Witness

Startlingly beautiful in its content and powerfully eloquent in its message, Witness captures 100 species of North American animals and plants on the brink of extinction in a series of stunning color and duotone portraits. By photographing each imperiled creature against a stark black or white backdrop, photographers Susan Middleton and David Liittschwager visually remove the habitat that would ensure its survival and bring the plight of the individual species -- whether a majestic Florida panther or a delicate Tennessee purple coneflower -- closer to home. A bibliography and an index, a resource giude to additional information sources, an eloquent introduction by E. O. Wilson, and an essay on the Endangered Species Act complete this formidable volume, making it not only an elegant and moving documentary, but a valuable tool in the fight for the preservation of diminishing habitats and the species that depend on them.