Valley of the Dunes
I loved Valley of the Dunes when it first came out, and this fresh new edition is definitely something to celebrate. Shattil and Rozinski s photos jump off the page, while Audrey Benedict s graceful and knowledgeable prose makes the complex simple always pointing to hidden wonders we might otherwise miss. Together they tell the story of a truly unique western landscape! --Jeff Lee, Director, Rocky Mountain Land Library. --Rocky Mountain Land LibraryNew collection of Great Sand Dunes photos, essays among the best Some mistake the dunes for arid, lifeless heaps of sand. But as Rozinski and Shattil show, they are surrounded by an abundant landscape and the sand itself is anything but devoid of life. Here you ll find remarkable photos of a bison eyeing a cattle egret taking flight, the marks left by dune grasses swept by nightly winds beside the tiny footprints of kangaroo rats, and the ruby-red sunset-stained waters of Medano Creek... Benedict s text nicely accompanies the photographs on every page, a welcome rarity among books intended to grace coffee tables. She conveys the poetry of one of the country s most unexpected landscapes --Boulder Daily Camera --Boulder Daily CameraWhat is it about the San Luis Valley and the great sand dunes? Let photographers Bob Rozinski and Wendy Shattil show you. Let writer Audrey DeLella Benedict tell you. Together, the three of them enlighten, educate, and entertain with the beauty, science, culture, and story of the area. On film and pixel Rozinski and Shattil take the observer on a vivid walkabout. They begin with an iconic cover page of the highest North American alpine desert in the world the San Luis Valley. There are breathtaking snow-covered peaks in the background, desert sand dunes in the foreground, and in between, foothills darkened by shadows. The image gives the observer the impression of two worlds juxtaposed. In the San Luis Valley they are one world. In the San Luis Valley the dunes are the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. They are protected for all by the towering, mighty Sangre de Cristo Range and its mountain peaks. Following the cover page, there are one hundred and fifty more pages of awesome photography of fauna and flora panoramic shots as well as close-ups. The photographic composition, action, detail, and color rendition give the reader an experience second only to actually being there. When first published in 2005, the book was named the best photography book by USABookNews.com. While Rozinski and Shattil give the reader a sensational photographic tour of the San Luis Valley and dunes, Benedict uses her extraordinary skill with language to describe their complexity, beauty, and meaning. She explores both their natural and cultural history. In addition to plants and animals, she describes the climate, hydrology, and geology of the area. She writes of the various peoples with ties to the valley and dunes. She recounts political and legal dramas and local mysteries. It is an intellectual work of art by the photographers and the writer. Benedict adds her own aesthetic view, to be sure, to the book. At a public event she admitted the book was a love letter to one of her favorite places. Benedict is not the only one smitten. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, at the time a U.S. senator, wrote the foreword to the first edition of the book which was retained for this revised version. He penned: I have always told people that the San Luis Valley is more than home to me. It is a spiritual place unlike any other on earth. There is something for everyone in Valley of the Dunes. Readers like me will recognize our home place with every turn of the page. --Center for Colorado and the West--Center for Colorado and the WestNew collection of Great Sand Dunes photos, essays among the best Some mistake the dunes for arid, life --Center for Colorado and the WestNew collection of Great Sand Dunes photos, essays among the best Some mistake the dunes for arid, lifeless heaps of sand. But as Rozinski and Shattil show, they are surrounded by an abundant landscape and the sand itself is anything but devoid of life. Here you ll find remarkable photos of a bison eyeing a cattle egret taking flight, the marks left by dune grasses swept by nightly winds beside the tiny footprints of kangaroo rats, and the ruby-red sunset-stained waters of Medano Creek... Benedict s text nicely accompanies the photographs on every page, a welcome rarity among books intended to grace coffee tables. She conveys the poetry of one of the country s most unexpected landscapes --Boulder Daily Camera --Boulder Daily CameraWhat is it about the San Luis Valley and the great sand dunes? Let photographers Bob Rozinski and Wendy Shattil show you. Let writer Audrey DeLella Benedict tell you. Together, the three of them enlighten, educate, and entertain with the beauty, science, culture, and story of the area. On film and pixel Rozinski and Shattil take the observer on a vivid walkabout. They begin with an iconic cover page of the highest North American alpine desert in the world the San Luis Valley. There are breathtaking snow-covered peaks in the background, desert sand dunes in the foreground, and in between, foothills darkened by shadows. The image gives the observer the impression of two worlds juxtaposed. In the San Luis Valley they are one world. In the San Luis Valley the dunes are the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. They are protected for all by the towering, mighty Sangre de Cristo Range and its mountain peaks. Following the cover page, there are one hundred and fifty more pages of awesome photography of fauna and flora panoramic shots as well as close-ups. The photographic composition, action, detail, and color rendition give the reader an experience second only to actually being there. When first published in 2005, the book was named the best photography book by USABookNews.com. While Rozinski and Shattil give the reader a sensational photographic tour of the San Luis Valley and dunes, Benedict uses her extraordinary skill with language to describe their complexity, beauty, and meaning. She explores both their natural and cultural history. In addition to plants and animals, she describes the climate, hydrology, and geology of the area. She writes of the various peoples with ties to the valley and dunes. She recounts political and legal dramas and local mysteries. Were it not for its vivid images, Valley of the Dunes is so full of information that it could be mistaken for an academic textbook. It is more than that, though. It is an intellectual work of art by the photographers and the writer. Benedict adds her own aesthetic view, to be sure, to the book. She gives her pen poetic freedom at a public event she admitted the book was a love letter to one of her favorite places. Benedict is not the only one smitten. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, at the time a U.S. senator, wrote the foreword to the first edition of the book which was retained for this revised version. He penned: I have always told people that the San Luis Valley is more than home to me. It is a spiritual place unlike any other on earth. There is something for everyone in Valley of the Dunes. Readers like me will recognize our home place with every turn of the page and be reminded of what this place means to us and how much we love living here. Readers who have been fortunate to visit the valley and the dunes will reflect on their unique beauty. And readers who have never been to this place will be drawn to come in person to look, see, and feel for themselves. - Reginaldo G. Garcia --Center for Colorado and the West