Books of the Year
Remembering Rhinos
by Wildlife Photographers Limited £45, Envisage Books
A few years ago Margot Raggett saw a poached elephant in Kenya. Like most of us she was horrified at the sight, but unlike most of us she did something about it. Raggett came up with the idea of producing a book that would raise funds and awareness of their plight. The result was Remembering Elephants, a beautiful hardback that raised more than £135,000 to support projects across Africa. This time the team turned its attention to rhinos with a powerful message ‘we simply cannot let extinction happen on our watch'. Once again a Kickstarter campaign funded production of Remembering Rhinos, allowing all proceeds from sales of the book to go towards protecting the animals in Africa and Asia. This is more than a mere vehicle for fundraising, however, because the finished article is absolutely beautiful, with images donated from the likes of Mark Carwardine, Will Burrard-Lucas and Greg du Toit. It is stunning and saddening in equal measure.
The Topography of Tears
by Rose-Lynn Fisher £15, Bellevue Literary Press
According to scientists, tears fall into three main categories: basal, reflex and psychic tears. Basal tears are the natural lubricant our bodies produce to assist movement of lid over eye; reflex tears are a response to outside irritants such as cutting onions; and psychic tears are triggered by emotions such as fear. During a period of intense grief, Rose-Lynn Fisher began to wonder what tears might look like through a microscope, and whether the types of tears differed. To satisfy her curiosity she decided to study her own tears, as well as those of others, in a multitude of situations. During the
