A celebration of the magnificent and unexpected world of the Arctic. The Arctic, the mystical lands north of 60 degrees, is a cold and forbidding place that is covered in ice and snow for most of the year. Yet each spring the Arctic becomes a land of unforgettable beauty, when a profusion of life explodes across the entire landscape. The Arctic is so different from the more temperate regions of Earth that author and photographer Wayne Lynch presents this region as though it were a different planet. In Planet Arctic , the reader can experience this land through the lens of a master photographer who has spent 30 years exploring and photographing this vast region. Lynch fully understands and appreciates Arctic birds, plants and animals in all their mystery. Here is the world of the polar bear, the arctic fox, the seal, the walrus and the musk ox, as well as a vast array of seabirds and exquisite, hardy wildflowers and ancient lichens. Lynch's enthusiasm is contagious, and the photos, testament to his unerring eye for beauty, will captivate readers. Complex natural history concepts are decoded as Lynch describes the magnificent life-forms that inhabit this distant and frigid yet spectacular world -- one that is under increasing stress from global warming and climate change. Prolific nature writer and wildlife photographer Lynch begins with a confession: “I am addicted to the Arctic.” Indeed, Lynch has been traveling to the top of the world for 30 years, and his new collection of stellar photographs displays his improbable intimacy with what seems to be a forbidding place. For Lynch, the Arctic is a mystical land jeweled by life, from flowering mosses and lichens to exquisite birds and magnificent animals perfectly adapted to cold and ice. Lynch’s colorful up-close portraits of red-throated loons, musk oxen, caribous, arctic grizzlies, polar bears, ptarmigans, owls, foxes, ermine, and walruses are breathtaking in their detail and startling in their warmth. Lynch offers a clue to this intensity, admitting that he is patient as a scientist but “stubbornly patient” as a photographer, no easy feat in this frigid realm. Lynch’s engaging commentary blends personal anecdotes about his polar adventures with crisp scientific facts, and he barely alludes to the impact of global warming. Instead, Lynch hopes that readers will share his profound appreciation for the wonders and beauty of the living Arctic. --Donna Seaman Lynch has been traveling to the top of the world for 30 years, and his new collection of stellar photographs displays his improbable intimacy with what seems to be a forbidding place. For Lynch, the Arctic is a mystical land jeweled by life, from flowering mosses and lichens to exquisite birds and magnificent animals perfectly adapted to cold and ice. Lynch's colorful up-close portraits of red-throated loons, musk oxen, caribous, arctic grizzlies, polar bears, ptarmigans, owls, foxes, ermine, and walruses are breathtaking in their detail and startling in their warmth. Lynch offers a clue to this intensity, admitting that he is patient as a scientist but "stubbornly patient" as a photographer, no easy feat in this frigid realm. Lynch's engaging commentary blends personal anecdotes about his polar adventures with crisp scientific facts, and he barely alludes to the impact of global warming. Instead, Lynch hopes that readers will share his profound appreciation for the wonders and beauty of the living Arctic. (Donna Seaman Booklist 2010-12-01) Science writer and wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch has been travelling to the Arctic for more than 30 years, has 50 books to his name and is one of the most-published nature photographers in Canada. It's no surprise, then, that his intimate photographic compilation of Arctic wildlife, Planet Arctic, is as diverse as it is stunning. Lynch captures images of dozens of adorable creatures (and the very grotesque walrus), displaying their most idiosyncratic behaviour -- a beluga rubbing itself on gravel to hasten its moulting process, powerful muskox standing shoulder to shoulder to fight an enemy. Complete with Lynch's authoritative text tidbits about the animals, Planet Arctic is a great pick for any wildlife enthusiast who wants to get up close and personal with the Arctic's furry, feathered and aquatic residents. (Mindy Savoie Canadian Geographic ) (reviewed with The World of the Polar Bear) For those of us who are armchair travellers, two gorgeous books of photography make an acceptable substitute. Planet Arctic: Life at the Top of the World by renowned wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch, is my favourite of the two, as it captures glimpses of many aspects of this region of the world, from delicate lichens to the caribou that feed on them, from brooding landscapes to portraits of waterfowl and land mammals. (Jodi DeLong Halifax Chronicle Herald 2010-12-12) Pods of beluga whales, ice bergs glowing in yellow light or haloed in pink and mauve, and a host of stunni