British Columbia: A Wild and Fragile Beauty

Ann Turner is the financial and budget manager of the University of
British Columbia Library.

Osborne’s outstanding photography captures the essence of the B.C.
wilderness in this album, complemented by essayist Hume’s evocative
word-pictures. Both men are artists, each in his own medium, and both
display a sensitivity to the colors, sounds, and feel of the wilderness
that comes only with long experience of them. The message is clear. This
is what will be lost if expanding industrialization and consumption are
not controlled. They can and must be controlled. More than 80
photographs present views of the B.C. “outback” that are probably
unfamiliar to the majority of the province’s residents. Coast and
rainforest, interior plateau, mountains and alpine, they represent the
major climatic regions of British Columbia. Technically the whole
collection is a superb example of the photographer’s art. The
composition, color, and level of detail are breathtaking. This is a
“must” for any collection on British Columbia.