RAINFOREST: Light and Spirit

A rare 2009 Antique Collectors' Club publication giving a spectacular view of the rainforests of the world through the eyes of both a scientist and an artist, showing us the colour, diversity of the greens and blues of the vegetation and above all the light and spirit of the world's most important resource. Harry Holcroft was horror struck when he first-hand saw the appalling devastation of the rainforests in 2002 and haunted by this image was determined to capture in his vivid paintings the very 'essence' of these dwindling forests. He visited many of the tropical equatorial rainforests of the world and with typical observational powers noticed considerable variation between the colouring of the forests on the different continents. His stunning watercolours and sketches bring these remote regions to life and his diary entries from his travels share with us his thoughts and observations. To complement the artistry, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance's illuminating essay gives the reader a scientific insight into the varying physiognomies of the great rainforests of Africa, Asia and the Americas, the negative impact of modern life and the vital role rainforests are as a source of biodiversity and their role in stabilising the climate. There is an oxbow lake in Bolivia, a family of Indian elephants in Sri Lanka, extremely beautiful birds, tree frogs, humming birds pollinating orchids, trailing woody vines called lianas, fishing boats, cranes flying over Lake Titicaca in Peru, the red complicated ginger plant in Brazil, the banana plant in Malaya, the star lily from the Amazon in Brazil, a monitor lizard in Senegal and extraordinary baobab clusters in southern Madagascar among the exquisite colour paintings. Chapters include Characteristics and Distribution of the Rainforests and Their Main Areas and Biological Connections and Differences, Rainforest Sounds, Aromas, Leeches and Ticks, Forest Giants, Tapirs and Elephants, Lizards, Stimulants and Hallucinogens and Spirituality and in the last section on the people the Yanomami, the Baka Pygmies, and the Penan. With a Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales who began his own Rainforests Project in October 2007 'In the face of rapidly accelerating deforestation brought about by the demand for beef, soya, palm oil and timber.' This truly is a magnificent publication, an art, nature and travel book at the same time, 196 large pages, 24.82 x 31.17cm, fully illus. in colour.