From Publishers Weekly
Spanning the world, from Northeast Europe to Southeast Asia, these 260 photos offer a spectacular view of regions of unimaginable, often haunting beauty. Many of the images, from the National Geographic Society's 10 million-image archive, have never been published before. Meditative introductions to each region of the world consider questions such as our stereotypical views of Asia and the ambiguity of evocations of the Middle East, their meaning "depending largely on what one believes." But the real attraction is the full-color photos: sometimes mysterious, like Karen Kasmaski's photos of sunflowers with Mount Fuji emerging from the shadows in the background; or playful, like Miguel Luis Fairbanks's woman driving in Australia with a young koala bear on her shoulder. Some are charming, like Steve McCurry's image of women in a field in Yemen, their hats bobbing above the lush clover; and still others present the natural world in an original light, like Anup and Manoj Sha's photo of a herd of zebras in Kenya, op-arty with its zigzags of black and white stripes. Not all the

photos evoke pleasant images: the ravages of war in Croatia and the 2003 invasion of Iraq crop up, adding a dose of unhappy realities. Still, dipping anywhere into this volume offers a feast for the eyes and introduction to parts of the world most are unlikely ever to visit.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This book is large: in format, in scope, in pages, and in its effect on the reader. Travel is all about place, of course, as this gorgeous album's subtitle indicates. The editors of National Geographic have culled from their archives a treasure trove of photographs, many never previously published, that evoke a certain moment in a certain small corner of the globe. The entire globe is the book's purview--all continents and every imaginable setting, from city to desert, and from a snowy national park to a birthday celebration in Mexico. A lovely book to savor forever. Robin Hoelle
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Product Reviews:

Poor Execution, June 26, 2006
Reviewer: Grillo "Grillo"
National Geographic Magazine is famous for their excellent photography; it is the very reason I picked up this volume. However, Wide Angle: National Geographic Greatest Places failed to live up to my expectations. I was underwhelmed not only by a large portion of the images, but mostly by the poorly executed concept. In a title that clearly implies these are the greatest places featured, I felt the chosen photographs illustrated some lackluster locales. Furthermore, the organization was too loose. The book could have benefited from better formating not only of its categories, but of the photos themselves, which are often stretched in an unflattering matter.
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Journeys Through the World From Your Armchair, January 9, 2006
Reviewer: Grady Harp

National Geographic Magazine has long been recognized for the quality of its color photographs by its brilliant staff of photographers who manage to go to places both known and unknown and open vistas of other cultures, other peoples, other landscapes. In this very large and exceptionally affordable volume are some of NG's finest images plus many dazzling photographs not previously published in the magazine. The result is a panorama of the world as few other books can supply.

Covering nearly all the countries of the world, WIDE ANGLE uses its descriptor to unfold some remarkable images of fields and terrain and the peoples who inhabit them, all composed beautifully with NGs typical 'hidden camera' technique. This is a travel volume for those who plan to visit the out of the ordinary places as well as a scrapbook for those who have been to the more accessible places, but is it more: this is a closer look at the planet we inhabit that is so magnificent it urges us by images alone to protect the beauty we threaten to destroy. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06
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Why is the cost so reasonable?..., July 7, 2006
Reviewer: F. Faminu

...essentially you get what you pay for. This book is certanly NOT representative of what I have come to expect from National Geographic.

I had eagerly anticipated the arrival of my book, but was dissappointed to find within the first few pages that it is uninspiring at best. Most of the pictures are poorly executed and at times seem amateurish. In the past I've found photographs by professionals like Steve McCurry ('Portraits')visually arresting. Not so here.

At least it only cost me $20 oredering from Amazon. If I had been able to preview it beforehand, I would not have thought it worth even the discounted price.
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These National Geographic Releases Keep Getting Even Better!, March 17, 2006
Reviewer: Ellie Reasoner

It's an injustice to try to put into words the beauty of art this striking, so I'll only say that this collection showcases full-frame shots of our earth and its inhabitants in scores of wondrous, multi-page images from the distant and recent past. In this book you'll find cityscapes, forests, people, animals, scenes from under water, from the air, on mountaintops, and amid man-made sites, even an abrupt close-up shot of a toothy alligator that I challenge you not to jump back at when you turn the page. Wide Angle is investment that is worth the price: and a bargain price at that!

Back to Wide Angle: National Geographic Greatest Places (Hardcover)
by Ferdinand Protzman Description and Reviews.