The Galapagos archipelago is made up of thirteen main islands and more than sixty other islets, rocks and reefs, scattered over four hundred kilometres of open ocean. Sitting at a confluence of four major ocean currents, the islands are actually the summits of vast undersea volcanoes, and are steadily on the march. How has such an odd assortment of life managed to find a footing in this unruly world? Micro-climates and altitude have combined to form discrete environmental zones: perfect habitats for the islands diverse fauna marine iguanas, petrels, blue-footed boobies and giant tortoises being but a famous few. Galapagos is a rare insight into an incredible landscape, a natural laboratory and an exquisite evolutionary habitat that Darwin described as a 'world within itself'. Both fragile and furious, the Galapagos is unlike any other place on earth.
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"
"
The sumptuous illustrations had me positively drooling to gawp at the giant tortoises bellowing as they copulate
incessantly in the warm rain, to feel the Galapagos hawk land with a thunk on my backpack...this is a rich tale of
triumph and tragedy well told...
" (Peter Marren BBC Wildlife magazine )"
The definitive single volume on the Galapagos that
ecotourists and readers from all walks of life have been
awaiting."
" (Margaret Lowman, Author Of Life In The Treetops And Co- Author Of It's A Jungle Up There: More Tales From The Treetops" )About the Author
Paul D. Stewart is an Emmy award-winning wildlife cameraman with the BBC's Natural History Unit and has published numerous articles in leading science and conservation journals.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By caz
Format:Paperback
I've recently returned from the Galapagos, the islands & animals were amazing, but since buying and reading this book I realise there is SO much more I could have seen and should have been aware of! As well as being an up to date guidebook in its own right, this beautifully illustrated book also gives wonderfully written accounts of the islands' history, (mad murder mysteries), geology and nature (friendly sharks & the penguins' story is fascinating) as well as the main-man, Mr Darwin's star-turn on the islands! Excellent value - a book that delivers much more than just a spotter's guide. I would recommend it as both a reference and companion on a Galapagos trip - just buy yours before you go! (I'm as sick as a Galapagos finch...)
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By ND
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A really useful and interesting book to get you up and running before a trip to the Galapagos. Well written and illustrated but I would recommend linking it with watching the linked BBC double DVD. The DVD is worth watching before and after the trip
By j.mooney
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A great book published by the BBC to go with the 2006 television series on the Galapagos Islands.
A very good read and some great pictures.
A very good read and some great pictures.
By Jane
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A clearly written, authoritative (the senior author has a PhD in animal ecology), beautifully produced and illustrated book - thoroughly recommended
By LJ
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this as a gift after having read a copy I borrowed from the library. It's a lovely book - lots of great photos and interesting information about the islands.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was designed to accompany the brilliant TV series Galapagos [2006] and is structured in the same way. It begins with chapters on the geology of the area, the discovery of the islands, and Charles Darwin. Three chapters follow on the flora and fauna, and a final two on the conservation and future of the archipelago.
Very few plants are covered in any detail and only the more famous animal inhabitants get any real coverage. The rest are covered in a basic description of the habitat. You just don't get a feel for the vibrancy and the struggle for life that you do from the TV series.
The photography is good, with some impressive full-page spreads. But it is not spectacular and they could have done better with such fascinating and apparantly 'tame' subject matter.
The book concludes with a 45-page `gazetteer', which includes species profiles, all the information you could need for a great trip to the Galapagos, and extensive further reading. This is an excellent resource if you're planning a trip, but is a shame for those who aren't as it takes up a 20% chunk of the book.
Overall this book is a decent representation of the Galapagos Islands, and will be an inspiration for many to go and visit. However if you've seen the series this will add nothing new, and if you haven't it's cheaper to buy the DVD than this book.
Very few plants are covered in any detail and only the more famous animal inhabitants get any real coverage. The rest are covered in a basic description of the habitat. You just don't get a feel for the vibrancy and the struggle for life that you do from the TV series.
The photography is good, with some impressive full-page spreads. But it is not spectacular and they could have done better with such fascinating and apparantly 'tame' subject matter.
The book concludes with a 45-page `gazetteer', which includes species profiles, all the information you could need for a great trip to the Galapagos, and extensive further reading. This is an excellent resource if you're planning a trip, but is a shame for those who aren't as it takes up a 20% chunk of the book.
Overall this book is a decent representation of the Galapagos Islands, and will be an inspiration for many to go and visit. However if you've seen the series this will add nothing new, and if you haven't it's cheaper to buy the DVD than this book.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By tara
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've always been fascinated by the Galapagos and have many books about them but sadly this is not one of the best. I'm more interested in facts about the islands; their discovery, history, geology, wildlife, etc, and although this book does cover all these subjects and has a lot of interesting facts it is a bit 'wordy', the writer seems to go off on tangents and is more interested in showing his creative writing skills than presenting the facts, basically he uses 100 words when 10 will do. On saying that it did tell me things about the Galapagos I didn't know, has some amazing photos and the writer is clearly passionate about his subject but I did struggle getting to the end
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By D. L. Davies
Format:Paperback
This book was ordered to accompany a DVD of the same title. Both items arrived in good time for Christmas and made very welcome presents. This article was well-packaged and was in excellent condition.
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