Arizona: The Beauty of It All

by Sam Negri, Mary Winkelman Velgos (Designer), Bob Alband (Editor)

If you had to choose just one affordably-priced book to be representative of Arizona's natural beauty, in all its variety and splendor, this would be it. First, there are the more than 65 of them, by the most respected professionals in the field. Arizona Highways contributors from around the state supplied full-color images that vividly display the harmony of color and form, rich textures and vast spaces of Arizona's deserts, mountains, plateaus, grasslands and riparian niches. The immense, sculpted layers of the Grand Canyon, cool pools of water in the midst of searing desert, green "sky island" mountains thrusting upward from basin floors and monumental rock formations - all contribute to the sometimes subtle and sometimes overwhelming beauty of Arizona. Then there's the descriptive text. Journalist and veteran outdoorsman Sam Negri draws from a deep well of experience to characterize the landscape, relating it to the state's history and folklore. In six chapters, he explores the deep forests and sculpted plateaus of the Arizona Strip, the color and texture of Indian Country, the vast ribbon of trees and water that make up the mountains, the unexpected exotic appeal of Western Arizona, the diversity of life and forms of the Southwestern Desert and the Southeastern Desert's land of contrast. First published in 1996 and now available in its third printing, the book's impressive cover and the quality of its design assure that it will remain a literary ambassador welcomed by those wanting to stay in touch with this interesting corner of the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Sam Negri is a journalist and writer who spent nearly three decades covering Arizona for publications such as The Arizona Republic, Arizona Highways Magazine, Sunset, Phoenix Magazine, and The New York Times. In 2000, he joined The Arizona Daily Star as an editorial writer, a role he held for seven years. He later established the Pima County Communications Department, serving as its director until his retirement in 2014.

Reviews

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, "Arizona Highways" is neck n' neck in photography with "National Geographic". What gorgeous photography! There are more than 90 photos of Arizona throughout her diverse history as a western state. I wish I had been aware of all of this when I lived there for 7 years. Much of the focus was on The Grand Canyon...there is nothing else like it in the world. In this book you see it from all of its' spectacular angles. Included is the Arizona Strip, where you will find deep forests and plateaus. There's also Indian Country, which mostly consists of the Navajo. There all of the mountains, Western Arizona, the Southwestern Desert, and the Southeastern Deserts. There is so much diversity and contrasts that it is hard to keep it all straight. The land, ground cover, mountains, water pools, and the cactus.
A beautiful representation of Arizona.