This book of photographs is entirely focused on the Antarctic and is designed for the general public.
It is divided into four main chapters: 1) the Continent; 2) History of Exploration; 3) Life in an Extreme Environment; and, 4) a continent of Peace, Dedicated to Science. The book is illustrated with a selection of spectacular pictures taken by photographers (including Lucia Simion) from many different countries. Among the photographers are: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Frans Lanting, Norbert Wu, Ingo Arndt, George Steinmetz, Paul Nicklen, Colin Monteath and Tui de Roy. Many of the photographs are double-page spreads. Historic photographs by Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley (photographers with Scott and Shackleton) are also featured.
There are four main texts plus 10 interviews with scientists and other professionals, all from different countries involved with the Antarctic. The book includes a 32-page encyclopedia.
The foreword was written by Jean-Louis Etienne, a well-known French doctor and polar explorer who crossed Antarctica in 1989-90 with five other people from different nations, to draw the attention to the Antarctic Treaty. Jean-Louis Etienne has climbed the Erebus and visited the North Pole on skis, and will soon fly over the Arctic Ocean in an Airship to study the effects of global warming on pack ice.
"The most important thing for me was that the photographers and those interviewed should come from different countries, and not from a single nation, since the key word in Antarctica is collaboration" says Lucia Simion. "All the major science projects are international."
Lucia Sala Simion was raised and educated in Italy and France, so she feels she belongs to both countries. She grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a stone’s throw from the house of Commander J-B Charcot, Antarctic and Arctic explorer. After getting a degree in medicine, Lucia became a science journalist as well as a photojournalist. She has taken part in eight expeditions to Antarctica and she is the only photojournalist to cover the building of the French-Italian station Concordia at Dome C, as well as the EPICA Project for three summer campaigns. In 2005 she attended the Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies (GCAS) at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch. In November 2007 she was deployed on the Ice again to cover the ANDRILL project. She has been back to M. Zucchelli station at Terra Nova Bay and to Concordia as well. Her dream is to spend a full winter in Antarctica.
Free resources to download
Interviews
- Philip Kyle, Volcanologist (New Zealand and USA)
- Claude Lorius, Glaciologist (France)
- Rhian Salmon, PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry, Head of the IPY Education & Outreach Program (UK and Germany)
- So Kawaguchi, Krill ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Division (Japan)
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Photographer, author of "The Earth from Above" (France)
- Luigi Folco, Geologist, PI of the Meteorite's Search Program with the PNRA (Italy)
- David G. Ainley, Biologist and Ecologist (USA)
- Sean Loutitt, Chief Pilot with Kenn Borek's Air (Canada)
- Jean-Louis Etienne, Medical doctor and Explorer (France)
- Roberto Dicasillati, Medical Doctor with the first winter-over at Concordia (Italy).
Websites
www.luceantartica.com
www.lucepolare.blogspot.com
www.stellantartica.blogspot.com
www.antarcticawhiteheart.blogspot.com
Book Details
Published in French by Belin (November 2007) and in Italian by Giunti Editore (October 2007)
Hard cover, colour, 224pp
ISBN: 2701144639