Earth is my Witness & Art of Adventure

At MandalaEarth, we believe in the connectivity of all things, and aim to explore everything related to the synthesis of the natural and spiritual worlds, including music, yoga, philosophy, ancient art, health, photography, environmental activism, and more. We strive to create books that emphasize the importance of seeking spiritual enlightenment, closeness with nature, and caring for ourselves and our planet. Two of our upcoming titles, Earth is my Witness and The Art of Adventure, capture this holistic approach and MandalaEarth's commitment to the marriage of environmentalism and the arts. 

Earth is my Witness is a stunning exercise in appreciation for the world in which we live. In our modern landscape, many of the ancient places, creatures, and cultures are fast disappearing. In this lavish book of photography and commentary, Art Wolfe, acclaimed photographer, and Wade Davis, award winning author, preserve these rare moments and places for generations to come. 

We live in a breathtakingly beautiful world, and while Earth is my Witness is a survey and appreciation of the world, The Art of Adventure is a call to action. The fastest growing form of recreation today, outdoor adventure sports bring us out of our homes, force us to challenge our limits, and allow us to become closer to the spirit of nature. Filled with wisdom and colored by both epic and quiet moments, The Art of Adventure is a gripping reminder of the vast playground awaiting those willing to live on the edge.

2012 ForeWord Book of the Year Award Finalists Announced

ForeWord Reviews has announced the 2012 Book of the Year Awards list of finalists. Representing more than 700 publishers, the finalists were selected from 1,300 entries in 62 categories. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest.

The following two titles from Earth Aware Editions and Mandala Publishing are finalists for the 2012 Book of the Year Awards:


By God's Grace (Mandala Publishing), Mind & Spirit category
By Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Preface: Rabbi David Rosen, 
Foreword: His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso The Dalai Lama
Hardcover, Price: $50.00

By God’s Grace is an absorbing portrait of the extraordinary life of a renowned Indian spiritual leader, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati. Practical wisdom, a connection to the Divine, and global action have made him one of India's most renowned and beloved spiritual teachers. 

Elaborately illustrated, the book traces his journey from childhood in the jungles of India to the company of world leaders, from Himalayan villages to the podiums of the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and other venues of global change. His projects are unprecedented, including a cleanup of the 1,560-mile-long Ganges River and a six-million-word encyclopedia of Hinduism. 

American-born author Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Ph.D., moved to India in 1996. She was officially ordained by Pujya Swamiji into the tradition of sanyas and lives at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, where she serves Pujya Swamiji's humanitarian projects, teaches meditation, gives discourses, and counsels individuals and families. She lives in Rishikesh, India.

A Day in the World (Earth Aware Editions), Photography category
By Jeppe Wikström, Foreword: Richard Branson, Introduction: Desmond Tutu
Hardcover, Price: $50.00

One day, millions of perspectives. On May 15, 2012, people from around the globe picked up their cameras to record their lives—A Day in the World is the result. 

Professionals and amateur shutterbugs alike are featured in this beautiful edition, the most comprehensive photographic documentation of daily life ever made.

Including tribal areas and urban sprawl, intimate portraits and riotous events, the book was the brainchild of the movement Aday.org (a branch of the foundation Expressions of Humankind), a unique project that celebrates
the power of photography to encourage cultural understanding. The foundation's council includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, and a host of other luminaries and advocates. Author Jeppe Wikström
is one of Scandinavia's best-known and most-published photographers, with some 20 book titles to his credit.

Wikström is one of the founders of the nonprofit Expressions of Humankind, which works to promote human understanding through photography, and created the A Day in the World project.

ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers. Award winners are chosen by librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines, working every day with patrons and customers.

Lions, and Tigers, and Ocelots - Oh My!

Fierce Beauty is a celebration of tigers, leopards, lions, ocelots, and other wild cats that inhabit The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS), a wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The institute's fifty acres are home to more than one hundred rare animals, from ligers (a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress) that stretch nearly twelve feet long to cheetahs capable of running seventy miles per hour, safeguarding them from the poachers, habitat destruction, and population fragmentation that threaten their existence.

Despite their place atop the food chain, big cats teeter on the brink of extinction. Where more than 100,000 tigers lived in Asia at the start of the twentieth century, fewer than 4,000 exist today.

Featuring exclusive new portraits from preeminent nature photographers Tim Flach and Barry Bland, Fierce Beauty provides readers with an intimate, unobstructed encounter with the beauty, power and grace of nature's big cat masterpieces.

The text includes contributions form such distinguished conservationists as zoologist Jim Fowler; David Barron, founder of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation; and Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, among others.

Together, these fascinating and complementary perspectives form a compelling case in support of the critical service rendered by private wildlife facilities in caring for and preserving nature's many endangered big cats.

Fierce Beauty
Preserving the World of Wild Cats

by Bhagavan "Doc" Antle

Photography by Tim Flach and Barry Bland

Foreword by Robert Duvall 

Hardcover | 246 pages | $50.00

The New Long March

The stunning array of photographs in China: An Intimate Look at the Past andPresent gloriously captures the country today by revisiting the legendary military route the Long March. With a rich palette of vibrant and lush compositional photos, this touching and breathtaking 396-page tome documents the human endurance, tenacity, and fortitude that unified the Chinese people seventy-five years ago. This epic military journey remains an inspiration for modern China, and a testament to their enduring spirit.

The “Long March” refers to the path taken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party, a precursor to the People's Liberation Army, to retreat from the domineering Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) army. This iconic troop withdrawal across the harsh wilds of China in 1934 was transformed into a galvanizing journey, setting the stage for the creation of the People’s Republic of China. The Long March marked the rise of Mao Zedong. Mao’s leadership during this military evacuation stirred the spirit of the Chinese Communist Party’s Red Army and gained him their support. In 2011, an international team of photographers was dispatched along that same iconic route, from Jiangxi in the southeast to Gansu and Shaanxi in the northwest. Their majestic work grants you an unprecedented glimpse into an event that shaped a nation. 

China features 320 electrifying and moving full-color photographs, revelatory illustrations, and maps for geographic contextualization. This grand coming-of-age saga brings to life the monumental transformations that China underwent, as villages became cities and dirt roads became superhighways, with the buzz of industry and commerce filling the air. Bearing witness to the changes have been the people of China, whose resilience, pride, determination, and perseverance are illuminated — the same spirit that turned the Long March from a disaster into a triumph.

An Augmented Reality feature transforms the book into an interactive experience with video footage, audio of traditional songs, and additional photographs. With contributions by a group of celebrated photographers, along with maps, timelines, and historical images and artwork, China provides an insightful and wholly original retelling of one of the most significant events in Chinese history. Informative and visually transcendent, this is a must-have for history and photo buffs.

China: An Intimate Look at the Past and Present

A Photographic Journey of the New Long March

Download The New Long March app for the iPad or iPhone to unlock more digital content when used with the book.   

China: Past and Present

On October 16, 1934, the Long March began as first Red Army units crossed the Yuba River.

Just over two years later, on October 22, 1936, the Second Front Army and Fourth Front Army joined up with First Front Army in Huining, officially bringing the Long March to an end.

In mid-2011 Harold Weldon and Li Dong set out with a new survey team retracing the full route of the Long March in preparation for the final photo shoot.

In total, the team took more than 20,000 photographs, representing an amazing portrait of the people, the towns and cities, and the landscapes they visited.

Our book, China: An Intimate Look at the Past and Present features breathtaking, insightful and beautiful images brought back by the photographers who revisited the original 6,000-mile route.

National Parks in Jeopardy

What are your favorite National Parks? Chances are, photographer, Ian Shive, has included them in his book, "The National Parks: Our American Landscape." 

A portion of the proceeds from this book go toward protecting our national parks in conjunction with the National Parks Conservation Association.

American Adventures Month

Summer is nearly over but we're excited to hear and see what places you may have visited during these last few months or plan to visit during American Adventures Month. 

Did you recently take a trip to one of The National Parks here in the U.S.? If so, please head over to our Facebook Page to share some photographs you may have taken on your American Adventure. 

Olympic National Park, photograph by Ian Shive

And if you haven't already checked out Ian Shive's latest photography book, you might want to pick up a copy for your armchair travels. 

The gorgeous images on each page will have you yearning for a vacation getaway and will inspire you to seek out the quiet spots in America that are captured inside The National Parks: Our American Landscape.

Happy Travels!

National Photo Month

Our photography books cover nature, geography, faces and places that reflect the beauty found in our daily lives and surrounding some of the most beautiful landscapes and backgrounds.

Whether you have an iphone or a professional camera, we invite you to participate in a global event that will capture images around the world on one given day. On May 15th, have your camera ready.

On this one single day we ask you to pick up your camera and help us photograph daily life. What is close to you? What matters to you? We will connect your images to images from all around the world, creating a unique online experience where photographs will be shared, compared and explored. Your view on life will be preserved to inspire generations to come.

All images will be displayed online for you and everyone to explore. Some of them will be selected for our book, A Day In the World, to be published in October 2012, others shown in digital exhibitions. Every single one will be saved for future research and inspiration. The photos will never be used for commercial purposes. They will always be treated with care and respect. Should your photo be selected to feature in a book, we will try to contact you beforehand.

Italy's country cuisine retreat

Those who have visited the Country House Montali in Tavernelle di Panicale, Italy, have spoken highly of this destination built to "attract like-minded souls," with "fabulous surroundings and serving the most delicious gourmet vegetarian meals."

Country House Montali

More raving reviews from guests:

"Breakfast, lunch or dinner: every time again an artistic surprise."

"If you're looking for the perfect place to really, really get away, do yourself a favor and stay for as long as you can at Country House Montali. This incredible mountain top land, the beautifully decorated rooms, the relaxed vibe experienced when you find yourself overlooking valleys on both sides of the property- all of this and great hospitality made this an unforgettable peak to our Italy experience. Get there as early in the day as you can- the roads leading up to the place get more windy and are best negotiated in good light. Prepare yourself to unwind, take a swim, walk amongst the olive trees and enjoy a glass of wine under the pergola. You'll meet like minded people as we did who appreciate this place and come back again and again when in Italy. And the unbelievably great food... the quality, presentation, variety service and attention to all the details was accomplished with a warm precision by Alberto, Malu and their staff. Glad we have the cookbook as a fond reminder and source of inspiration till our next visit."

You can order a copy of their cookbook, Vegeterranean: Italian Vegetarian Cooking, from Earth Aware Editions, or see photos of their amazing, mouth-watering recipes.

Making a Difference

Earth Aware Editions is committed to broadening the awareness and understanding of the unique challenges of our time through powerful and provocative publications.

Learn more about our top selling titles by visiting our Earth Aware Editions website. 

• Behind the Dolphin Smile: One Man's Campaign to Protect the World's Dolphins, by Richard O'Barry

The National Parks: Our American Landscape
Photography by Ian Shive

• National Parks: Our American Landscape, Photography by Ian Shive
  
• Grand Canyon: River at Risk, by Wade Davis
  
• Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World, by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt
  
• Wildlands Philanthrophy: The Great American Tradition, by Tom Butler
  
• Antarctica: The Global Warning, by Sebastian Copeland
  
• CAFO: The Tragedy of Industiral Animal Factories, edited by Daniel Imhoff
  
• Minding Your Business: Profits that Restore the Planet, by Horst M. Rechelbacher
  
• Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food, by Andrew Kimbrell
  
• Plundering Appalachia: The Tragedy of Mountaintop-Removal Coal Mining, edited by Tom Butler & George Wuerthner

Founded on the principle that the sustainability of life on Earth depends on the spiritual health and wisdom of humanity, Earth Aware Editions presents the diverse voices of today's leading environmentalists, photojournalists, cultural commentators, artists, and activists. 

The Face of America's Homeless

Finding Grace: The Face of America's Homeless
by Lynn Blodgett

An amateur photographer from the age of ten, Lynn Blodgett studied under Andrew Eccles, a renowned photographer who was selected by the New York Times to shoot the cover of their millennium issue.

Also a businessman, Blodgett travels the country as head of the nation's largest provider of computer-based services to state and local governments. During his travels, he began keeping a photographic journal of the homeless people he met, along with their stories, in every city he visited.

The result is "Finding Grace," a powerful collection of words and images that show how people who often go through life ignored and reviled manage to endure the grimmest of life's circumstances with grace and humility.

American Legacy: Our National Parks

In 1871, artist Thomas Moran ventured into a Wyoming landscape that tested his ability to capture its rich variations of color and light. His field studies of steaming geysers and paintings of towering falls were instrumental in the creation of Yellowstone, our nation’s first national park. Since then, artists have joined naturalists and preservationists in convincing American presidents and legislators to set aside more than 350 locations as part of our American Legacy.

In the traveling art exhibition, American Legacy: Our National Parks, 38 members and guests of the Plein-Air Painters of America set up their easels in national sites across the country. The artists are among the country’s most respected plein-air painters. The adjective plein-air refers to the philosophical belief that creating art on-location, challenging as it may be, is crucial to successfully documenting a visual and emotional point in time and place.

March 8 – August 26, 2012
Booth Western Art Museum
Cartersville, Georgia

September 23 – December 2, 2012

Washakie Museum and Cultural Center
Worland, Wyoming

The National Parks: Our American Landscape

Photographer Ian Shive has captured stunning images from National Parks over the course of his career and shares them in his recent collection, The National Parks: Our American Landscape, available for purchase from Earth Aware Editiofacebook.com/mandalaearthns.

A Day in the World

On a single day, millions of perspectives will come together for A Day in the World. May 15, 2012 marks the date on which people from around the globe will pick up their cameras and capture their lives. Professionals and amateur shutterbugs alike will contribute to the most comprehensive photographic documentation of daily life ever made—a global scope in a moment’s time. And just like that, the armchair traveler takes flight, gaining a better understanding of the world’s cultures with every turn of the page.

Tribal areas and urban sprawl, intimate portraits and riotous events, A Day in the World will capture the planet’s range in all its candor. Based on the philosophy that everyone’s life matters, there is no limit to this project’s reach—both behind and in front of the lens. Through an interactive website, participants will upload and tag their images, and then the best will be selected for publication in A Day in the World by an international jury. Ultimately paying tribute to the pervasive role photography now plays in all of our lives, the book aims to inspire tomorrow by picturing today.

A Day in the World launches alongside the movement Aday.org, a branch of the foundation Expressions of Humankind, supporting scientific research and education concerning the photographic image and the written word. The foundation’s council includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, singer/songwriter Robyn, and a host of other luminaries and advocates for the project.

The Golden Gate Bridge turns 75

This year marks a wonderful anniversary here in California, one that holds a particularly special place in our hearts, since the Golden Gate Bridge is practically in our backyard! The Mandala Publishing / Earth Aware Editions office is located in San Rafael so the backdrop of San Francisco, including the magnificent bridge that is turning 75 this May, is something most of us see on a daily basis.

Statistically, the most photographed bridge in the entire world is the Golden Gate and our photographic collection by Morton Beebe and edited by Peter Beren, shows the glorious bridge from different angles, never seeming to capture the same bridge twice.

April 2012

Many events and celebratory exhibits are taking place in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Golden Gate Bridge, culminating in San Francisco with the Golden Gate Festival on May 27th.

You can share your Golden Gate Bridge photos by tagging them on twitter, with the #GoldenGate hashtag or posting them to your favorite photography board on Pinterest.

Wildlife Philanthropy

Wildlands Philanthropy is a testament to what one person can do to save the natural lands of our world. Stunning photographs and compelling stories come together in this one-of-a-kind book, inspiring readers to actively engage in saving our planet, one piece of land at a time.

Wildlands Philanthropy from Insight Editions on Vimeo. Learn more in Wildlands Philanthrophy by Tom Butler, with photographs by Antonio Vizcaino and introduction by Tom Brokaw.

Global Warning

Sebastian Copeland witnessed the accelerated devastation of the Antarctic ice shelf while aboard the research vessel the Ice Lady Patagonia on behalf of Global Green. He uncovered both the awesome beauty of Antarctica and the alarming warnings made visible through his lens. Here he shares images of not only otherworldly glaciers, fields and fjords but also clear signs of the massive inroads that climate change has made on the continent.

Antarctica the Global Warning from Insight Editions on Vimeo. Learn more in Antarctica, the Global Warning with photographs by Sebastian Copeland with an introduction by Leonardo diCaprio.

River at Risk

One of the world's mightiest rivers, the Colorado, no longer reaches the sea. Every drop of river water is allocated to agriculture and populations along the way, many of whom don't even realize their connection to the river. No water remains for the Colorado Delta, once a thriving estuary that supported the most diverse biosphere in North America. Grand Canyon: A River at Risk delivers a message of hope and inspiration for all people of the world.

Grand Canyon: River at Risk from Insight Editions on Vimeo. Learn more in the book Grand Canyon: River at Risk by Wade Davis with photographs by Chris Rainier and Preface by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.