Title: One Hundred Butterflies
Author: Harold Feinstein and Fred Gagnon
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (Hachette)
First sentence: If the millennia of life on earth were a book, then surely butterflies would be the illustrations for adaptation and evolution.
My thoughts: There isn't a whole lot of writing in this book, it is mainly pictures of butterflies - beautiful, exquisite pictures of butterflies. All very striking on a black background. In the forward and in a small section in the center of the book though, I did learn a few things about butterflies that I did not know - like some look different in ultraviolet light, and that there are different ways that they come out of their cocoon. Some cut through the silk using their compound eyes as files. There are quotes placed randomly throughout the book all having to do with butterflies of course.
I was going to pick a favorite, but every time I thought I had one, a few pages later there would be one just as brilliant that would take it's place. Did you know that the underside of a butterfly sometimes looks drastically different than the top side? I know I didn't.
Each picture is labeled with the name, classification, and where in the world the butterfly can be found. I enjoyed just paging through the pictures with my kids and looking at all the various designs and colors that could be found. As a needlepointer, nature is a great place to find colors and designs, and I wouldn't be surprised if I turned to this book for inspiration in the future!
About the author/photographer: Harold Feinstein's distinguished career in photography began in 1950, when Edward Steichen purchased his work for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and exhibited it frequently during his tenure there. Feinstein's photographs have also been exhibited by and represented in the collections of the International Center of Photography, the George Eastman House, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris. His work has appeared in such periodicals as Life, Audubon, Connoisseur, and Popular Photography. He is the author of One Hundred Flowers, One Hundred Seashells, Foliage, Orchidelirium, The Infinite Rose, and The Infinite Tulip. For more information about Feinstein and his work, visit his website at www.HaroldFeinstein.com.
Fred Gagnon is curator of butterflies at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, a man-made ecosystem with living organisms from all over the world. Gagnon has been fascinated by butterflies since the age of four, when he first went into his backyard in search of Monarchs and Black Swallowtails. He is responsible for taking care of three to four thousand butterflies from Asia, Australia, Africa, South America and North America, as well as the plants that the butterflies and caterpillars depend upon for their survival.
One Hundred Butterflies
Publisher/Publication Date: Little, Brown and Company, Nov 2009
ISBN: 978-0-316-03363-3
128 pages
~This book was provided for review by Hachette Book Group.~
