Product Description
Alligators offers a selection of 160 of Strawn's photographs in a unique book that combines art, science, history, folklore, land ethics, and literature to tell the story of America's southern landscape and one of its most evocative creatures.Amazon.com Review
This richly illustrated photographic essay celebrates anancient creature that is generally reviled, and it charts manypossibilities for the future of alligators in the UnitedStates. Alligators are flourishing in many places, but in criticalhabitats such as the Everglades their numbers are decliningdramatically as nesting grounds and watercourses are altered bydevelopment; in an accompanying essay, naturalist J. Whitfield Gibbonssuggests that this pattern can be reversed so that alligators can onceagain be "one of the most picturesque features of our lakes,rivers, and bayous." This book is a real treat for 'gator lovers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very poorly put together and disgusting book.
I saw this at a used bookstore for about $2 and figured I couldn't go wrong being a large hardcover and me a reptile lover, but it's not even worth that much. The book is basically three essays written by three different people that have pictures placed throughout that have nothing to do with the essay. There are also fact pages on various subjects throughout the book that are not at all relevant to what is going on in the essays and don't really make any sense with the overall feel.

I won't even bother with reviewing the first two essays and just put one word to describe them--GARBAGE and move on.The third essay is titled "Living with Alligators" and is the absolute highlight of this book.If this essay were in a book alone this would be a 5 star rating, but due to details described further in this review it was only enough to bump the overall rating to a 2 for me.This essay is about how stupid people move next door to a swamp and then get mad when alligators come out of the swamp and people immediately want them killed, even though they are the ones in the wrong.It also tells of how people must test their manhood by killing alligators for no apparent purpose.This essay is something that should be read by any reptile lover or conservationist, but I would recommend skipping the rest of the book, if you must buy it.It's only about 10 pages long so just read it in the bookstore if you have time.

In the beginning of the book it states that the author has taken over 40,000 pictures of alligators but in my opinion the pictures in this book are pretty poor. They aren't of good quality and many have problems that should have edited out, if she really has taken that many..different ones should have been chosen to say the least.

Lastly, I completely agree with the other reviewer that this book is absolutely disgusting. Out of all the pictures in the book that are of alligators, over 50% of them are dead. Heres a description of some of the pictures---there are alligators being cut open, ones with blood everywhere, ones shot in the head, some hanging on a rope dead, some in bloody buckets full of them, some being gutted, some missing their hides, random pieces of alligators such as a big box of eyeballs, etc. etc. If my description sounds bad just imagine looking at the pictures, it's like the aftermath of a war.

To put that "This book is a real treat for 'gator lovers." is one of the biggest jokes i've ever seen, that should be changed to gator hunters! With the exception of J. Whitfield Gibbons essay "Living with Alligators" this book is a complete waste of paper, and disgusting.

Some of this book sickened me
If you really like alligators, this is not the book for you. Portions of the book concern hunting alligators and processing them for meat. The accompanying photos for these sections sickened me.If I had any idea the book would include page after page of slaughtered alligators, I would never have bought it. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides information on the physical characteristics, behavior, future, and different kinds of alligators and crocodiles. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses efforts to protect various endangered animals, emphasizing the importance of responsible land use. ... Read more

Book Description
An informative series that provides, in a concise format, better understanding of animals and their habitats. Fascinating in its diversity, the natural world comes to life on the pages of these spec tacularly illustrated volumes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A great book for the crocodile lover
Basic information on crocodilians, great pictures! A great book for someone who's just got fascinated with those amazing creatures!

In a while, crocodile! Or how about right now? You rock!
This is so far the best crocodilians book ever! The photos rule, and the information is well written and very educational. I loved this book, especially since I think crocodilians are cool as well as beautiful. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of meat eating animals or nature. Anyway, like I said, this is a superb book that should be treated with divine respect. My name is Alex. Have a nice day.

I loved it
grea ... Read more

Product Description
Black Jack the alligator is born, grows to maturity, and escapes death at the hands of poachers. ... Read more

Product Description
This title looks at conservation data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Some of the Photos should not have been used.
Any book dependent on photographs to put over it's message cannot get away with including blurred images or pictures of creatures that are so far away that, in either event, they fail to convey the intended message.Too many images in this book are simply unacceptable because they are out of focus. In addition the captions appear to be all over the place. There are captions immediately below photographs which do not relate to that particular picture but instead direct the reader to elsewhere on either the same or facing page to connect with the image in question. Finally the graphics are not of a high standard.All of which is a great pity because I actually believe the message in this book might have been useful.

Having photographed Alligators and Crocodiles in the wild, I know sufficient images are available from photographic libraries.

NM

Some of the Photos should not have been used.
Any book dependent on photographs to put over it's message cannot get away with including blurred images or pictures of creatures that are so far away that, in either event, they fail to convey the intended message.Too many images in this book are simply unacceptable because they are out of focus. In addition the captions appear to be all over the place. There are captions immediately below photographs which do not relate to that particular picture but instead direct the reader to elsewhere on either the same or facing page to connect with the image in question. Finally the graphics are not of a high standard.All of which is a great pity because I actually believe the message in this book might have been useful.

Having photographed Alligators and Crocodiles in the wild, I know sufficient images are available from photographic libraries.

NM


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