Book Review - Galápagos, Life in Motion - Princeton University Press

The natural history of this archipelago is very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself; the greater number of its inhabitants, both vegetable and animal, being found nowhere else.

Journal of Researches, 1839, 454-55

     No name is more associated with The Galápagos than Charles Darwin, and with these immortal words he encapsulated the mystique of these isolated islands, cast adrift it seems by the vagaries of fate. Mere dots in ocean currents, they have become emblematic of modern science for naturalists the world over.

     How ironic that Darwin's brief visit to the archipelago laid the foundation for a revolution in our understanding of the very origins of life on earth.

     It is with a good deal of pleasure that I review this opus from Princeton University Press, and an opus it is.

     The photography is nothing short of astounding. Walter Perez has spent most of his adult life studying and recording the wildlife of the Galápagos, and his intimacy with his subjects leaps out from every page. These are not casual snapshots, they are a record of the drama played out every day on these sun-drenched, drought-prone isles where daily existence is a struggle. As Darwin might have said, it really is the survival of the fittest.

     This book is ostensibly a coffee table book, but it is in fact far more than that. The text is crisp and sharp and relevant. Coffee table books provoke a quick look at attractive images and not much more. Accompanying text is brief, if at all, and sometimes facile. In total contrast the narrative in Galápagos, Life in Motion, really complements the images and permits the reader to understand the drama revealed in the photographs.

     The average visitor to The Galápagos points his camera at anything that moves (and much that doesn't) hoping perhaps for a few decent pictures of the birds, reptiles and mammals for which the islands are renowned. Perez's pictures take us much deeper into the life of the creatures of this fabled place. 

      We get front row seat to courtship behaviours and adults feeding young.

     In many instances we are able to see the prey species, and in that eternal drama of life on earth we see how species that prey on one organism become prey themselves for another.

     We make the acquaintance of the behemoths of the islands.....

     ......and the finches that first triggered ideas about speciation and evolution in Darwin's mind.

     The book is nicely divided into sections: The Galápagos Environments, Finding Food, Icons of the Galápagos, Courtship, Mating and Birth, and Galápagos Animals Interacting. There is cohesion between the sections, one flowing seamlessly into the next.

      Most of us will never visit The Galápagos; indeed restrictions on the numbers of tourists permitted to visit are now in place, and some of the islands are off limits, but this book will permit you to enjoy, understand and appreciate this enchanted place from the comfort of your home. Rush out and buy a copy, pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy!

Galápagos: Life in Motion

Walter Perez and Michael Weisberg

Hardcover - $35.00 - 9780691174136 - 208 pages - 12" x 9"

Publication date: 22 August 2018