PRIVATE VIEWS of SNOWDONIA.
Photography by STEVE LEWIS A.R.P.S.   Foreword by BRYN TERFEL

What a wonderful book!  Steve Lewis and the Snowdonia Society have collected together thirty pieces about the area, by people with strong connections to Snowdonia, each essay accompanied by one of Steve Lewis’s gorgeous photographs.   The book also includes a short biography by each contributor, a piece by Lewis on taking each photograph, a technical piece on how he took the photographs, an introduction by Morag McGrath of the Snowdonia Society, and a foreword by Bryn Terfel.  The book is available in both Welsh and English.

The contributors each choose a favourite place.  They write about all sides of experiencing Snowdonia: memories of childhood, memories of seeing a certain vista for the first time, anger at some of the damage man has done, love of the scale and beauty of the place, gratitude at their sense of belonging there.  I particularly liked the pieces by people actively taking part in the landscape: the farmers, conservationists and walkers, the canoeist detailing the journey down the Dwyryd river, mothers taking their children to see the landscape they love, the climber seeing another climber reach a summit and wave their fist at the sky.  Steve Lewis has managed in each case to produce a picture that matches the moods and tones of the prose piece.

And what pictures they are.  From the epic mountains in daylight and dusk to the tiny snow lily clinging to the rocks, sunshine and snow, all seasons, all times of the day, are here.  I cannot imagine any reader not being awestruck by the beauty and diversity of Snowdonia shown here.  I cannot imagine any reader not wanting to go and experience this landscape for themselves.

Sir John Houghton, in his piece on Bwlch Coch, says, ‘Creation can only truly be appreciated in small, even fleeting doses.’  This sums up this book for me.  By capturing, in these excellent essays and pictures, moments of life in Snowdonia, the book enables the reader to appreciate just how extraordinary and beautiful the whole area is.  A great achievement by all involved.

Janet Thomas

To purchase a copy please follow this link >

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