The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of our Place in Nature

Suzuki, David; McConnell, Amanda; Decambra, Maria

ISBN 10: 1550549669 / ISBN 13: 9781550549669

Published by Greystone Books, 2003

About this Item

Large hardcover INSCRIBED BY DAVID SUZUKI to the first owner, in excellent condition (slight handling), with VG dust jacket (mild wear, slight scratches on back panel). 151 pages, with color photographs throughout. [2.7 lbs].

Seller Inventory # 48132

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of our Place in Nature
• Publisher: Greystone Books
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1550549669
• ISBN 13: 9781550549669
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • Photography

About this title

Synopsis

This book is a beautifully rendered exploration of the connection between humans and life on Earth through over 150 spectacular photographs, including those from the late Galen Rowell, and reproductions of artwork, as well as stunning electron micrographs and satellite images. David Suzuki’s bold and inspiring text is drawn from his life as a scientist, environmentalist, writer, and thinker. To expand upon the text and visuals are quotations from literature and poetry, retellings of myths, and lines from songs and psalms. The result is a rich and uplifting expression of the sacred balance of life.

Reviews

This impressive coffee-table book invites readers, through word and image, to experience and reflect on the interconnectedness of all life. It opens with a somewhat overwritten and florid explanation of the evolution of life and then settles into a personal essay by Suzuki, a scientist and environmentalist. In this piece, the highlight of the written text, he describes his own transformation from a young researcher who believed that science could answer every problem to an environmental activist who came to realize that science often created as many problems as it solved. (In one fascinating vignette, he explores na‹ve enthusiasm for science by describing the universal praise in the 1950s for DEET, which his mother used to spray directly on the family's dinner just before serving it.) The book then devotes chapters to seven "elements" that are necessary to sustain life: water, air, fire, earth, biodiversity, love and spirit. "Spirit is beyond science," the authors say in the last chapter; it involves understanding the interdependence of life. The seven chapters are mostly taken up with DeCambra's stunning photographs, interspersed with quotations from various thinkers and excerpts from the sacred texts of the world's religions. Each chapter begins with a few introductory pages about its theme. Although these preambles contain some interesting tidbits ("there are 200 million insects for every human being on Earth") and a few insights into spirituality, the book's most original and memorable contribution is its photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.