One of South Africa's authors and photographers, Peter Steyn has been travelling to the Antarctic and the islands of the Southern Ocean for many years. Antarctic impressions is a record in words and pictures of these journeys, spanning the period from his first trip to Marion Island in 1979 to a 1997 visit to the Emperor Penguin colonies on the Antarctic coast. The title covers visits to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island and other outposts of this remote region. The author's particular interest is the magnificent and prolific bird life of the Antarctic region, and this title will be certain to attract birding enthusiasts. However, there is much to offer readers interested in the exploration of the region and in the ecology of these fragile environments.

Presidents Herbert Clark Hoover and George Walker Bush were challenged many times during their political careers. "On Floods and Photo Ops: How Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush Exploited Catastrophes" focuses on the visual record of two such tests: the relief efforts led by Commerce Secretary Hoover during the 1927 Mississippi River flood and the Bush team's response to Hurricane Katrina. By concentrating on these two historic events, Paul Martin Lester discusses political photography, particularly the use of photo ops during catastrophes. He illuminates the evolution of a genre and explores the differences and similarities between these two American politicians. Hoover and Bush reached the pinnacle of political achievement, only to lose in the court of popular opinion.

From two photo ops that occurred almost eighty years apart, Lester offers a model for close readings and comparisons of images in practicing visual history. Under Lester's examination, these otherwise unremarkable photographs speak volumes about political response to natural disasters. He offers readers not just a deeper appreciation of these pictures but a methodology for seriously studying photographs and what they can reveal about a historical moment.