Getting your player ready...
“Visions of Paradise” ($35, National Geographic) finds nearly a hundred photographers who were sent out to capture their senses of “heaven on earth,” with carte blanche to define it as they saw fit. The result is a wide range of images, from the subtle to the dramatic, including people, places, animals and objects from all over the globe. Sometimes it seemed as though the photographer was stretching the definition of paradise, but that was his or hers to defend, and for the most part, the collection makes sense. Many of the participants chose to use the book as a way to call attention to areas of the world in crisis, such as water shortages and land abuses. Add this one to the list of holiday gift options. Kyle Wagner
