Booklist Review

This two-volume boxed set is worth every penny for the travel and ecology-minded reader. Together, the set lends graphic and poignant documentation to a spectacularly successful conservation drive by nature photographer Nichols and ecologist Fay. They spent 12 years enjoying and recording the pristine (and easily destructible) flora and fauna system in West Africa (their efforts resulted in the establishment of 13 national parks in the nation of Gabon). Volume 1 of this set showcases their wildlife photography, and the images are simply breathtaking on both subject matter and aesthetic levels. Volume 2 presents excerpts from Fay's handwritten journal during a specific 456-day, 2,000-mile trek he and Nichols took in the region, and his descriptions are every bit as thrilling as the photos. Give this to jaded armchair travelers tired of reading about rehabbing that Tuscan villa. --Brad Hooper Copyright 2005 Booklist