9/25/08

Between the Covers

Arctic images capture the story of warming

by Mary Burns

The Last Polar Bear

by Steven Kazlowski

($39.95, Mountaineer Books)

Photographer Steven Kazlowski will be at the Everett Public Library on Saturday, September 27, at 2 p.m. to present a slideshow based on his book, “The Last Polar Bear.”

This coffee table book is epitomized by its aerial cover shot of two polar bears looking up from their icecap. This image alone begs you to explore. Throughout there is a resonance of the “circle of life” and endurance in the unique, aesthetic photographs which the author captured during his visits to the Arctic.

Amid the exquisitely-captured visuals, there is descriptive narrative, such as why the bears’ fur is this color in that light, and how the animals appeared to the photographer--their playfulness or caution. He shares his exhilaration of observing a mother polar bear and her cubs as they emerge from their den. We learn of the interdependence of the bear and the Arctic fox--a particular photo and notation that I found endearing--and of the native people in this remote and difficult land.

This is an amazing book that indicates the consequences of what is called global warming and contains more than merely fantastic photographs. Fabulous to look through or to read, it is more than a coffee table book. It resonates with each shutter.