A Visual Celebration of Borneo's Wildlife: [All Royalties Donated to Fauna & Flora International] Hardcover – August 16, 2016

The book portrays an amazing collection of wildlife. In turning the pages, the pictures so vividly & beautifully photographed, it seemed liked the animals and forests are right there with me in my living room. My favourite part of the book are the section on birds - utterly georgeous and so colourful.IF

Lai & Olesen have written another spectacular Visual Celebration volume. This one is a quite comprehensive look at Borneo. As with their earlier book, the breathtaking photos are accompanied by thoughtful descriptions. Perhaps my favorite is the shot of the Stork-billed Kingfisher rising from the water, prey in beak, with the protective transparent membrane still covering its eyes. What a feat to catch that detail.In addition to the important flora and fauna, the book includes the history of human settlement, references to major customs, and special places in Borneo, such as the national parks.This is a true labor of love.

From the stunning photograph on the cover and all the way through to the very last, this book is a remarkable accomplishment. Apart from being a visual delight, it is also an extremely informative and well-written book. It is divided into main sections dealing with The Land, Flora, Wildlife, The People, Conservation and Places to Go, and each main section is further divided into sub-chapters, which makes it possible for the reader at a glance to find and study a subject of particular interest.But the book deserves to be read and enjoyed from cover to cover, as it is a poignant reminder of the fragility of nature and the diverse creatures living therein, especially in the environment of a tropical rain forest. If we are not mindful of the destruction of the habitat, all the diversity will eventually be a thing of the past, and then future generations will only have photographs [such as those in this book] and other visual images to remind them of what once were.Fanny Lai and Bjorn Olesen should be congratulated for their magnificent work and the years of time and effort spent gathering material for their book in support of a very worthwhile cause, namely Fauna & Flora International. This book is highly recommended as a wake-up call for the general reader, as well as to any person concerned with the future of wildlife, not just on Borneo, but all over the world.

THE GOOD: there is no general field guide to Borneo's wildlife. There is a bird guide and a mammal guide, but after that slim pickings. So I actually purchased this since it seemed the nearest substitute to learn more beyond specific birds and mammals in preparation for a trip to the island. I read it cover to cover and really enjoyed it. Unlike a lot of coffee table books, it doesn't just include the prettiest pictures. There also seems to have been a conscious effort to include photos of a wide variety of species, especially some of the rarer ones, even when the photos standing alone aren't that impressive. And that is what I was looking for; a book from which I could learn about the wildlife rather than just see some select pretty pictures.THE BAD: there are quite a number of typos in the text. I don't believe either the authors or the editor is a native English speaker. But despite typos and some strange phraseology, pretty much everything was understandable.The binding is fairly weak. I tried to read the book while lying in bed, with it propped on my stomach. This caused the weight of the pages to partly rip the binding from the cover of the book. Fortunately, it did not separate completely, but just be cautious about how you hold the book.Also, the discussion of wildlife is divided into the various kinds, birds, reptiles, etc. But the table of contents fails to list these divisions at all. There is just a single entry for wildlife which spans hundreds of pages. I actually wrote in the page numbers for the divisions, so I could jump to what I was interested in most quickly.Finally, while there is very good coverage of birds, mammals, and herps, the coverage of invertebrates is quite limited. Only a handful of butterflies, for example, and no odonates (dragonflies/damselflies). So if you are looking for those you will be disappointed.

This is a superb book that anyone who has been - or wants to go - to Borneo will love. The photos are beyond good, while the text is also very accurate and detailed, with the authors going to pains to accurately identify all the species. It covers the breadth and diversity of Bornean wildlife, and even looks at the people who live on the island. And all the money goes to FFI - a very worthy cause. Amateur photographers may find it inspiring (or, if they are like me, become a little depressed at the realisation they will never take photos this good!). Jon

This is a true celebration of Wildlife Photography, Scenic Beauty, Peoples of Borneo and the Flora and Fauna.The amazing photography and text holds the reader's attention throughout the book, guiding us into this wonderful journey through Borneo. As past visitors to the island, we realised how fortunate we had been to appreciate the sights we had then seen. Bjorn Olesen and Fanny Lai have the gifts of being able to share their love of Borneo through their perceptive texts and photographs.Throughout the journey the reader can sense the rarity of many of the animals and vegetation which remains in present day Borneo, and the threat that hangs over them by human interference. So much has still to be learned of this wondrous island but the detailed commentary and glorious images shown in the photography can only whet the appetites of people who wish to preserve the threatened Fauna and Flora.To the authors of the book, thank you for allowing us to share with you, this amazing and living journey through Borneo.We can make a difference!.

A good friend gifted me this wonderful book.It’s great to see the animals and amazing birds.Very interesting and a delightful read.If you haven’t read this book yet, then you really should.The photos are magnificent !

Schade, inhaltlich ein schönes Buch. Aber die Qualität stimmt leider nicht.

Magnifique ouvrage. Un travail photographique exceptionnel qui nous plonge dans la splendeur de la vie, que nous tous sommes malheureusement en train de faire disparaître

Proud owner of this beautiful book.... truly a visual treat!!

This really is what title says it is. Gorgeous pictures and interesting stories. We are traveling to Borneo in few months, I'm really waiting to see at least some of wildlife pictured here. Unique and excellent book!

Magnifique ouvrages faisant référence a la faune unique de Bornéo.Photos d'espèces rares a couper le souffle!