Author(s): Bernhard Edmaier (By (photographer)); Angelika Jung-Hüttl

NZ non-fiction

Earthsongcomprises a spectacular collection of breathtaking aerial photographs of the earth's surface, taken from all over the world. This bookoffers a mesmerizing perspective of the world in which we live, but which we rarely get to glimpse so completely. These images reveal wide stretches of the earth's surface that are untouched by human influence, where nature reigns, natural phenomena dominating and defining the landscape. Photographed from above, the tremendous sights of volcanoes, glaciers, coral reefs, canyons, sea beds and rivers reveal the delicate and monumental natural patterns that are etched on the earth's crust. Bernhard Edmaier's photographs capture the breathtaking beauty of these unspoiled areas and document phenomena that may last for a few brief moments or remain for millions of years. Earthsong divides the planet into four parts, reflecting the dominant environments of each zone - Aqua(water), Barren(tundra), Desert(lands with minimal precipitation) and Green(forest and grass land). Thus the icy expanses of the Arctic appear with the warm oceans of the Pacific; we see coastal deserts alongside underwater deserts, glacial deserts and sand deserts; the lush green forests of Europe are juxtaposed with desert flowers; and floating river algae and icy alpine summits appear with the barren wastelands of the far north. Earthsongcelebrates the immeasurable magnificence of our planet and covers areas from the Bahamas to Ethiopia, New Zealand to the United States, Europe, Ecuador and the Atlantic.