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Endangered
In Endangered , the result of an extraordinary multiyear project to document the lives of threatened species, acclaimed photographer Tim Flach explores one of the most pressing issues of our time. Traveling around the world—to settings ranging from forest to savannah to the polar seas to the great coral reefs—Flach has constructed a powerful visual record of remarkable animals and ecosystems facing harsh challenges. Among them are primates coping with habitat loss, big cats in a losing battle with human settlements, elephants hunted for their ivory, and numerous bird species taken as pets. With eminent zoologist Jonathan Baillie providing insightful commentary on this ambitious project, Endangered unfolds as a series of vivid, interconnected stories that pose gripping moral dilemmas, unforgettably expressed by more than 180 of Flach’s incredible images.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
17 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Tim Flach
25 books35 followersTim Flach (b. 1958, London, United Kingdom) is a photographer best known for his highly conceptual portraits of animals. His images are a departure from traditional wildlife photography and he has been described as “a potent example of a commercially trained photographer who’s now reaching a global audience through the boom in fine art photography.” He is the author of the books Equus, Dogs Gods and More Than Human.
Tim Flach studied Communications Design at the North East London Polytechnic (1977–1980) and then Photography and Painted Structures at Saint Martin's School of Art (1982–1983). On graduation he briefly assisted Brian Worth, but soon began to attract commissions and was working independently from 1983. Today his clients include the Sunday Times, Cirque du Soleil, Sony, luxury brand Hermès and the Locarno International Film Festival. His images have twice been featured on Royal Mail stamps (2000) and "Working Dogs" (2008) as well as in campaigns for the Minnesota Zoo. His fine art prints are represented in London by the Osborne Samuel gallery.
Flach has repeatedly been honoured by leading organisations and publications in the photography world, including: the Association of Photographers, American Photography, Photo District Annual, Communication Arts, Cannes Lions, Creative Review and Design & Art Direction. He has also won the International Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year, Fine Art.
Source: Wikipedia
Tim Flach studied Communications Design at the North East London Polytechnic (1977–1980) and then Photography and Painted Structures at Saint Martin's School of Art (1982–1983). On graduation he briefly assisted Brian Worth, but soon began to attract commissions and was working independently from 1983. Today his clients include the Sunday Times, Cirque du Soleil, Sony, luxury brand Hermès and the Locarno International Film Festival. His images have twice been featured on Royal Mail stamps (2000) and "Working Dogs" (2008) as well as in campaigns for the Minnesota Zoo. His fine art prints are represented in London by the Osborne Samuel gallery.
Flach has repeatedly been honoured by leading organisations and publications in the photography world, including: the Association of Photographers, American Photography, Photo District Annual, Communication Arts, Cannes Lions, Creative Review and Design & Art Direction. He has also won the International Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year, Fine Art.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 25, 2018
This is one of those huge coffee table tomes, and there are a lot of stunning photos. I was familiar with most of the animals in this book, but it did introduce me to the bizarre, sightless olm, which looks like an alien lifeform.
There’s a paragraph on about every third page, and I read about half of them. But they tended to be reasons why the creature was endangered (generally, loss of environment or hunting/poaching), with little info about the animal. While that information is relevant, it felt redundant after awhile and I stopped reading and just looked at the pictures. It is a photography book, after all. I did read one rather appalling story that stood out about a group trying to protect okapis who made a critical statement about the impact of the war in the area on okapis. They were attacked in 2012 in retaliation and seven people at the remote research post and all of the okapis were killed.
I think my main issue with the text is it focuses on broad, insurmountable problems. All of these animals are going to die because of climate change, encroachment of farmland, etc. and there seems to be nothing we can do about it. It just felt rather hopeless. And though, obviously, the loss of any species is not what I want to see happen, I couldn’t help thinking, isn't a large percentage of the human population in that country starving? Hunting animals because they are rare to sell for profit is deplorable. But is it realistic to say you can’t hunt this animal for food anymore, or farm this land, even if your children are malnourished and starving, because it’s where this endangered animal lives. Obviously, that’s a gross over-simplification of the situation, but the generalized text did make me think of the luxury of citizens in developed countries—where a supermarket with anything we could possibly want to eat is a short drive away for most—to criticize and blame people in developing nations for not protecting every animal when they don’t have access to the same resources we do. In short, I kept wondering what is the other side of this story? Are there realistic actionable solutions? Or is the problem just too big for human intervention?
There’s a paragraph on about every third page, and I read about half of them. But they tended to be reasons why the creature was endangered (generally, loss of environment or hunting/poaching), with little info about the animal. While that information is relevant, it felt redundant after awhile and I stopped reading and just looked at the pictures. It is a photography book, after all. I did read one rather appalling story that stood out about a group trying to protect okapis who made a critical statement about the impact of the war in the area on okapis. They were attacked in 2012 in retaliation and seven people at the remote research post and all of the okapis were killed.
I think my main issue with the text is it focuses on broad, insurmountable problems. All of these animals are going to die because of climate change, encroachment of farmland, etc. and there seems to be nothing we can do about it. It just felt rather hopeless. And though, obviously, the loss of any species is not what I want to see happen, I couldn’t help thinking, isn't a large percentage of the human population in that country starving? Hunting animals because they are rare to sell for profit is deplorable. But is it realistic to say you can’t hunt this animal for food anymore, or farm this land, even if your children are malnourished and starving, because it’s where this endangered animal lives. Obviously, that’s a gross over-simplification of the situation, but the generalized text did make me think of the luxury of citizens in developed countries—where a supermarket with anything we could possibly want to eat is a short drive away for most—to criticize and blame people in developing nations for not protecting every animal when they don’t have access to the same resources we do. In short, I kept wondering what is the other side of this story? Are there realistic actionable solutions? Or is the problem just too big for human intervention?
February 7, 2018
I kept touching the pages as if it were possible to feel the animals.
January 1, 2018
Stunning, captivating, and shocking, in equal measure! This book is a must-read for everyone, but especially wildlife lovers (and, I want to say, climate change deniers, hunters, poachers, and believers in traditional “medicine”). The pictures are incredible, so colorful and textured. I learned so much, even as a wildlife lover. This will be a treasured book in our house.
July 16, 2018
Endangered is one of the most beautiful yet saddest books I have ever read. It shows the complexity and the greatness of the natural world while highlighting the real dangers some of the living creatures face. Do you know those situations when a concept or a term is overused so it becomes meaningless? I think sometimes it is the same when referring to endangered species. We acknowledge it is a global problem but little is done.
Powerful books like Flach’s project (that took years of intensive work) turn into educational tools to inform people, to inspire them to respect the natural world and ultimately to help them understand the significance of becoming active defenders of the wildlife.
I took good moments after finishing reading and contemplating the book to get myself together. I was impressed with Flach’s talent, I experienced so many emotions, from joy, to disappointment, to fury and then hope. Endangered is a book where art, good narrative and interesting scientific facts combine to deliver a powerful message. One of the aspects that make our planet unique is its diversity and complexity and nowadays it seems that people need to learn again to respect and protect the natural world.
"Such a strong connection with our natural world is not some strange or arcane feeling: theories like the Gaia hypothesis have attempted to explain the incredible complexity of our planet, with its remarkable homeostatic capabilities – that perfect equilibrium that permits, sustain, and fuels life on our planet. Of course, if we cannot understand how Earth is able to maintain this environment for flourishing life, we will be unaware of the tipping point at which we may damage irreversibly"., Tim Falch says in the Introduction
Traveling worldwide, Falch wanted to capture not only the endangered species but also their natural environment, explaining that once the habitat is removed or destroyed, a whole ecosystem is affected. Poaching, pollution, climate change, deforestation for urbanization, mining, overfishing and overhunting are the main reasons our planet is facing a crisis and the stories in the book will clearly explain this.
See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...
Powerful books like Flach’s project (that took years of intensive work) turn into educational tools to inform people, to inspire them to respect the natural world and ultimately to help them understand the significance of becoming active defenders of the wildlife.
I took good moments after finishing reading and contemplating the book to get myself together. I was impressed with Flach’s talent, I experienced so many emotions, from joy, to disappointment, to fury and then hope. Endangered is a book where art, good narrative and interesting scientific facts combine to deliver a powerful message. One of the aspects that make our planet unique is its diversity and complexity and nowadays it seems that people need to learn again to respect and protect the natural world.
"Such a strong connection with our natural world is not some strange or arcane feeling: theories like the Gaia hypothesis have attempted to explain the incredible complexity of our planet, with its remarkable homeostatic capabilities – that perfect equilibrium that permits, sustain, and fuels life on our planet. Of course, if we cannot understand how Earth is able to maintain this environment for flourishing life, we will be unaware of the tipping point at which we may damage irreversibly"., Tim Falch says in the Introduction
Traveling worldwide, Falch wanted to capture not only the endangered species but also their natural environment, explaining that once the habitat is removed or destroyed, a whole ecosystem is affected. Poaching, pollution, climate change, deforestation for urbanization, mining, overfishing and overhunting are the main reasons our planet is facing a crisis and the stories in the book will clearly explain this.
See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...
January 4, 2018
Amazing photos of some creatures I've never seen before. There's a paragraph on each page that explains what is putting the animal in danger such as habitat loss, poaching, climate change, etc. I wish the animals were identified next to their portraits but instead there is a key in the back of the book. I have one major beef with the book - it was printed in China! China is a huge part of the global problem. I wish the author would have thought about that when choosing a printing company. Practice what you preach!
November 7, 2017
Absolutely stunning pictures & the perfect amount of interesting & informative text to accompany them. My whole family enjoyed this book. Many wow moments.
January 21, 2018
This book will make you smile, gasp, and get tears in your eyes. It is gorgeous with many closeups. Short but informative text. If you have children or grandchildren, go through it with them one entry per day before the "Endangered" title changes to "Extinct" for many of the species, because that is happening.
March 26, 2018
A stunning photographic coffee table book, but the text is primarily dire warnings or recaps of the species’ fates. It would serve best as a starting point rather than as a comprehensive research source.
Also, Shoebills are scary as fuck. Living dinosaurs, man. Living dinosaurs.
Also, Shoebills are scary as fuck. Living dinosaurs, man. Living dinosaurs.
July 19, 2018
What a wonderful book! However it is also sad to see these beautiful photographs of endangered species, although there are some glimmers of hope for certain species. We need to know about these fellow occupants of Planet Earth and how our behavior is threatening them. Don't miss it.
June 28, 2023
Loved it. Gave wonderful information. And made me angry. Like it should. I looked it up. And due to human meddling we have killed over 869 species don't want to do the math? That's 131 one animal species to 1,000. It's gross.
January 31, 2018
The photos are fantastic and pure art. With his style you can truly stare deep into the very souls of these phenomenal creatures
February 5, 2018
I easily read this book in one sitting, but it will stay with me for a long time. These are the most gorgeous and powerful photos I’ve ever seen and I will go back to them for sure.
February 14, 2018
Beautiful, intense, haunting photos along with extremely interesting life story snippets ....some of which I have never seen or even heard of. All ages should have a gander at this lovely book.
February 16, 2018
The photographs are beautiful, but I think I'm a little depressed after this one. It's bad, people. It's really bad.
February 26, 2018
The photographs in this large book are simply spectacular, not-to-be-missed.
March 8, 2018
This is a heartbreaking, and beautiful book, a must for anyone who cares about the state of life on Earth.
March 21, 2018
Beautiful pictures. I loved it.
May 1, 2018
Beautiful photography. Sad storiess.
May 15, 2018
Gorgeous photos, sad facts.
August 1, 2022
Beautiful and moving photos. Some of the animals I have never seen. The stories of their plights are quite touching and disturbing.
September 14, 2022
Good book to pair with The Sixth Extinction.
10" Tablet worked ok mostly, but flipped back through the book on a computer monitor for a better view.
10" Tablet worked ok mostly, but flipped back through the book on a computer monitor for a better view.
December 11, 2022
Stunning, yet so tragic.
March 26, 2023
Beautifully striking photographs along with tons of important information. Fabulous book. 5 stars.
July 19, 2023
Fantastic photography but I disliked all the evolutionary writing.
September 27, 2023
I love all the close-up texture shots.
November 22, 2024
Stunning photography. Worthy message to connect with nature and understand how devastating humans are. Leaves with you a great sadness.
June 1, 2025
The book is informative and filled with beautiful images of endangered animals.
October 2, 2025
Amazing photographs by Tim Flach!
January 30, 2018
The photos in this book are amazing! So beautiful. And the blurbs are both informative and heart breaking.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews