Repeating Islands

Staring on Monday, June 27, 2011, in Bermuda, Charles ‘Flip’ Nicklin will be presenting his new memoir/coffee table book, Among Giants—A Life with Whales (2011). 

About the book, Paul Nicklen (photographer and author of Polar Obsession) writes, “Flip Nicklin’s work reaches us on a profound level: his images inspire. They make us feel hopeful, passionate, engaged, transported, alive. He takes us under the surface with him, into a universe where we have front row seats to the most magical and wonderful giants on our planet, allowing us to witness an otherwise unimaginable marine world. With his talent and vision, Flip singlehandedly took underwater photography—and marine mammal photojournalism in general—to an entirely new level. Flip is, simply, the best of the very best.”

Publisher’s description: Among Giants tells the story of Nicklin’s life and career on the high seas, from his first ill-equipped shoots in the mid-1970s through his long association with the National Geographic Society to the present, when he is one of the founders of Whale Trust, a nonprofit conservation and research group. Nicklin is equal parts photographer, adventurer, self-trained scientist, and raconteur, and Among Giants reflects all those sides, matching breathtaking images to firsthand accounts of their making, and highlighting throughout the importance of conservation and new advances in our understanding of whale behavior. With Nicklin as our guide, we see not just whales but also our slowly growing understanding of their hidden lives, as well as the evolution of underwater photography—and the stunning clarity and drama that can be captured when a determined, daring diver is behind the lens.

Humpbacks, narwhals, sperm whales, orcas—these and countless other giants of the ocean parade through these pages, spouting, breaching, singing, and raising their young. Nicklin’s photographs bring us so completely into the underwater world of whales that we can’t help but feel awe, while winning, personal accounts of his adventures remind us of what it’s like to be a lone diver sharing their sea.

For anyone who has marveled at the majesty of whales in the wild, Among Giants is guaranteed to be inspiring, even moving—its unmatched images of these glorious beings an inescapable reminder of our responsibility as stewards of the ocean.

For more full description and purchasing information, see http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo10963417.html and http://www.amazon.com/Among-Giants-Charles-Flip-Nicklin/dp/0226580997

See more on the book at http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2066743,00.html