Polar Dance: Born of the North Wind

Customer Reviews:

Simply a stunning book!!.......2002-01-26

I found Tom Mangelsen's gallery in Jackson a few months ago, and while I was there, I had a chance to see many of his just downright stunning images.

As an aspiring wildlife photographer, I truly appreciate the superb work of Tom Mangelsen. Also, while in his gallery, I had the chance to talk to as well as meet Mr. Mangelsen himself.

This book is just simply stunning. I cannot think of any other description. The many different images of the polar bear in its natural environment has to be seen to be appreciated.

What I like the most about this book over so many other "nature" books is that we get to see the many facets of the polar bears life, from the tender side with a mother and her babies, to the savage nature of these beautiful animals...not just some glossy expose that says nothing.

I would encourage anyone who loves nature photography, whether you are a "couch" photographer/explorer or are planning on a career in wildlife photography.

Heartily recommended!!!!

The best book of the best nature photographer.......2001-02-14

I discovered the work of Thomas Mangelson about ten years ago in Jackson, Wyoming, when I stumbled across a gallery devoted to his work. The most famous image there, the one of two grown polar bears "dancing," is on the cover of this book.

The book encapsulates all the artistry of this outstanding photographer. As difficult as it is to capture wildlife images, it's doubly so when you are photographing white animals against snow! Mangelson spends some four months a year in the Arctic, enlarging his huge repertoire of images. I can't begin to imagine the patience and meticulous attention to detail that is required to gather these pictures, but I'm glad Mangelson can!

I love the fact that this book shows the chronological sequence in the life of a bear family, and also that it doesn't have captions on each page. That allows you to follow the sequence of images undisturbed by human intrusion - you become a part of the life cycle, so to speak. Mangelson's work enables the viewer to see the bears as a complex family unit in addition to their usual portrayal as hardy predators. It cannot fail to move the viewer; this is a book to savor again and again.

I'm a huge fan of just about every image this photographer has ever published, and this book is, to me, the culmination of his work. I recommend it to everyone, bear fan or not!

Essential, wonderful personal story, captivating photos.......2000-05-02

This is an essential book for polar bear and nature photography lovers alike. There are over 250 photos of polar bears, and arctic wildlife captured in the beautiful frozen world they live in.

I found the photography truly captivating. The adorable bears are shown splashing in the water, dancing, taking afternoon naps & wandering through the snow. There is even one of the mother making friends with a sled dog.

I was deeply touched by the many images of the cubs snuggling close to their mother. I found the other wildlife photos featuring many foxes and birds equally impressive. The captions for all the images are in the back of the book.

Along with the pictures, there is a wonderful story of a year in the life of a mother polar bear & her 2 cubs. The author switches pleasingly between factual accounts of the arctic world, folklore, & the personal story of the bear family.

breathtaking, impressive photography of the arctic.......1998-12-30

Mangelsen has created an outstanding work of art that can be appreciated by polar bear lovers and nature lovers alike. The intentional ommission of captions until the end of the book allows the reader to view each photo as a work of art, absorbing the beauty and magic of each piece. It is an essential coffee table book for those intrigued and mystified by the polar bear, and strongly recommended for anyone who enjoys nature photography. A definite bargin in the world of nature photography books.

An absolutely stunning wildlife book.......1998-04-25

Polar Dance is in my opinion the most mind-blowing book on bears I have ever seen. I am an artist who works with faux fur, specializing in the creation of all species of bears. Polar Dance is the most treasured of all my wildlife books. The photographs of the ice bear taken so sensitively evokes my deepest emotions each time I turn the pages. I can almost feel the cold and snow out there on the Arctic. I reach for this book often for inspiration and even comfort. I never cease to be amazed at how beautifully Thomas Mangelsen has portrayed the "Tiger of the North". Certainly he has done justice to perhaps the most magnificent of God's creatures. Polar Dance is more than a book. It is a work of art.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land

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Environmentalists versus Big Oil interests
Beautiful book, sad exhibition
Entire US Congress Should read this Book
captures the essence and grandeur
why I want to see this book

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land
Subhankar Banerjee
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Rayovac SPHLTLED 3-in-1 LED Head-Lite

ASIN: 0898869099

Book Description

It is a land of pristine wilderness, pulsing with life even in the depths of white subzero winter. Entirely unscarred by roads or signs, it is the place in all Alaska where the polar bear most often prefers to den. It is host to more than 180 resident and migratory bird species that journey from six continents and all fifty states to nest and rear their young. Because of the massive herds of Porcupine caribou who converge upon the coastal plain to calve each spring, it is known as "the American Serengeti." To the Gwich'in people, who call the refuge their home, it is "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins."

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a touchstone for all people, one of the few remaining ecosystems on our planet unaltered by human impact, where true wilderness can still be experienced. But now the refuge is showing signs of global warming: immense McCall Glacier, measured to have lost more than thirty feet in depth in the last forty years; the northward march of the dwarf willow, moving at a pace not seen in 8,000 years; the alarming decline of the muskox, forced to forage where their calves are vulnerable to predators. And the refuge is further threatened by oil development, which would forever unravel the delicate pattern of nature found here.

Award-winning photographer Subhankar Banerjee devoted two years of his life to documenting the land, its wild species, and its Native peoples. With Inupiat guide Robert Thompson, Banerjee traveled 4,000 miles through the refuge on foot and by raft, kayak, and snowmobile during all four seasons. With more than 200 breathtaking color images, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land makes this case: leaving the refuge intact in all its mysterious beauty is vital to the survival of this unique ecosystem. Banerjee's photos are paired with six essays and a foreword by former president Jimmy Carter.

Customer Reviews:

Environmentalists versus Big Oil interests.......2005-01-06

If you want to read a book about the environmentalists fighting big oil interests in NE Alaska, this book is for you...As was promised, it has very little to do with a computer scientist/photographer who supposedly quit his day job and barely avoided bankruptcy to write/photograph this book...The author is nothing more than a pawn of the Sierra Club to save the environment in NE Alaska who has thrown in some very nice pictures for effect...It's obvious that he has been heavily financed by outside interests with their own agenda...They are worried about drilling for oil and saving the pristine area...That doesn't stop them from driving their gas powered quad runners/snowmobiles through the previously pristine tundra...To top it off the Alaskan Eskimos show there appreciation for the animal kingdom by having their children dance on top of a dead whale while wearing a L.A. Lakers jersey...This book is hypocrisy at its finest...No thanks...

Beautiful book, sad exhibition.......2004-05-05

I bought this book because there was no other way to understand the photos that were on display at the Museum of Natural History. I was not alone; several people walked around Banerjee's exhibition with their books in hand. The curator had removed all descriptive labels, and the introductory plaque emphasized how small the Arctic refuge is compared to other such reserves throughout the country. The photos were mounted in a corridor leading to an elevator. It was poorly lit, and crowded with people passing through. It was in the back of the building, and hard to find. It was a startling contrast to the Eliot Porter exhibition in one of the main exhibition halls above the ground floor. That exhibition was well designed, well described, and included copies of books like "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, hardly a neutral text. The only message I could take away was that environmentalism is "safe" to the Smithsonian curators only when it's at least 30 or 40 years old.

The treatment of Banerjee's photos was so troublesome that Congress held hearings on the matter. But no news report could compare to the feeling of being there, near the elevator.

I took the book home with me, trying to understand whether or not the poor installation was due to poor material or to poor museum administration. Banerjee's photos, and the stories and writings around the photos, are greatly compelling. The story of how hard he worked to get those photos, and of how in the process, he became a better photographer, stood out to me. I highly recommend the book, but I hope I have helped some enthusiasts know just how controversial the notion of natural beauty can be, and how the Smithsonian does play politics. Apparently, reading Banerjee's book can be considered an act of protest.

Entire US Congress Should read this Book.......2004-03-31

The entire US Congress should read this book before voting to allow oil drilling in ANWAR. The pictures alone make this book worth owning. I am ordering another copy for my daughter in Boston and will share my copy at a family reunion in April. It will be an important part of my extensive library.

captures the essence and grandeur.......2003-09-30

I am struck not only by the photographs but also the essays that convey just a sprinkling of what the ANWR is really like. But, what a sprinkling. I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the ANWR and many photographs are ones from places I haved hiked and people I have met. Many of the rivers shown are rivers I have been on. What I have not done is been there in the truly cold times and his photographs and words do great justice to those times. The drawbacks are few and perhaps it is nitpicking but there is a concentration of pictures taken on the Hula Hula. While the Hula Hula is a wonderful river to do, the Jago covers the heart of the calving grounds and the pictures there were in short supply. However, the pictures are inspiring and the only thing not captured is the sense of vastness that one gets setting foot in the ANWR. But, I have never seen a photograph that can capture that. For those who may never set foot in the ANWR, or even for those who have been there, this book is a must add to anyone's collection. The book does make me want to seek out the hot spring on the Okpilak River, however.
Kongakut, Icy Reef, Bernard Spit, Jago, Hula Hula, Kaktovik, Arctic Village, the bird life and animal life --all places I have been and things I have seen, and a wonderful book with which to revisit those places.

why I want to see this book.......2003-09-17

The is not a true review: indeed, I have not yet recived the book for Amazon.

I just came home from a dinner with Peter Mattiessen at the University of Tulsa, at which he spoke passionately of the phyiscal and finacinal effort Mr. Banerjee undertook to create this work, the reaction in Congress to the book, the pressure upon the Smithsonian and the American Muesum of American History to quash display of Mr. Banerjee's photographs, and his personal fears of deportation or worse by the Justice Department under the Patriot Act. A most frightening portral of the reach real or reasonably feared of this Adminstration when an individual, spcially an alien, dares question its motive. As Senator Stevens(R)Alaska, chair of the Senate Appropriate committee was reported to say to his colleages after Banerjee's testimony, and the Senate voted 52-48 against drilling in ANWR, "I know who you are and you will pay".

Book Description

Over the course of a dozen years, Scottish plant collector Isobel Wylie Hutchison (1889–1982) explored northern latitudes from the Lofoten Islands of Norway to the far reaches of the American Aleutians. To achieve her goals, she traveled by any means available, from rowboats in Greenland to trading schooners and coast-guard vessels in Alaska. When necessary, she journeyed by snowshoe or sled in pursuit of her botanical specimens, accompanied only by strangers who served as guides. In Flowers in the Snow, Gwyneth Hoyle paints a vivid portrait of a woman gloriously out of the step with the conventions of her time.

American Arctic Lichens: The Microlichens

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American Arctic Lichens: The Microlichens
John W. Thomson , and Bethia Brehmer
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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American Arctic Lichens Volume No 1

ASIN: 0299134601

Book Description

American Arctic Lichens: 2.The Microlichens is the second volume of John W. Thomsons fundamental reference work on the lichens of the American Arctic, the product of almost four decades of field research and analysis. Thomson, the worlds foremost lichenologist of the Arctic region, has undertaken fourteen expeditions to the U.S. and Canadian Arctic to find and identify 623 species in 106 genera of microlichens. Complementing his taxonomy and classifications are 201 black and white illustrations and 512 maps. By bringing together in a single volume keys, descriptions, maps, illustrations, statements of color reactions, chemistry, and ecology, Thomson makes available a compendium of knowledge hitherto available only in scattered literature. American Arctic Lichens 2 will serve as a manual for identification of the crustose lichens of the Canadian and Alaskan Arcticas well as of other circumpolar regions of the worldproviding an invaluable aid to ecologists, conservationists, naturalists, plant taxonomists, and students of Arctic resources and wildlife. Complementing this volume is American Arctic Lichens: 1. The Macrolichens (Columbia University Press, 1984). Together, the two-volume work covers 965 species of lichens in 166 genera, flora Thomson considers an untapped resource of nature. Thomson notes that lichens, under systematic biochemical explorations, provide ecological indicators, and could provide possible new treatments for cancer and other human diseases. The availability of this manual will greatly accelerate future botanical studies of the vast and fascinating American Arctic.

A monumental work of magisterial conception. Nothing like it has ever been attempted and not in our lifetime will anything remotely similar be published.Hugh H. Iltis, emeritus professor and Herbarium director, University of WisconsinMadison

Book Description

The arctic region is predicted to experience the earliest and most pronounced global warming response to human-induced climatic change. This book synthesizes information on the physiological ecology of arctic plants, discusses how physiological processes influence ecosystem processes, and explores how climate warming will affect arctic plants, plant communities, and ecosystem processes.

Key Features
* Reviews the physiological ecology of arctic plants
* Explores biotic controls over community and ecosystems processes
* Provides physiological bases for predicting how the Arctic will respond to global climate change

The Biology of Polar Habitats (Biology of Habitats)

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The Biology of Polar Habitats (Biology of Habitats)
G. E. Fogg
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Microscopes & Microsocopy | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books

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Arctic | Ecosystems | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0198549547

Book Description

NEW SERIES Biology of Habitats Series editors: Professor Michael Crawley, Dr Colin Little, Sir Richard Southwood, and Professor Staffan Ulfstrand This exciting new series of textbooks will give an integrated overview of the design, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of the organisms in different habitats. Each book will provide information about the habitat and the types of organisms present, on practical aspects of working within the habitats and the sorts of studies which are possible, and will include a discussion of biodiversity and conservation needs. Further Reading Sections will lead the reader to key papers, review articles, and books in which the subject may be explored at greater depth. This book gives a readable overview of polar habitats, from ice caps to tundra and open ocean. It describes their physical characteristics, the communities of microorganisms, plants, and animals inhabiting them, and their interactions with the global environment. It reviews the origins of the habitats and their subsequent colonization and population dynamics, and considers the future changes which may result from global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, and human activities. The book is unusual in that it describes and compares the two polar regions, rather than focusing on only one of them.

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Flora of the Russian Arctic Vol. I
A. I. Tolmachev
Manufacturer: The University of Alberta Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Written by the botanists of the Komarov Botanical Institute, St. Petersburg, the Flora of the Russian Arctic series is an essential part of every botanical library. (For information on Volume III, see http://www.schweizerbart.de/pubs/books/floraofthe-095200001-desc.html)

Life in the Polar Lands: Animals, People, Plants (Life in The...)

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Life in the Polar Lands: Animals, People, Plants (Life in The...)
Monica Byles
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613434676

Customer Reviews:

Little good for paddling Hawaii maps.......2007-04-07

Audrey is a talented writer and gives plenty of information, often with wit and experience, to the reader. Unlike another reviewer that found the first half of the book uninformative as it spoke generally about paddling kayaks, I disagree: the first half of the book is it's strength, and very exactingly details the differences in paddling Hawaii--sun, food, fishing, sharks, coconut opening, camping--you name it, and Audrey S. does a fine job in relating very clearly her years of paddling these islands. This information is very important to kayakers and is specific only to these islands.

The weakness of the book, however, is what should be, by definition, it's strength... places to paddle in the 50th state. Unfortunately, the maps are very sketchy, and the descriptions are brief and often unorganized. I compare Paddling Hawaii, for instance, against Mike Svob's classic guide Paddling Illinois, and the differences are stark; Svob's maps, details of put-ins and take outs, things seen along the route, points of interest, and other similar information is thorough, comprehensive and organized. Ms. Sutherland, on the contrary, provides a cursory review, haphazardly organized, of several paddles on each island, but is in no fashion comprehensive on any island (I know of a couple popular paddles not in this book). The information, although helpful, is not as detailed as would be expected. I'd say this is a middling book on Hawaii paddling, but to the best of my knowledge, is the only one in existance on this subject.

Paddling Hawaii - A little too basic........2001-06-13

Once this book got to ACTUAL paddling locations, it was quite good. However, almost half of the book was spent on kayaking basics which, I would venture to guess, most of those purchasing this book already are familiar with.

I had to buy it twice, the first copy got soaked!.......1999-01-06

There are so many How To books available on every topic imaginable, but rare is the How To that is deeply inspirational. This is such a book. Within two weeks of reading it I did three of the trips she described. Her sections on safety and gear are without unnecessary adornment and shimmer with authority and personal experience. The writing is clear, sometimes humorous and made me want to drop everything and paddle off into the horizon. Reading her book gave me the extra push I needed to brave the unknown and enough knowledge to feel confident that I would return. An excellent guidebook to paddling in Hawaii and a great general reference for this marvelous sport.

The handbook for Hawaii Kayakers. A must read before you go.......1998-07-31

This is an update of her popular First Edition. As part of a group of long time kayakers in Hawaii, we always read what Audrey Sutherland has to say about a route before undertaking extended kayak trips along the coasts and between the islands of Hawaii. Her hints on preparation are always a good review on what to take and prepare for on a trip. This book is a good companion to her Paddling My Own Canoe which never ceases to inspire one to take a chance to experience the beauty and wildness of Hawaii's shores.

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Making an Adventure
Not just for fans of kayaking & Hawaii
Wonderful solo adventure story
Has it's moments

Paddling My Own Canoe (Kolowalu Books)
Audrey Sutherland
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0824806999

Customer Reviews:

Making an Adventure.......2007-02-16

I think most of us deserately need an adventure, a trip that both allows us to both escape and recliam our lives at the same time. Thus the market for all sorts of adventure books; from Clive Cussler's novels to non-fiction works about Scott's expedition to Antartica. Sutherland's story simply and wonderfully captures the daring and curiosity that makes these trips possible. As she points out there is a childlike quality to this sort of thing that we probably all share. The desire to see what's on the next block, over the next hill, down that big river. In her case while flying she sees a beautiful place that is very difficult to get to. All visitors arriving on Oahu, seated on the left hand aisle of the plane see this same sight; the North Shore of Molokai. A wilderness with sea cliffs thousands of feet high, turquoise and cobalt blue water, fringed with verdant jungle. It also has waves that break on those cliffs that are fifty feet high, a windward shore mariners do well to stay away from, and no easy way to walk in. Her attraction basically overcomes her fear and she prepares her own expidition, alone. She sets out to swim from the closest available site she can get to, towing a pack, and come out at an old leper's colony that has a trail that evenutally leads back to civilization. The route is eighteen miles long, and is filled with the sort of edenic paradise Hawaii once was. This is the stuff that all great adventures are made of; Scott, Amudson, Cook. The difference is that it is on a small scale and available to us all. This book takes us through that first impulse, to planning the trip(s), to what happened. Its both a wonderful read and an adventurer's how to book. While she tell's very little about herself and her inner life, her actions reveal a great deal about her, and anyone who kind of chases a dream.

Not just for fans of kayaking & Hawaii.......2002-11-15

Audrey's story of how she taught herself to swim/kayak down the Na Pali-like Molokai coast stayed with me for several days. I was really impressed by her bravery and willingness to face a very challenging situation again and again. If she could face the risk of losing her life in these adventures, over and over, what kind of courage could the rest of us bring to our relatively minor challenges. I loved the image of her sitting in her homemade "furo", looking over her little valley & the sea. This story will also be interesting to you if you kayak or canoe, and/or if you love Hawaii. :)

Wonderful solo adventure story.......2002-01-11

An exciting and joyful adventure of one woman paddling the wild coast of Molokai in Hawaii. A bold feat, battling waves and rocky coastline all alone, yet more than an adventure story, laced with natural history, Hawaiian history, ecology, and survival techniques. Her strength, serenity, and humor,is interwoven with a zen-like philosophy that makes for great armchair adventure reading.

Has it's moments.......1997-06-11

A fair book, as far as adventure books go. Miss Sutherland leaves you wanting more information on the history of the islands and her personal life. She touches on both of the aforementioned accounts, but does not go deep enough. She scratches the surface. The book chronicles journey's that most people do not even think about anymore, but yet the book does not capture the excitement of the journey's as it should. I did enjoy the read, and would recomend the book to hardcore outdoor enthusiasts. Tate Perazzelli (tatemar@compuserve.com

Paddling Hoena: Hawaiian Proverbs & Inspirational Quotes Celebrating Hawaii's Favorite Pastime

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Paddling Hoena: Hawaiian Proverbs & Inspirational Quotes Celebrating Hawaii's Favorite Pastime

Manufacturer: Mutual Publshing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1566477948

Product Description

In the last hundred years paddling has evolved into one of Hawaii's most loved pastimes and competitive sports. Outrigger canoes sit at almost every beach and in the nearby waters canoes pass by and teams practice for regattas. Outrigger canoe paddling is a physically and spiritually fulfilling experience a way to connect with the beauty and mana of the ocean. To celebrate this noble sport, Tay Perry has assembled a notable collection of proverbs and quotes and has paired them with vintage and contemporary photos. The result is a nostalgic portrait of paddling from its Polynesian roots through contemporary times.

Paddling in Hawai'i (Hawaii): A Photo Essay by JOSS

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Inspirational
Absolutely beautiful!

Paddling in Hawai'i (Hawaii): A Photo Essay by JOSS
Ian MacMillan
Manufacturer: Mutual Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1566476275

Book Description

Award-winning photographer JOSS (Joss Desceteaux) captures the beauty and thrill of this purely Hawaiian sport with over 100 captivating photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Inspirational.......2007-03-30

I picked this book up at the library and was stunned by the pictures. It inspired me to become involved with the local paddling community on Oahu, a decision that has reaped more blessings than can be imagined. It also inspired me to relook at my own photography and strive for even more imaginative opportunities such as Joss has found. This is definitely a coffee table book, however, as the text is fairly light. For something more in depth on the local paddling scene I liked 'Molokai-O'ahu through the Years' by Peter Caldwell.

Absolutely beautiful!.......2005-01-03

"Paddling in Hawai'i" is absolutely beautiful; the photographs are stunning! Not only is it an excellent collection of Joss's remarkable talents as a photographer, but a treasure of the ocean and Hawaiian culture too.

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