Mesmerizing black-and-white photographs of the world’s most majestic ancient trees.

Holiday Gift Guide Selection -- San Francisco Chronicle

Beth Moon’s fourteen-year quest to photograph ancient trees has taken her across the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Some of her subjects grow in isolation, on remote mountainsides, private estates, or nature preserves; others maintain a proud, though often precarious, existence in the midst of civilization. All, however, share a mysterious beauty perfected by age and the power to connect us to a sense of time and nature much greater than ourselves. It is this beauty, and this power, that Moon captures in her remarkable photographs.

This handsome volume presents sixty of Moon’s finest tree portraits as full-page duotone plates. The pictured trees include the tangled, hollow-trunked yews—some more than a thousand years old—that grow in English churchyards; the baobabs of Madagascar, called “upside-down trees” because of the curious disproportion of their giant trunks and modest branches; and the fantastical dragon’s-blood trees, red-sapped and umbrella-shaped, that grow only on the island of Socotra, off the Horn of Africa.

Moon’s narrative captions describe the natural and cultural history of each individual tree, while Todd Forrest, vice president for horticulture and living collections at the New York Botanical Garden, provides a concise introduction to the biology and preservation of ancient trees. An essay by the critic Steven Brown defines Moon’s unique place in a tradition of tree photography extending from William Henry Fox Talbot to Sally Mann, and explores the challenges and potential of the tree as a subject for art. 

The must-have guide for the collector of fine wristwatches with complete information—including prices—on over 1,400 models made by more than 130 international brands.

The Wristwatch Annual is the classic annual for aficionados of fine watchmaking. It’s a one-stop shop for watch buying, offering complete specs and prices on over 1,400 models by more than 130 international brands, while also tracking the latest developments in the watch industry. In addition to the extensive A–Z section, which includes many new entries, senior editor Marton Radkai presents editorial features that take a closer look at a number of exciting brands on the market today.

Wristwatch Annual is one of the world’s leading wristwatch publications and includes more than 100 of the most important mechanical watch manufacturers, describing their current collections in detail.

Presenting a wide range of wristwatches, with exquisite close-up color photographs and complete specifications for each watch, Wristwatch Annual provides collectors with a wealth of information close at hand. The book is arranged alphabetically by producer—within each producer’s section is a brief history of the brand (with contact information)—and specifications and materials for each watch, including price, movement, special features, complications, case, dial, band, and variations. Also included are a glossary and a guide to watch maintenance.

The clear photography, structured layout, and lively writing also makes this book a pleasure to read or just browse.

Peter Braun is editor-in-chief of Germany’s renowned wristwatch magazine Armbanduhren.

PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF WRISTWATCH ANNUAL

“An absolute staple in any serious collector’s regular reading material.”— TheWatchLounge.com

“Wristwatch Annual. . . covers models and specs of fine watches . . . but it is the unusual makers, all with text describing company characteristics, that make the large softcover especially interesting.”— Arizona Daily Star

“An invaluable source of information for anyone who wants a thorough survey of the new additions to the market.” — Plaza Watch

A selection of Ansel Adams' breathtaking images, remastered to celebrate over 100 years of The National Park Service.

Ansel Adams was hired by the United States Department of the Interior to photograph America's national parks, producing this group of breathtaking images.

In 1941, Ansel Adams photographed America's national parks for a series of murals that would celebrate the country's natural heritage. Because of the escalation of World War II, the project was suspended after less than a year, but not before Adams had produced these images, which illustrate both his early innovations and the shape of his later, legendary career as America's foremost landscape photographer.

The invitation to photograph the nation's parklands was the perfect assignment for Adams, as it allowed him to express his deepest convictions as artist, conservationist, and citizen. These stunning photographs of the natural geysers and terraces in Yellowstone, the rocks and ravines in the Grand Canyon, the winding rivers and majestic mountains in Glacier and Grand Teton national parks, the mysterious Carlsbad Caverns, the architecture of ancient Indian villages, and many other evocative views of the American West demonstrate the genius of Adams' technical and aesthetic inventiveness.

In these glorious, seminal images we see the inspired reverence for the wilderness that has made Ansel Adams' work an enduring influence on environmentalism as well as art.

Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was one of the most prolific and highly acclaimed photographers of the twentieth century, and the author of dozens of publications. He helped establish the department of photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and founded the Friends of Photography in Carmel, California, and the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. A member of the board of directors of the Sierra Club for thirty-seven years, Adams was instrumental in the growth of the American conservationist movement.

Alice Gray is a writer and editor based in Louisville, Kentucky. Her work has appeared in such publications as Art & Auction and Art News.