lies within and around us: infinitely worthy of our respect and care, writes Mittermeier. In the book's afterword, she asks, Can beautiful images influence the fate of our planet's natural wonders? The answer is a resounding yes. SUBLIME NATURE is an invitation - a luscious one - to reflect on our individual connections to the natural world and also on the power of artistic expression to spur positive social change. The magnificent images in this book serve as ambassadors to a fast-changing and often careless world. In an enduring way, this volume brings hope for greater conservation and deeper appreciation for Earth's variety of landscapes.

The luscious photographs, depicting the glory of nature in its distinctive and abundant variations, offer settings and perspectives we might otherwise never witness: penguins resting on an iceberg amidst sloshing ocean waves in Antarctica; a wind swaying curious tufts of a grass tree in Western Australia; an Indonesian fisherman casting his line into crystal clear waters; a flock of starlings swirling in perfect unison as they take flight at sunset over a Spanish town; a pair of brightly colored mandarin fish engaging in their underwater courtship off the Philippines; sand dunes glowing in the afternoon sun in California's Death Valley National Park; and a vibrant rainbow arching across a Chilean marshland.

Creating a visual experience that crosses barriers, languages and cultures, the images take us on a sensual and exotic tour of the natural world as they evoke nature's ability to elicit awe, grace, joy and peace. Enhancing and enriching the visual journey are uplifting quotes by renowned writers, naturalists, environmentalists and world figures, including Rachel Carson, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. As Shakespeare puts it, One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

By showcasing Earth's intricate beauty, SUBLIME NATURE connects people across the world and inspires respect, hope and greater care for our planet and its resources.

About the Author

Photographer and conservationist Cristina Mittermeier has traveled to more than 80 countries to document the challenge of protecting wild nature while meeting human needs. In 2010, her work earned her recognition as Nature magazine's Best Conservation Photographer of the Year as well as the North American Nature Photographers Association Mission Award. In addition to being one of Sony's Artisans of Imagery, Mittermeier has been recognized as one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers of our generation by Outdoor Photographer magazine. She founded the International League of Conservation Photographers, a consortium of prestigious photographers who are actively working to protect and sustain wild nature. She is the founder and president of Sea Legacy, an organization dedicated to protecting the ocean through storytelling.

About National Geographic Books & Home Entertainment

National Geographic Books & Home Entertainment creates and distributes books, videos and other print and digital media that inform, engage and entertain diverse audiences about our world. Annually, the group publishes more than 125 new books for adults, families and kids and

releases 250+ new DVDs and digital downloads of the Society's films and TV shows, and these

National Geographic titles are available in more than 35 local-language editions. While special photographic and film collections, travel books, nature shows, birding guides and atlases are a core focus of the Society's products, books and videos on subjects as diverse as animals, the human mind, history, world cultures and the cosmos are also produced. For more information, visit facebook.com/NatGeoBooks and nationalgeographic.com/books.

LINK:	http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/03/sublime-nature-photogra...
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