Every so often, one species is selected for a closer look, with a two page spread devoted to it with multiple views, close-ups and further information on it. Each one has a few lines of fun facts next to it, with size and region always included. I couldn’t help but wonder at how long it took to edit the photos, to cut out the backgrounds leaving the outlines of each item. Everything except the whales, porpoises and dolphins, which are paintings. The DK trademark is photos on a white background and this book is filled with hundreds of them. The subtitle is “The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth” and it’s true. But it’s worth all the effort it takes to lift it, as it’s dazzling. Oversized is an understatement, this jumbo tome must weigh at least 5 pounds. Had I spent less time studying the illustrations, I might have finished the book.įast forward some decades to me browsing at my local library and spotting an oversized book marked Natural History. The due date would arrive and I would reluctantly take the book back, determined to take it out again and give it another try. I couldn’t get past the prehistoric animal sections, captivated by dinosaurs and giant mammals such as saber-toothed cats and mastodons. The title and author are long forgotten, but I do know I never read the whole book. When I was in elementary school, I used to lug home from the school library a book on natural history. A VL Classic originally posted Summer 2012
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |