Title: Wildlife Photographer of The Year Portfolio 17

Author: Rosamund Kidman Cox

ISBN: 1846073170

Publisher: BBC

Edition: HB

Review: The ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition has been around in some way, shape or form since 1964, when a competition run in the magazine Animals, comprising just three categories, drew around 600 entries. In 1984, the BBC Wildlife Magazine and Natural History Museum joined forces to create the competition as it is now, drawing upwards of 30,000 entries and gaining wide exposure across national and international press. Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Portfolio 17 compiles the winners and highly commended photographers from the many categories in 2007, alongside the overall winner of the top prize.

The standard of images from the competition is breathtaking. Rarely a page is turned without the reader being spun into a daze of wonderment on what exactly the image is of, and then how it was taken. Once an understanding is established, with the aid of a full caption often containing a description from the photographer, you can’t help but be transported to the scene. The pages also offer a timely reminder of a world slowly disappearing. The ‘One Earth’ and ‘Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife’ sections both highlight the fact that we only have one planet and that it is slowly disappearing under our very noses. Overall, a striking book comprising remarkable images and timely sentiment.

What Digital Camera Score: 94%