This is the first Antarctic book that may require a Sherpa to bring it to
your home, a lectern to display it, and a special book-case to put it in. But
make no mistake, it is something that you will treasure for life.

While is not the first large-format volume of Antarctic photographs by
professionals who have spent years traveling in the Antarctic, what
distinguishes this is the unmatched quality in every aspect of its production.
The book is published in a limited edition of 950 leather-bound volumes,
each one signed by the authors and by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan,
Honorary President of BirdLife International. An advance copy was unveiled on
January 14th, 2002 during a reception hosted by HRH Prince Charles at St James's
Palace, London. The authors have agreed to give the net proceeds from
Antarctica to BirdLife International for their Save the Albatross campaign.
An incidental consequence of current longline fishing practices is that 17 of
the world's 24 species of albatross are now at risk of extinction. Attracted
to the baited hooks, seabirds are hooked or entangled and then drowned as
the trailing lines sink behind the fishing vessels.

Antarctica weighs 12.6 kg (27.8 lb) in its linen-bound presentation
case, and 8.6 kg (19 lb) by itself. The book itself measures 44 x 34 x 6 cm
(17 x 13 x 2.5 inches), contains 330 color images taken by the authors, a
15-page narrative, a map and a glossary of ice and snow terms.

The Keoughs have assembled a stunning and eclectic portfolio of
such artistry that your reviewer was left speechless. It embraces wildlife,
landscapes, abstract patterns in nature and touches of man from the heroic
era through the heyday of whaling to the present. I was transported from
the windswept interior plateau to the mountainous coast, from off-lying
islands to the icy seas and the stormy ocean. The volume is a stress-free
way to experience the wonders of Antarctica with all its savagery and
beauty. For connoisseurs of photographic art and for collectors of fine
books, Antarctica will greatly please.

My own regret is that I was not able to rummage through the
Keoughs trash bin on the morning after they made their selections for the
book. I could have sold my redundant camera. But remembering Herbert
Ponting and Frank Hurley before them, I expect they will have fuelled their
log fire in the backwoods of British Columbia with most of the rejects.

The authors traveled to the Ross Sea, the Weddell Sea, Ellsworth
Land, the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia. The book includes a map
of the continent with insets of the Ross Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula
showing place names mentioned in the text. South Georgia, being
peripheral to the main theme of the book, has no map of its own.

Each image has a brief but adequate caption. Most of the scenes
would look fantastic on an IMAX screen. Having myself been to most of
the places that the Keoughs visited - some in their company - many of their
photographs brought a pang of nostalgia. But as I lack the eye of an artist,
I had looked but seldom appreciated the stark beauty of what I was seeing.
If tempted to tear out the pages to frame, Antarcticans will discover that
with a properly bound book like this, it is almost impossible.

As I watched the Keoughs in the Antarctic, they almost always had
their cameras on a tripod, surely a major factor in creating such pin-sharp
images. The authors themselves inspected each page of every book (some
400,000 pages in all) before sending them to the bindery. To make the high
quality binding, some 2000 goat skins from India were specially tanned in
Scotland. To counter the squeamish, we are told that semi-wild goats are
destroying plant diversity, and that fewer goats equate to a healthier natural
environment.

The images are printed on custom-made acid-free and chlorine-free
heavy paper, hand-sewn with Irish linen thread using centuries-old
techniques. Treated with care and kept in dry and pollution-free conditions,
the book should last for 1000 years. It is the first photographic art book in
the world to have been printed with 10-micron stochastic spots, a leading
edge printing technology with three times the resolution of traditional high-
end lithography.

Pat and Rosemarie's company, Nahanni Productions inc., have
previously published six books featuring their images exclusively. Titles
include The Nahanni Portfolio and The Niagara Escarpment. Antarctica is
the first of their Explorer series. The book can be yours for $2,900 US
and is obtainable from Nahanni Productions Inc., 400 Meyer Road, Salt
Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada V8K 1X4 (Phone 250 653 4993.
www.keough-art.com ). In buying the book you will help to
ensure that your children may live to see the albatross still wheeling and
soaring over the ocean - no longer threatened by the greed of man.