Volcanoes

by Philippe Bourseiller

Synopsis With hot coursing lava and rolling clouds of ash, a volcanic eruption is one of nature’s most exciting and deadly shows. There are approximately 1500 active volcanoes around the world, and their unpredictability and intensity are matched only by their visually stunning bursts of activity. In this spectacular oversized volume, award-winning photographer Philippe Bourseiller documents the awesome power and devastating aftermath of volcanoes. More than 170 full-color double-page spreads, including satellite photos, depict the dramatic outbursts of active volcanoes in images of red-hot oceans and rivers of fire, massive craters and islands formed from molten rock, and silt-coated towns filled with inhabitants struggling to cope with chaos. From the ancient ruins of Pompeii, wrecked by the wrath of Vesuvius, to the recently awakened Guagua Pichincha near the equator, Bourseiller’s photographs trace the history and terrible beauty of volcanoes while the text provides the most up-to-date methods for predicting and adapting to the eruptions of these awe-inspiring giants.

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2001

About the author

Always in search of a magical light that gives all its value to a landscape and to the people who inhabit it, Philippe Bourseiller travels the great natural spaces of the planet with his Canon. For nearly forty years now, he has been working on the great nature of our planet to create a true photographic memory of the Earth. These landscapes never stop changing and photography, as a form of memory, is one of the best instruments to follow their evolution and better understand their upheavals and the permanent adaptation of the people who live there.

In 1983 he joined the staff of France Soir Magazine. It was his first approach to color, all subjects are covered: news, people, sports, expeditions…. From 1987 to 1990 he became a member of the magazine department of the Sygma agency and gradually moved towards what would become his favorite field: nature. In 1991, he decided to become a freelance photographer in response to his desire to specialize in nature and environmental subjects. His first report on the eruption of the Pinatubo volcano in 1991 oriented an important part of his work towards the world of active volcanoes.

Philippe Bourseiller is a field photographer, knowing how to be at the same time a mountaineer, a speleologist, a diver…, his experience allows him to evolve easily in the extreme universes he is in contact with, and to bring us back rare images. Recognized worldwide for his mastery of light, color and composition, his work has been awarded several times by the prestigious World Press prize and a Visa d’Or at the International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan. He regularly collaborates with major magazines: Géo, Paris Match, Figaro Magazine, Stern, Life, National Geographic…. and has published more than twenty books translated into several languages.

Several large exhibitions have been presented in the world.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a big coffee table book detailing volcanoes throughout the world. It's very science-forward, and explains how volcanologists have looked to the past to solve the present questions we have about volcanoes. The content is interesting enough, but it receives 4 stars for the brilliant photography included. There are images interspersed throughout the chapters and large, full-page photos at the end of each chapter. Beautiful and interesting, it's only worth seeking out if you're very interested in volcanoes or want it as an art book.

[Tarma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs are incredible awesome. 5 star on them.

The reason for the 3 star rating is that some of the 'facts' presented in the book AS facts are speculations and/or theories -- about volcanoes, about history, about what happened. So after finding a few of these 'facts', and realizing that they are not written as speculation but 'this is true', I just looked at the pictures.