New Guinea

<p><b>An enthralling exploration of the biologically richest island on Earth featuring more than 200 spectacular color images by award-winning <i>National Geographic</i> photographer Tim Laman</b> <p/>In this beautiful book Bruce Beehler a renowned author and expert on New Guinea and award-winning <i>National Geographic</i> photographer Tim Laman take the reader on an unforgettable journey through the natural and cultural wonders of the world's grandest island. Skillfully combining a wealth of information a descriptive and story-filled narrative and more than 200 stunning color photographs the book unlocks New Guinea's remarkable secrets like never before. <p/>Lying between the Equator and Australia's north coast and surrounded by the richest coral reefs on Earth New Guinea is the world's largest highest and most environmentally complex tropical island--home to rainforests with showy rhododendrons strange and colorful orchids tree-kangaroos spiny anteaters ingenious bowerbirds and spectacular birds of paradise. New Guinea is also home to more than a thousand traditional human societies each with its own language and lifestyle and many of these tribes still live in isolated villages and serve as stewards of the rainforests they inhabit. <p/>Accessible and authoritative <i>New Guinea</i> provides a comprehensive introduction to the island's environment animals plants and traditional rainforest cultures. Individual chapters cover the island's history of exploration; geology; climate and weather; biogeography; plantlife; insects spiders and other invertebrates; freshwater fishes; snakes lizards and frogs; birdlife; mammals; paleontology; paleoanthropology; cultural and linguistic diversity; surrounding islands and reefs; the pristine forest of the Foja Mountains; village life; and future sustainability. <p/>Complete with informative illustrations and a large detailed map <i>New Guinea</i> offers an enchanting account of the island's unequalled natural and cultural treasures.</p>