Overview

A spectacular oversize photo book celebrating Africa's most majestic trees - which are now facing an unprecedented ecological threat. Baobabs are one of Africa's natural wonders: they can live more than 2,500 years, and their massive, water-storing trunks can grow to more than one hundred feet in circumference. They also serve as a renewable source of food, fibre, and fuel, as well as a focus of spiritual life. But now, suddenly, the largest baobabs are dying off , literally collapsing under their own weight. Scientists believe these ancient giants are being dehydrated by drought and higher temperatures, likely the result of climate change. Photographer Beth Moon, already responsible for some of the most indelible images of Africa's oldest and largest baobabs, has undertaken a new photographic pilgrimage to bear witness to this environmental catastrophe and document the baobabs that still survive. In this oversize volume, she presents breathtaking new duotone tree portraits of the baobabs of Madagascar, Senegal, and South Africa. She also recounts her eventful journey to visit these fantastic trees in a moving diaristic text studded with colour travel photos. Baobab is not only a compelling photo book and travel narrative, but also a timely ecological warning. AUTHORS: Beth Moon, a photographer based in the San Francisco Bay area, has gained international recognition for her large-scale, richly toned platinum-palladium prints. Her other books include Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time; Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees; and Literary Chickens. Adrian Patrut, professor of chemistry at Babe?-Bolyai University, has led efforts to radiocarbon-date the oldest African baobabs. SELLING POINTS: . A new photo book from Beth Moon, known for the best-selling Ancient Trees . A timely subject: Africa's oldest and largest baobabs are falling victim to climate change . Published in a spectacular, oversize landscape format reflecting the form of these massive trees and their natural settings . More than forty spectacular duotone portraits of the baobabs of Madagascar, Senegal, and South Africa Plus the story of Beth Moon's pilgrimage to these endangered giants, illustrated with her colour travel photos . With a text by Adrian Patrut, whose scientific research on the climate threat to baobabs has been covered in the New York Times and other major media outlets

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9780789214096

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Reviews

A project with weight and lasting beauty. . . Ancient Trees provides the kind of thorough and thoughtful portrait that each of these majestic long-lived survivors deserves. --Christian Science Monitor A vivid expression of the natural world's enduring beauty. --Atlas Obscura Praise for Beth Moon's Work Moon reveals a side of Earth that is majestic, awe-inspiring, and almost unbelievable.--SF Weekly One cannot look at Beth Moon's Images of gnarled, over-grown trees and not feel the intrinsic gravity of time.--Chicago Tribune Moon's exquisite photographs radiate awe.--Booklist, starred review Moon's work will captivate all.--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Panoramic in proportions yet intimate in detail. . . [These] textured portraits glow with an inner luster, and Moon's accompanying journals express a sense of wonder mixed with melancholy; these giants. . . may not survive another thousand years. - Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History Baobab is photographer Beth Moon's tribute to the magnificent, threatened trees upon which cultures and ecosystems depend... In the face of such monumental losses, the photographs in Baobab amount to an 'act of defiance.' - Rebecca Foster, Foreword Reviews

Panoramic in proportions yet intimate in detail. . . [These] textured portraits glow with an inner luster, and Moon's accompanying journals express a sense of wonder mixed with melancholy; these giants. . . may not survive another thousand years. -- Laurence A. Marschall Baobab is photographer Beth Moon's tribute to the magnificent, threatened trees upon which cultures and ecosystems depend... In the face of such monumental losses, the photographs in Baobab amount to an 'act of defiance.' -- Rebecca Foster

Author Information

Beth Moon, a photographer based in the San Francisco Bay area, has gained international recognition for her large-scale, richly toned platinum-palladium prints. Her other books include Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time; Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees; and Literary Chickens.

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