Coast from the Air Book

Many people have been glued to the major television series Coast, and it's not hard to see why. This fascinating series has reminded many people in Great Britain of something many of us had forgotten -- just how beautiful and breathtaking the coastal areas of the United Kingdom really are. For some viewers, the series has been a revelation -- and many people now believe that these coastal areas are in fact the greatest natural glories the country has offer. Neil Oliver's large and impressive book Coast from the Air has set itself a difficult task: to conjure up in single, frozen images the same exhilarating experience that the TV films can offer. And it's a measure of the success of this book that this is largely what is accomplished. All the panoramic images here -- often spread over two sizeable pages -- managed to conjure everything from the first century Broch of Gurness -- one of the best preserved pre-Viking sites in Scotland -- to the sheer cliffs plunging into the North Sea at Dunnottar Castle (the latter is particularly good at encapsulating just what makes the book so enjoyable -- as well as the natural beauty of the land mass, the photography captures the play of light on the waves: equally important, of course, as part of the experience). Oliver, an archaeologist and writer, has excavated areas ranging from the earliest prehistoric sites in Scotland through to those of the Wars of the Roses, the English Civil War and, later, the battlefields of the Second World War in England and France. He is the perfect guide to the topographical riches contained herein, and while the book may be light on text for some tastes, Neil Oliver is clearly well aware that the images speak for themselves -- and eloquently. --Barry ForshawRead More