What do you think?
Rate this book
Priceless : The Vanishing Beauty of A Fragile Planet
Mitsuaki Iwago's gorgeous photographs of adorable endangered animals accompanied by Bradley Trevor Greive's impassioned plea for environmental consciousness and sprinkled with facts and figures on humans' steady corruption of the earth in Priceless .
There may be no more effective argument against environmental devastation than gorgeous photographs of adorable endangered animals--and this book is packed with them, accompanied by heartfelt entreaties about the looming extinction of dozens of species.
Australian author Bradley Trevor Greive writes an impassioned plea for environmental consciousness that glides between poetic ("you are the whole world, not just the space inside your clothes") and matter-of-fact ("It seems clear that our species is destined to be the cause of the sixth extinction"). The accompanying pictures by wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago are captivating snapshots of disappearing animal a lion cub resting at sunset on the savanna, an elephant advancing across a plain while hundreds of white birds fly up before him.
Greive and Iwago explore the interconnectedness and similarity of all life, but carefully avoid assigning human characteristics to the animals. And humans will reap what they sow, Grieve "Only now are we learning that just as we made life unbearable of the many delicate species we have lost, so too we are slowly but surely making this planet unsuitable to sustain even our own existence." Grieve's simple, spare prose, which rarely measures more than a sentence or two per page, is sprinkled with facts and figures on humans' steady corruption of the earth.
No reader will close the book unmoved by the beautiful, funny, and strange creatures in its pages. Amplifying this poignant call for action, Greive is donating all author proceeds from book sales to the Taronga Foundation, a wildlife conservation charity.
There may be no more effective argument against environmental devastation than gorgeous photographs of adorable endangered animals--and this book is packed with them, accompanied by heartfelt entreaties about the looming extinction of dozens of species.
Australian author Bradley Trevor Greive writes an impassioned plea for environmental consciousness that glides between poetic ("you are the whole world, not just the space inside your clothes") and matter-of-fact ("It seems clear that our species is destined to be the cause of the sixth extinction"). The accompanying pictures by wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago are captivating snapshots of disappearing animal a lion cub resting at sunset on the savanna, an elephant advancing across a plain while hundreds of white birds fly up before him.
Greive and Iwago explore the interconnectedness and similarity of all life, but carefully avoid assigning human characteristics to the animals. And humans will reap what they sow, Grieve "Only now are we learning that just as we made life unbearable of the many delicate species we have lost, so too we are slowly but surely making this planet unsuitable to sustain even our own existence." Grieve's simple, spare prose, which rarely measures more than a sentence or two per page, is sprinkled with facts and figures on humans' steady corruption of the earth.
No reader will close the book unmoved by the beautiful, funny, and strange creatures in its pages. Amplifying this poignant call for action, Greive is donating all author proceeds from book sales to the Taronga Foundation, a wildlife conservation charity.
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2002
69 people want to read
About the author
Bradley Trevor Greive
52 books94 followersBradley Trevor Greive (BTG) is one of Australia's most prolific and successful authors. He has written 20 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries. Several of which have appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. Greive's work has won multiple awards worldwide and has sold more than 20 million copies. He lives mostly in Tasmania, Australia.
Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues." Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.
Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues." Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 3, 2019
A great book for anyone committed to the environment cause . Brad;eu Trevor Greove makes an impassioned case for conservation to protect endangered species . This is written is a very readable style , with excellent information about the animals feature in the book's photographs .
Speaking of the photos ; this is why it took me almost 2 weeks to finish a volume that can easily be read in a day . Japanese photographer Mitsuaki Iwago presents stunning photos of the animals , many highly endangered . I tried to get some of Iwago's photo-books from the public library system in PA , but almost all are 'not to be lent out' of the library . Guess I'll just have to spend a day sitting in one and devouring the beautiful images .
Highly recommended .
Speaking of the photos ; this is why it took me almost 2 weeks to finish a volume that can easily be read in a day . Japanese photographer Mitsuaki Iwago presents stunning photos of the animals , many highly endangered . I tried to get some of Iwago's photo-books from the public library system in PA , but almost all are 'not to be lent out' of the library . Guess I'll just have to spend a day sitting in one and devouring the beautiful images .
Highly recommended .
November 28, 2022
An absolutely beautiful book making the point that all species are necessary for the survival of life.
October 19, 2024
Amazing photos
February 22, 2017
Brilliant. Beautiful. Thoughtful. Amazing.
July 4, 2017
Alright so it looks like this site deleted my review for this particular book and I don't exactly remember what I had for that review nor am I in quite a position to reacquaint myself with the book, which makes this fun.
The book is a wonderful compilation of pictures of beautiful animals that are facing the end of the rope while at the same time combining a beautiful message that we need to be more at attention with the world around us.
The formatting of this book captures the eye to bring you back into the world of nature without leaving your spot. And although a picture may be worth a thousand words it is the words that capture the emotional spirit that can be found within the pages.
A must-read at least once for those who love nature and her animals or who are worried about the world around us. Also a great book to have on the coffee table or in a noticeable spot to capture the eye of your visitors.
The book is a wonderful compilation of pictures of beautiful animals that are facing the end of the rope while at the same time combining a beautiful message that we need to be more at attention with the world around us.
The formatting of this book captures the eye to bring you back into the world of nature without leaving your spot. And although a picture may be worth a thousand words it is the words that capture the emotional spirit that can be found within the pages.
A must-read at least once for those who love nature and her animals or who are worried about the world around us. Also a great book to have on the coffee table or in a noticeable spot to capture the eye of your visitors.
October 14, 2012
Absolutely gorgeous wildlife photography accompanied by a nice, informative, at times humorous narrative. I especially liked seeing so much Asian and Australian wildlife - to be expected in a book by an Australian writer and Japanese photographer. I also very much appreciated that each animal shown had a small "bio" at the back giving information about the species and locations (both zoos and wildlife reserves) where they could be seen.
December 12, 2007
The photography work of Mitsuaki Iwago is incredible in this book, and Bradley Trevor Greive's writing is thought provoking and emotional. Quick, easy, and very to the point. It left me thinking and is one of those books I turn to again and again. I suppose it's most interesting to an environmentalist like myself, however, with the world in it's current state...everyone should give it a chance.
January 19, 2011
There is never a month where I do not read this HIGHLY inspirational book! LOVE IT
June 12, 2013
A favourite when I was a kid, still beautiful now. BTG is a clever man & there's a beauty in this book that I'll love forever.
July 20, 2012
This book is so overwhelming makes you put a lot in perspective. Beautiful book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews