Paula Hammond

Tigers by Paula Hammond serves as both eye candy and brain food. A welcome addition whether on a bookshelf or a coffee table.

The photographs are stunning. I found myself leaning back and taking in the scope of many of the pictures then just as often leaning in to look closely at the intimate details of so many others. While most were taken at zoos or preserves, that just highlights the grave injustice humanity has committed on not just tigers but most of nature as well. To think that within show more a couple generations these magnificent animals may well be no different in the minds of children than dinosaurs, in other words extinct, is just heartbreaking.

What I found to be a strength of this book is how it goes about educating us while entertaining us. Rather than several pages of text with pictures scattered throughout, the book is almost entirely pictures and the slightly longer captions serve to offer the information that might otherwise have been missed as it relates to that specific photo. I really like looking at a picture and having an in depth caption. It more closely resembles a museum where the card by a display gives pertinent information.

I recommend this highly for animal lovers, as well as wildlife photography buffs.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Horses by Paula Hammond is a beautiful coffee table style book that is surprisingly educational as well. The best of both worlds.

This book is first and foremost a collection of photographs for viewing pleasure. As such it succeeds very well. Horses in motion and standing still, in fields and other natural settings as well as in their roles in human societies.

In the way of being informative, it is actually quite effective. This is not meant to be a detailed book about horse breeds and anatomy show more or their history. That said, the captions are very informative and offer bits of information related to the pictures. From a bit about a breed to how or why an anatomical feature is what it is, to how we use these amazing creatures for our (often selfish) benefit. While not going in depth there is enough offered here to allow a reader to easily do a search for more information if an area sounds particularly interesting.

If you're looking for a beautiful book that also supplies some interesting facts, this will definitely satisfy you. If you're looking for in-depth information on breeds or equine anatomy, this will not meet your needs, though you will still likely enjoy the book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

This bestiary is a star choice for collecting information on many obscure mythologies and uncommon monsters. For example, have you ever heard of a Az-I-Wu-Gum-Ki-Mukh-Ti? No? Well surely you've heard of the Kee-Wakw, Ilomba, Bhainsasura, and Koschei the Deathless? You didn't google any of these right? While the artwork in this book can sometimes come off as lazy and unappealing, it's a very handy tool in fueling your imagination and love for mythology and monsters. It covers a huge diversity show more of unusual creatures and doesn't feel repetitive, so you get a wide field of range of designs and places. I think the only downfall of this book is several of these monsters are so esoteric that there is little information present, so expect to do some additional research on your favorite creatures (But that's part of the fun). The format is set up like a child's visual encyclopedia- with a full page spread of the creature art and the following page being the basic legend and trivia facts, including a map of origin. A great bestiary book to spruce up your knowledge on cryptids and myth and to add to your collection. show less

Coffee-table style book that is chock full of wonderful photographs of tigers in action. Not much reading involved, as the book is mostly just photos of tigers- but the pictures are high quality and good resolution. It documents a vast variety of species of tiger and the captions are small and easily absorbed. Good reference for artists and a fine collection addition for wildcat lovers.