Archipelago

Tucked away in the nonfiction section of the Newport Library is Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Sanctuary, by David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton. It is one of the library's loveliest books.

The Hawaiian Archipelago comprises several islands that extend northwest of what we generally think of as Hawaii. In 2000 President Clinton created the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, an enormous (over 130,000 square miles) area that is now almost entirely off-limits to people. The reserve encompasses islands, reefs, shoals, and open ocean, and is populated by corals, albatrosses, seals, turtles, and thousands of species of fish. Photographers Liittschwager and Middleton joined a team of biologists studying the ecology of the reserve, and produced this amazing book.

In many of the pictures, the photographers collected live specimens, placed them in specially-constructed lightboxes (often equipped with aquarium tanks), and snapped portraits against the light. The results are magnificent.


The authors also catalog the damage done to the islands, which, in spite of their remote nature and protected status, are polluted with tons of plastic garbage, brought in on ocean currents to litter the beaches.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are interested in wildlife, environmentalism, or photography, reserve Archipelago today.