Text is in English. The incredible photographs are universally amazing even without words. What began as a labor of love and commitment to conservation/preservation with the help of large amounts of money earned in prosperous business ventures has developed into rescuing resources for Chile and the world. The text explains everything, but it's the photographs that remain in my soul.
Great for gifting or recommending to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected eGalley proof on NetGalley Reader from Patagonia via NetGalley. Avail now.
#PatagoniaNationalParkChile #Chile by Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Michelle Bachelet, Yvon Chouinard and others #NetGalley #goodreads #bookbub #librarythingofficial #barnesandnoble #waterstones ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #picturebooks #photography @tompkinsconservationchile @rewildingchile @rutadelosparquesdelapatagonia #renewableenergy #naturalresources #ecology #naturesanctuary #philanthropicworks @NYPL #PatagoniaNationalPark

Patagonia National Park: Chile is a compilation of beautifully professional photos of the nature, beauty, and animals of Chile. I enjoyed reading the history and information associated with the photos and learning more about this awe-inspiring country. Patagonia has been on my bucket list and reading this book and admiring the beautiful scenery captured in the photos has excited me all over again and inspired me to take this trip of a lifetime sooner. This is a great coffee table book but also an amazing resource for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts.
I have several friends and family who appreciate the beauty of what our world has to offer and have and will continue to recommend this book to them!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review!

How to Rapidly Un-Develop Land into a Park

“Andean condors soaring over snow-capped mountains. Waving grasslands where herds of guanacos roam. Mountain lions haunting the shadows… Natural beauty and abundant wildlife. Centered on southern Chile’s Chacabuco Valley, it showcases the fascinating natural and cultural history of this amazing windswept region at the end of the world. The park exists today due to a committed team of conservationists who forged an innovative public–private partnership catalyzed by private philanthropy…” Photos are by Linde Waidhofer. “For more than a decade Waidhofer witnessed this national park’s founders—Kristine McDivitt Tompkins,” one of the authors, “the late Douglas Tompkins, and the Tompkins Conservation team—as they shepherded the land’s transition from former sheep ranch to world-class national park. With” contributed pieces “from former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Yvon Chouinard, and others,” it “invites readers to experience a place that is protected foremost as the home to its wild residents, and that offers human visitors a chance to reconnect with the land’s natural rhythms. Beyond this, the park’s creation is a globally notable example of ‘rewilding,’” which began in 2004 or 2014 (I think there are a couple of different years mentioned), “of helping nature heal, and ultimately of holding onto wild, radical hope for a future when all of life’s diversity, including people, has freedom to flourish and continue to evolve.”
I looked through the images across this entire book as a first step. I have a 27” computer with a high resolution, so I am probably seeing this book at a larger size at full-screen than it would be in the printed copy. The images are a bit blurry, or lack focus for my taste. I saved a background screen with a shot of Russian winter recently, and it’s a lot crisper than these shots. On the other hand, it’s great to look at so many images of nature in a foreign place. A deer with hairy antlers stopped my attention, though I’m not sure if it’s a deer or a related species, or if this is a boy or a girl. There is no explanation below this figure to clarify just what this is an image of. I’m not even sure of the page: no page numbers. There is a great shot of flying flamingos on the next page: they are in focus, while the mountain behind them is blurred. But I guess that’s how focus works on a camera. Another shot captures red-winged birds from above (with a drone camera): their long shadows fall on the water (I think: it’s more gray than blue) below. The images of owls that follow are extremely crisp and beautiful.
Then, the “Prologue” by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet drew my attention. He explains that when he was president in 2014, he argued against the HidroAysen project (countering hopes of some businessowners), “which would have flooded thousands of acres of Patagonia… Fourteen billion dollars of investments in renewable energy turned us into leaders… By 2030, more than 85 percent of all energy power will be renewable…” Then, he approved building parks in Patagonia in 2017. My suspicion that this book presents strange deer proved true: “huemuls” is a “Patagonian deer that is depicted on our national shield. There are only about 1,500 left in the world.” This whole intro is very succinct, factual, and philosophically sound as it explains the problems he and others set out to fix with this project. Then, the “Foreword” introduces this project from the perspective of somebody who worked on starting this park directly: Chouinard. I also didn’t catch from the blurb that McDivitt is the former CEO of Patagonia, which was mentioned in a previous review. There are not enough words in this book for them to get dull, so most of them are to-the-point and describe what the natural beauty depicted means beyond its surface. This is a pretty book with a positive social message: so a good investment for nature-lovers.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

Stunning photography of Chile's landscapes. Descriptions lend to the images and offer awe-inspiring detail. Great coffee table book. I would recommend this title.

Patagonia National Park: Chile is a beautiful book brimming with stunning photography. It is a book you could spend hours browsing through enjoying the breath taking scenery and amazing wildlife. Plenty of information about the national park and is history is included and you will definitely be dreaming of going there. A wonderful coffee table or gift book.

**Thanks to NetGalley and Patagonia for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

This book is nothing short of breathtaking. Mostly a coffee table book consisting of photographs of the Patagonia region of Chile, it certainly does it's job of prodding the traveler/adventurer in me.

Between the mesmerizing photos, is sprinkled in history and stories of how the Patagonia National Park came to be, the work it took to make it happen.

If you have any interest in Chile, Argentina, the Patagonia region, or simply enjoy history or beautiful places, this is a great place to start.

This is a quick book to flip through but one you can savor for a long time. Largely a pictorial history of the Patagonia National Park in Chile, it describes the founding (largely a passion project of wealthy and caring foreign eco-entrepreneurs) of the park and the natural environment: geology, flora, and fauna. It is visually spectacular and inspirational and can be revisited multiple times to relish the superb photography. One flaw, but a real one for me, was the lack of picture captions, at least in the ARC I received from NetGalley. Captions would have dramatically increased my enjoyment of the book. Still, well worth perusing at length and leisure.