In queste pagine dense di suggestione, fotografi di prima grandezza immortalano i cosiddetti `giorni epocali` e le personalità di spicco che hanno fatto la storia dal 1851 a oggi, senza però dimenticare episodi e personaggi meno famosi, che tuttavia hanno segnato sviluppi determinanti nella cronaca mondiale degli ultimi centocinquant`anni. Immagini forti, emozionanti, istantanee di attimi fuggenti che trasportano il lettore in teatri di guerra e di sofferenza, che lo conducono a testimoniare sconfitte e vittorie, nascite e scomparse, che gli parlano del passato e gli lasciano intravedere il futuro. L`eloquenza pittorica e il crudo realismo di molti scatti aiutano a comprendere meglio la realtà e a superarla, trasformando il lettore stesso in un eccezionale testimone dell`esperienza umana impressa sulla pellicola.
 

Con questo volume National Geographic celebra non solo i suoi 10 anni in Italia, ma anche i 120 anni di presenza sulla scena mondiale della National Geographic Society. Una rassegna di scatti memorabili, il cui tema è come sempre il nostro pianeta, ma declinato secondo la visione dei quattro elementi fondamentali della vita e della natura: acqua, aria, fuoco, terra. Emozioni, passione e devozione si mescolano alla bravura di maestri di National Geographic come Michael Nichols, Paul Nicklen, Michael Yamashita, Joel Sartore, Steve McCurry e Reza, grandi professionisti della fotografia che hanno il dono di saperci mostrare quanto sia meraviglioso e struggente il nostro pianeta, ma anche quanto sia fragile e bisognoso di cure. Inoltre non mancano scatti dei fotografi italiani che hanno collaborato con National Geographic durante questo decennio, uniti alle fotografie in bianco e nero pubblicate nella sezione "Archivio italiano" del magazine. Anche in questo libro, come sempre, le immagini sanno colpire dritto al cuore, penetrando nella coscienza del lettore e invitandolo a riflettere con un`immediatezza che soltanto la fotografia d`autore possiede.

10 ANNI - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IN ITALIA

120 ANNI - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY NEL MONDO

The complete medical encyclopedia to discover the most complex biological machine: human body. An international team of doctors, illustrators, researchers and publishers has worked on this important volume, which tries to define the complicated systems and processes that make our body “work”. The first part of the book is dedicated to the most important systems: circulatory, digestive, endocrine, reproductive, respiratory and nervous. The detailed and specific text is accompanied by several pictures, perfectly showing that each system contributes to the correct functioning of the human machine. The second part is a true medical encyclopedia, with information on the various parts of the body, diseases, therapies and medical procedures, all listed in alphabetical order. Finally, you can find a useful first-aid section and a complete, structured table of contents to quickly find the information you need.

I Part
Organic systems

•Skeletal system
•Muscular system
•Nervous system
•Autonomic nervous system
•Lymphatic/immune system
•Circulatory system
•Respiratory system
•Urinary system
•Digestive system
•Female reproductive system
•Male reproductive system
•Endocrine system
II Part
First aid

III Part
The great atlas of health (encyclopedic section in alphabetical order)

Fifteen years ago Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson ventured into the huge and icy world of the Arctic in order to discover the secrets of the great predators that inhabit these distant lands. The two photographers embarked on this adventure with the aim of capturing unique shots and getting closer to walruses and polar bears than anyone had ever done before. As the animals gradually became used to their new visitors, the photographers were able witness incredible spectacles and marvel at the intelligence of their subjects. This book recounts their magnificent experience through the lives of two particular animals, one of each species, from when they were suckled by their mothers through their earliest social and hunting experiences and their first winter to independence and maturity, marked by mating and the birth of their own young. This splendid photographic story will allow the reader to discover the perfection of nature and, above all, how it still manages to amaze humans.

This surprising new work takes the reader on a fascinating flight above South America, to discover exotic wildlife and magical virgin lands. A breathtaking journey aboard a private plane allows the reader to enjoy a unique experience; viewing the huge untamed expanses of the continent, its lush lands and spectacular rivers from a new perspective. This voyage of discovery is led by the famous environmentalist and award-winning aerial photographer Robert B. Haas. Haas flew over 14 countries in order to put together this elegant portfolio, covering almost 80% of the entire area of South America. The magnificent colors and masterly composition of the photographs capture the majesty of the Amazonian rainforest, the changing wildlife of the Pantanal and the unique topography of unseen lands. The photographs are enhanced by their large double-page format, inviting the reader to admire them and pore over the minute detail. The aerial perspective offers a rich panorama of the land below, and while large-scale environmental change is readily visible, the traces left by man are almost invisible in comparison to the vastness of these regions. A full-page map shows the different countries and the places photographed. The book features a passionate foreword by Marie Arana, the author of American Chica and Cellophane. All photographs and text are arranged thematically: landscapes, man and his impact on the environment, wildlife and archeological sites, allowing for easy navigation. Haas has used photography to paint a picture of South America that touches on important themes for the understanding of this region, including its culture, economy, development and tourism.

La magnifica distesa di stelle che adorna il firmamento è solo una frazione infinitesima delle centinaia di miliardi di stelle che si trovano nella nostra galassia... e l`universo ospita - al minimo - tante galassie quante sono le stelle nella Via Lattea! Cosmo cerca di dare un senso a quest`immenso panorama celeste esplorandolo un passo alla volta, illustrando pianeti, lune, stelle, nebulose, buchi neri e tutti gli altri elementi che affollano i cieli attraverso straordinarie fotografie e illustrazioni. Il libro apre con un esame del pianeta Terra, passando poi al sistema solare e al cuore della nostra galassia. Questo viaggio porta a conoscere i ritmi della vita stellare, osservando fenomeni come la fusione di due stelle, l`agonia di un astro che si trasforma in nebulosa planetaria, l`esplosione di una supernova. Dopo aver attraversato la Via Lattea, lo spazio intergalattico attende il lettore, che potrà ammirare meraviglie come la migrazione di intere galassie, che si raggruppano in conglomerazioni ampie milioni di anni luce, curvando visibilmente lo spazio con la loro incredibile forza di gravità. Dopo aver percorso un inimmaginabile viaggio di 13,4 miliardi di anni luce, ci si avvicinerà finalmente ai limiti dello spazio conosciuto arrivando a toccare, alla conclusione del volume, le grandi questioni legate alla nascita dell`universo e alla sua probabile fine.
 

Un volume tutto dedicato all`avventura, alla scoperta e alla sfida, `Esplorazioni` descrive con intensità unica l`emozione e la passione che accompagna i moderni avventurieri in imprese che richiedono enorme coraggio, ma anche grande perizia. Il volume è suddiviso in capitoli, ciascuno dedicato a uno dei luoghi o degli ambienti che attraggono gli esploratori dei nostri tempi verso imprese sempre più difficili. Si inizia dalle montagne, con le ascensioni alle vette più repulsive del pianeta, per passare alle giungle, ai deserti e alle `zone calde` della Terra, dall`Amazzonia al Sahara. E` poi la volta dei ghiacci, delle grotte e dei canyon, per arrivare infine alle incredibili avventure in volo della famiglia Piccard e alle esplorazioni più estreme: ai poli, dall`Alaska all`Antartide, e negli abissi, dalle isole più remote del Pacifico al Mar dei Carabi, dalle Bermuda al Mar Rosso.
 

This fantastic volume, strictly connected with the important exhibition America by Air of the National Air and Space Museum, informs us on the history of aviation and flight as they are represented in 180 years of playbills and advertising posters, from 1827 to 2007. The book contains very colored posters and rare archive materials and creates extraordinary portraits of various ages, up to nowadays: a very original approach to the history of aeronautics. The volume goes over the events from XIX century, when circus managers started to offer hot-air balloon trips, to the contemporary ultramodern airlines: a special journey, through the posters, most of them never published before, which combine popular art and commercial demands of each age. A fascinating excursus into the world of aviation – from inventors considered day dreamers to regular travelers flying on super fast jets – which will certainly catch the attention of flight lovers, design enthusiasts and of the advertising world.

In 250 glorious photographs Wide Angle: National Geographic Greatest Places showcases every part of the world. Delving deeply into our century-old picture archive, our new book presents the world`s hugely diverse places with epic grandeur, privileged intimacy, romantic beauty, and gritty realism. The photographs in Wide Angle are landscapes, cityscapes, famous landmarks, and unfamiliar spots that reveal special qualities of geography or culture we might otherwise never see. National Geographies mission since its founding in 1888 has been to describe "the world and all that’s in it." To fulfill that mission, photographers set out to document every imaginable place on earth, from the most remote to the most familiar. National Geographic’s photographers have recorded the world’s places close up, in sweeping breadth, in depth, and over time. Wide Angle is divided into twelve chapters, each depicting a unique geography and the culture and nature that inhabit it. Chapters are introduced by incisive, 1000-word essays. The book`s length—504 pages—allows each chapter to look carefully and deeply at a region’s special qualities: The geography and the life within it comes forward with its own unique character, and its own special and unforgettable sense of place.

"To give man wings": this was the mission that the two modest cycle mechanics gave themselves at the start of the 1900s in the monotonous Midwest of the United States. To celebrate the centenary of one of the most important inventions in the history of man, this engaging book entwines the story of the Wright brothers with that of the early days of flight, through the texts of two respected experts and a wide-ranging photographic archive of the period.

With great pictures taken by Chris Johns and lively anecdotes and in-depth commentaries written by Peter Godwin, both veterans of National Geographic, this book leads the reader on a fantastic journey through the southern regions of Africa, from the Kalahari Desert to Drakensberg, showing a transitional world in search of a harmony between progress and environmental preservation. It offers an exhaustive reportage about this complex area where continuously growing human needs compete with efforts to preserve an environment considered a patrimony unique on Earth. In the preface, Nelson Mandela describes the Africa of today, Seeking a balance between a difficult future and immense, if yet untapped, wealth.

Photography achieves its greatest heights when pictures compellingly narrate history and events. Through the Lens – National Geographic Greatest Photographs, the largest illustrated volume ever published by National Geographic, presents a wide selection of photographs from the most spectacular taken by the 110 famous photographers employed by the magazine. These unique pictures have been organized in geographic order; they cover such topics as portraits of nature, news reports, the Earth’s remotest areas, the depths of the ocean and the far reaches of space.