Africa: Eye to Eye with the Unknown

by Michael Bright, David Attenborough (Foreword)

An extraordinary companion guide to the next landmark natural history documentary series from the BBC, aiming to reshape the way we think about each region of Africa by revealing never-before-seen impressions of the continent

Sir David Attenborough CBE and the award-winning BBC Natural History Unit embark on a watershed new series, painting a breathtaking portrait of Africa as never before caught on film. This lavish and unmissable companion to the series reveals the undiscovered side of Africa's five unique regions. Inspiring photography captures unprecedented glimpses of wildlife behavior, mesmerizing creatures, and magical landscapes that will astound, captivate, and challenge what audiences think they know about Africa. This is a spectacular journey through a vast and diverse continent in all its beautiful and unexpected abundance. Readers will witness the drama of eagles catching giant bats on the wing, lizards stalking their prey on the backs of lions, antelope-hunting monkeys, and a nail-biting giraffe fight; share the discovery of the world's rarest fish species and the first-ever access to an island sanctuary for the elusive African penguin; marvel at a Congo fish that flies like a butterfly and a lovestruck beetle who thinks he's James Bond; and join a unique expedition to the most extreme parts of this vast continent.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Natural History, Africa, Geography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2012

Reviews

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Africa : eye to eye with the unknown- has been written to accompany the BBC series of the same name narrated by David Attenborough. I read it alongside watching the series and found both truly fascinating and awe inspiring. Interspersed with wonderful and unique photos the book gives great hope for the future of African flora and fauna and it is very exciting to read about the extra-ordinary lengths that people are going to to preserve, re-population and support animals in their natural environments. To read about the destruction of the Gorungola area due to 20 years civil war in Mozambique was shocking and many, too many people would have thrown up their hands in despair. Instead a team of dedicated conservationists have worked tirelessly with local people to restore and repopulate the huge area which is rapidly re-emerging as the jewel in the crown of Mozambique.

There are so many wonderful stories in this book. The greening of the edges of the Sahara, the restoration of rainforest from ranching, the creation of green pathways enabling wildlife to travel safely from one area to another without risking being caught by poachers close to roads are just three reasons for hope for the future. In today's climate of huge anxiety about the future of our planet this book and series does much to restore hope.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic accompaniment to the recently aired TV series of the same name (now available on DVD). Some of the text and images will be familiar if you have seen the series, but there is more detail here and the photographs are absolutely stunning, as you would expect. The text is extremely readable. Also included is a chapter on how the series was developed and brought together, with an interesting insight into the logistical problems involved. Finally, there is a short section for prospective visitors to the different areas covered, explaining what you may be likely to see, how to get there, and the best time of year to visit.
Marvellous!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tie in to the Africa series that has been on our screen recently.

It has been another magnificent series by the BBC and the accompanying book for the series is a worthy tome. And a weighty tome, perfect for coffee tables.

There is a mix of 50% text and 50% pictures. And as you would expect the pictures are magnificent and breathtaking. The text plays second fiddle to the images, but is still worth reading.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected the photography is amazing in this book. Yet the text is well worth reading, too, with commentary about the creatures featured, conservation efforts and behind the scenes descriptions. The book offers a QuercusEye App. Hover the device's camera at selected images and those images come to life with clips played from the BBC series.

[Robert Allan Wragg]

Very good