Capturing the moment in which a firecracker explodes into a burst of electric energy or the last rays of the sun as it stretches across a red-rock valley, certain special photos offer an unrivalled conduit to the world around us.

Includes photographs by Annie Griffiths and other National Geographic photographers.

."..this is an iconic collection of National Geographic's photography of the world's most beautiful locations that will immortalize the beauty of the great outdoors, showcasing evocative, and often unseen, images of extraordinary landscapes around the world."--Amazon.com.

Collects the work of National Geographic's best photographers, featuring striking images of places, events, natural phenomena, and manmade heirlooms seldom seen by human eyes, including ancient cave art and volcanic lightning.

Photographs from the archives of "National Geographic" share an array of work reflecting the themes of the land, underwater, science, the United States, and the world--by some of the world's finest photographers.

Collects photographs from around the world involving the different ways people work.

"The latest entry in National Geographic's popular photo line gives readers a front-row seat to the wonders of landscape photography. Choosing from among the world's best portfolios, curators at National Geographic have arranged a symphony of photographs that tell the story of a single day, from dawn's first light to the closing moments of sunset, from daylight to dark. Short legends accompany every photograph to explain the picture, the scene it conveys, or how the photographer captured it, along with quotations from literature that provide historical context. With the widest possible array of perspectives, close-ups, and details, these photos present a lifetime of vision, each page a new experience of time and light"--

A celebration of color by one of the first women National Geographic photographers devotes each chapter to a color while providing inspirational essays that explore each color's qualities, meaning and symbolism, in a sumptuously photographed tribute that includes coverage of "unseen color" as revealed by new technologies.

"America the Beautiful' showcases the stunning spaces closest to our nation's heart--from the woods in the Great Appalachian Valley that Davy Crockett once called home to the breathtaking sweep of California's Big Sur coast to the wilds of Alaska. It also celebrates the people who have made this country what it is, featuring a wide range of images including the Arikara Nation in the early 1900s and scientists preparing for travel to Mars on a Hawaiian island. Culled from National Geographic's vaunted photo archives, spanning a period of more than 130 years, this provocative collection depicts the splendor of this great nation as only National Geographic can, with a dramatic combination of modern and historical imagery--from the creation of architectural icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lady Liberty to the last of the country's wild places preserved in our national parks. 0With a structure inspired by the original song "America the Beautiful," this book recognizes what makes our nation great, region by region. And all 50 states and six territories of the U.S. are honored with 50 words from celebrities, historians, activists, conservationists, and politicians who call America home. Profound and inspiring, this is a book for everyone who has ever marveled at the beauty of the United States." --Provided by publisher.