The Rainforests: A Celebration

by Living Earth Foundation

Now available in paperback for the first time, this superbly illustrated volume captures the rainforests' extraordinary beauty and complexity while documenting the horrific rate at which these essential and irreplaceable environments are being destroyed. 200 full-color photographs.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Ryan]

Awareness of the severe threat facing tropical rain forests around the world was just beginning when this book was published. I remember how celebrities like Sting really campaigned hard to create awareness about the destruction of the Amazon to the world. This book is from that time, and since then we have learned a lot more about the intricacies of how this lush biome functions and the myriad organisms that call the forests home. Yet it is a great pity that with this greater understanding of their importance there is as yet no end to the abuses humans subject rain forests to since those decades ago.

Each chapter focuses on a specific topic, such as pollination, seed dispersal and decomposition, written succinctly yet imparting the basic knowledge with clarity. Of course as a coffee table book should be, they are filled with colorful photographs depicting the amazing variety of life found in the wet tropics, with a heavy focus on the Americas compared to Africa and SE Asian forests.