Month: April 2009

The Presses are Rolling!

April 27, 2009
BooksGreat Smoky Mountains BookQuiet Light PublishingSmoky Mountains Book

Today is Monday April 27, 2009 and in Singapore at CS Graphics the presses are rolling with my next book, Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Thirty years of American Landscapes! There are many points in a process as involved as the making of a book where you stop and say to yourself – “This is pretty cool!” This is one of them. It is very cool to know that half way around the world there are people who are dedicated to making your book the best are working away on it, as they have for the past few months just to get to this point – ink on paper. So it is, underway.

Another of these moments came a few weeks ago when for the first time I wrapped the dust jacket around the dummy book they sent – a book that is the exact size and makeup of my finished book but without any printing. It is one thing to see the dust jacket on the screen as you put it all together, another to see it printed out, but the best so far is that first time you wrap the jacket around the book and put it down on a table. Voila! Your book – kind of.

 

So, while they toil away in Singapore printing the 220 pages and 246 images for this monograph of Great Smoky Mountains National Park maybe it is time you took advantage of our preorder pricing! You can view the book using the links below or purchase a copy for delivery in July at the advanced sales price!

 

And as an additional incentive if you use the Discount Coupon Code: MB01 when promted at check out we’ll give you an additional 10% off!

 

To See Inside the Book: GSMNP Book

To Purchase the Book: Quiet Light Publishing 

 

Cheers,

Richard

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Thirty Years of American Landscapes

Celebrating Earth Day

April 22, 2009
Earth DayenvironmentQuiet Light Publishing

Sunrise, Deep Creek Overlook       

In celebration of Earth Day 2009 I am posting this photo from my upcoming book on Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This image was taken last November at Deep Creek Overlook. This was an unusual day, in that it was crystal clear. The mountains in the background showed sharp edges – not just the fuzzy outline as most often seen. On this day the air was particularly clean because of the weather patterns. Most of the time there is a haze and visibility is limited. Often the mountains at the far side are not visible. Smog from the cities of Knoxville, Chattanooga and Atlanta to name a few tend to drift eastward and affect the air quality in the Smokies. So this earth day as we celebrate our earth we can be a bit more optimistic – maybe – because more and more cars are alternative fuels, natural gas and electric vehicles seem to be on the horizon (ever wonder why most cars in Argentina are LP Gas yet not here?  Me too). We, as a country, are finally focusing our attention back on our natural environment as part of our national goals. And for this we can be thankful. But now comes the time we must all take part in that effort, by using our resources wisely, conserving energy, recycling better and all of the other things we can do as individuals which will collectively make a difference.

 

Firs, Clinmans Dome

But it is not just air and water quality, there are many environmental issues. Another one in the Smokies is the Wooly Adelgid a beetle which has devoured the Douglas Firs on the tops of many mountains, most notably Clingman’s Dome. A few years ago it seemed every tree on the top of the mountain had succumbed to this beetle. Now some younger trees are growing once again, but they too will become victims of this beetle if we can not find a way to control or eradicate it at some point.

 

So, let’s celebrate our environment on this day, and once again pledge ourselves to making this physical world a better place, through our individual actions, which collectively do amount to big changes.

Happy Earth Day!

Richard

To see inside my new book Great Smoky Mountain National Park: Thirty Years of American Landscapes click here. See Inside the Book

Pre-Order the book: Quiet Light Publishing